Verbal Aggression and Social Variables

The aim of the research project, which is based on the method of oral and written survey, is to determine gender, age, social peculiarities of verbal aggression use and perception, its reasons, forms and functions. The research is carried out considering social variables "gender", "age", "social status" (both separately and in their interaction) and includes aspects of semantics, pragmalinguistics, sociolinguistics, gender linguistics, corresponding the requirements of interdisciplinary studies of contemporary scientific researches. The hypothesis which underlies the project says, The research on different aspects of verbal aggression, which takes into consideration social variables "gender", "age", "social status" in their interaction, will either prove the results, received from the particular social variables, or relativize them. There is no research work of the peculiarities of expression and perception of verbal aggression taking into account three social variables (age - gender - social status) in their interplay, as it is provided in the suggested project. Such an approach will allow us to enclose the phenomenon of verbal aggression volumetrically. On the example of the research of verbal aggression the suggested project will demonstrate, that consideration of social variables "gender" - "age"- "social status" is important also for the research of verbal behavior in general. The basis for the further linguistic research is created by the material gathered with the method of oral and written survey, where structural-semantic and communicative-pragmatic approaches will be applied, that will let us research the means of the verbal aggression expression both on paradigmatic and syntagmatic levels and get the complex picture of verbal aggression phenomenon. The investigation of reasons, forms and functions of verbal aggression will contribute to better understanding of this phenomenon, stimulate the search of ways of peaceful cooperative solving of conflict situations and in such a way become a step forward on the way to reduction of aggressiveness in contemporary world. This makes the project apart from scientific-cognitive values be important for the social sphere too.

The aim of the research project: to determine gender, age, social peculiarities of verbal aggression use and perception, its reasons, forms and functions. It is a complex linguistic study at the interface between semantics, pragmatics and sociolinguistics. Empirical basis was gained by oral (qualitative, semi-standardized intensive interviews with 36 persons) and written (180 persons) surveys. In material analysis methodically diverse approaches were used: component and lexical-semantic analysis, contextual and pragmalinguistic analysis. All the initial tasks have been solved and the hypotheses have been tested. The most important findings relate to the following aspects of the phenomenon of "verbal aggression": 1. Functions: A wide range of functions and functional polarity of the phenomenon was determined; 2. Perception of verbal aggression, which is given little attention in the field of aggression research. In particular, the study of the phenomenon of verbal aggression takes place from the perspective of the speaking person. The increased involvement of the addressee, his / her perception of verbal-aggressive speech acts is important in the context of researching verbal aggression as verbal violence. 3. Reactions to verbal-aggressive speech acts: on the basis of empirical grounds, the reactions which can either lead to a worsening or defusing of conflict situations can be identified, and the maxims for nonviolent expressions of emotions are worked out in accordance with Paul Grice`s conversational maxim. 4. Differentiation of the terms "verbal aggression" and "verbal violence", which are otherwise regarded as synonymous both in linguistics and in linguistic philosophy. 5. The comparison with the results of the previous FWF project (Lise Meitner-Program 2006 - 2008) showed dynamic and allowed the repeated confirmation of the hypotheses. Thus, the hypothesis of the domination of cathartic function was confirmed, while the violent intention plays an insignificant role. 6. The use of aggressive speech acts has proved to be homogeneous in terms of gender or class. 7. Age differences in the utterance of verbal aggression can only be observed clearly in two polar groups: young people - senior citizens. Important scientific knowledge has been gained in the area of the little-studied linguistic variety in Austria - the language of the young (s) and especially its emotive dimension. The research project has attracted lively media and social interest (including, in particular, the Viennese schools), which gave impulses for the dissemination outside the academic framework: public lectures, presentations, meetings with the pupils.