THE LANGUAGE GAME TECHNIQUES IN THE NOVEL “CHAGIN” BY EVGENIY VODOLAZKIN

Abstract

The article analyzes the language game techniques presented in Evgeniy Vodolazkin’s novel “Chagin”. Attention is drawn to the dominant character of the allusive and imitative principles of language game, which is typical of modern fiction influenced by the poetics of postmodernism. The appeal to precedent statements, texts, less often names, the source of which is mainly fiction, as well as ancient mythology, is noted as varieties of the implementation of the allusive principle of the language game. The cases of semantic transformation of a precedent statement/popular expression associated with the return of the literal meaning of the expression are presented especially extensively. As varieties of imitative techniques of language game, the technique of speech “mask”, elements of parody and stylization prevail. At the same time, the stylization can be both comic (parody) and quite “serious”.