Person as an object of nomination in the institutional discourse of photographers: semantic and pragmatic aspects

Abstract

The article analyzes the semantics of photo-participants’ nominations, the principles and reasons for their distribution in Russian and English versions of the photographers’ institutional discourse. We assume that the analysis of photo-participants’ nominations is relevant, because it reveals the socioprofessional and status-role relations of the communication participants by means of creating units using the associative ability of words. Moreover, it indicates emotional-evaluative relations within the institution of the photo activity participants and a linguo-creative potential of the communicants. The result of the study is a classification of nominations, based on the denotative macrocomponent, which made it possible to identify groups of photography subjects, demonstrating 1) complementary signs of professionalism and social status; 2) certain brands of photographic equipment; 3) certain events, objects and locations. The photographed people are represented by a group of nominations classified according to their professional criteria, events or emotions. The connotative macrocomponent indicates a socio-professional confrontation expressed by a dismissive, derogatory or abusive seme. The mechanisms of semantic transformation, when creating nominations for participants in the photo process, are diverse and actualize images, both obvious and difficult to identify and interpret. The appearance of the photographers and other participants' nominations in the photographic process is due to extralinguistic (to give designations for persons performing new activities) and intralinguistic factors (inconsistency of the existing nomination with the requirements of communicants).