International Journal of Philology

The article examines the functions of intertextuality in the Orthodox sermons in the English, Russian and Ukrainian languages. The study of the texts as well as the multi-level dialogical relations between them, which are termed as intertextuality since the late 60-ies of the twentieth century, is considered to be promising in modern linguistics. Іntertextuality is explored through the lens of philosophical and post-structuralist, philological and text-typological approaches which offer different definitions of this concept, classifications and functions of the intertextual relations. Analysis of recent researches and publications on the problem of the functioning of intertext has helped to establish the multifunctionality of intertextuality in the Orthodox sermons by identifying such its basic functions as the text-forming, meaning- forming, multimodal, exegetical, subjective-evaluative, receptive-oriented, pragmatic, prototypical (typological), discursive-stylistic (interdiscursive) and linguoculturological. The text-forming function of intertextuality in the Orthodox sermon shapes the surface structure of the text through the interconnection of its compositional parts. The meaning-forming function ensures the integrity of the text content and forms the implicit structure of the text (depth-semantic level). The multimodal function reflects the relationship of the preaching text with non-verbal intertext (audio, spatial and visual). The exegetical function consists in the additional explanation (interpretation) of the information contained in the sermon by means of intertext. The subjective-evaluative function expresses the author's own experiences in connection with situations denoted in sermon by means of intertext. Receptive-oriented function bases on the internal dialogue of the addressees with the addressers-preachers through the use of the different types of intertextuality and precedent phenomena. The pragmatic function in its didactic, argumentative and stimulating-emotional manifestations involves the strategies of the preacher's influence on the addressee. Prototypical (typological) function of intertextuality reflects the system of genre-forming features of the Orthodox sermon, with the obligatory use of direct and indirect quotations from the texts of the Holy Tradition. In the discursive-stylistic (interdiscursive) function the Orthodox sermons acquire common stylistic features with the texts or the fragments of the texts of the other discursive practices or foreign-language texts. The linguoculturological function highlights cultural and ethnic features in the English, Russian, and Ukrainian sermons. It is promising to create a unified classification of types and means of intertextuality in the linguistic perspective, given their invariant and variable features in the English, Russian, and Ukrainian Orthodox sermons

intertextuality; functions; multifunctionality; precedent phenomenon; quotation; paraphrase; allusion; reminiscence; the Orthodox sermon