The Language of Heroes in the Works of Mikhail Zoshchenko

Abstract

The work of Mikhail Zoshchenko takes us back to the years of socialist realist orthodoxy, when ideological considerations played a leading role in various spheres of life. The language of his characters manifests such phenomena as the politicization of vocabulary, semantic manipulation, subversive argumentation, accumulation of absurdities, as well as fictitious conversation often bordering on empty words.

Among the examples of vocabulary speculation is the term ideology, which should not be used in various situations. The recipients of this word are imputed features with political overtones. The intention of its users is to create a political opponent. It is also amazing how easily Zoshchenko’s characters succumb to linguistic manipulation, without falling into the slightest embarrassment. On the contrary, they accept their illogical arguments, and they also approve of the incomprehensible statements of the authorities.

The phenomena indicated in the article are symptomatic and characteristic of the language reflecting the times of Zoshchenko. In this way, Zoshchenko revealed the mechanisms governing the human mentality in the post-revolutionary reality. His works, although grotesque in tone, are a kind of protest against political manipulation in language. The phenomenon of Zoshchenko cannot be considered without the presented fragment of linguistic reality or in isolation from the times in which he came to create.