CATEGORY OF INTERTEXTUALITY IN THE POLITICAL DISCOURSE OF THE UK PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES

Abstract

This article deals with the peculiarities of the basic textual category of intertextuality realization in the UK parliamentary debates as a type of the political discourse. It points out the specific features of the British parliamentary debates that stipulate the involvement of recursive and procursive intertextual ties that establish connections between past and future events, phenomena and processes in the political, economic, as well as social life of the country. The debates’ participants also appeal in their speeches to the previously adopted laws, reviewed documents and acts of the inner and international significance, as well as allusions, reminiscences and direct, indirect citations of the famous personalities and politicians. Such intertextual inclusions stimulate high emotiveness and grounded argumentation in the communicants’ reactions. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the communicative moves and speech acts used by the debates’ participants during the meetings of the UK House of Commons in the post-Thatcher period.