SEMANTICS AND FUNCTIONING OF ETIQUETTE FORMULAS IN THE EPISTOLARY OF WRITERS OF THE “EXECUTED RENAISSANCE”

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive linguistic and stylistic analysis of the semantics and functioning of etiquette formulas in the epistolary heritage of the “Executed Renaissance” representatives. The relevance of the study is driven by the need to reconstruct the linguistic behavior of Ukrainian intellectuals of the 1920s–1930s – a period when private correspondence remained one of the few spaces for preserving national identity and inner freedom amidst intensifying totalitarian pressure. The aim of the work is to identify the specific features of using traditional and individual-author etiquette constructions (forms of address, greetings, farewells, signatures) in the letters of Mykola Kulish, Mykola Khvylovyi, Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Volodymyr Svidzinskyi, and others. The study employs methods of contextual-interpretative and functional- semantic analysis, which allowed examining the epistolary as a unique ego-document that captures a living, uncensored linguistic element. It has been determined that the system of etiquette formulas in the analyzed texts goes beyond a purely phatic function (establishing contact). It is proven that this system acts as a powerful means of the author's self-presentation, a marker of communication intimization, and an instrument of psychological defense. The mechanisms of transforming customary etiquette models into idiostylistic neologisms are analyzed. It is established that the epistolary of the "Executed Renaissance" is characterized by a high variability of forms of address and signatures, which often take the form of an ironic game, literary mystification, or lyrical confession. Such linguistic gestures served as a way to preserve personal dignity and maintain mental distance from the official Soviet discourse. The conclusions emphasize that etiquette formulas in the letters of writers of this period are a crucial source for reproducing the linguistic worldview of the Ukrainian elite. They attest to a high culture of communication based on deep national traditions, intellectualism, and emotional sincerity. The study confirms that the epistolary heritage is a self-sufficient artistic and aesthetic phenomenon that requires further study within the context of the history of the Ukrainian literary language.