TOWARDS HARMONIZING COMMUNICATION OUTWARDS AND WITHIN. AN ON-GOING SHIFT IN PRAGMATICS AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
TOWARDS HARMONIZING COMMUNICATION OUTWARDS AND WITHIN. AN ON-GOING SHIFT IN PRAGMATICS AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Summary/Abstract: Considering the current international context, where everybody is affected by the Sars-CoV-2 pandemicand its economic, social and psychological implications, communication has been subjected to complexchanges at all levels, that go far beyond what we have managed to understand so far. Nowadays, in thesetroubled times, obstacles in communication are the norm rather than the exception, often resulting inalienation, anxiety, depression and a deep sense of loss. Loss of what our lives used to be… Loss of theself… This is why, once the impact of this new reality has more or less settled in, we need to worktowards harmonizing communication in this new world we are living in. As linguists, we are witnessingan on-going shift in pragmatics and discourse analysis, as we should acknowledge the emergence ofcomplex verbal and non-verbal dimensions to personal and professional communication, where fear ofcontagion is constantly lurking in the conscious or subconscious background. Special focus should be laidon schools and the entire educational process, with electronic platforms and online teaching/learningcausing additional stress to all parties involved (teachers, students, and families of both categories). Wehave already discovered that the lack of proper human interaction, or the diminished state we areexperiencing it in, is literally impossible to replace or fully make up for. Now, we must understand thatharmonizing communication must be a top priority, particularly if we need people to stay fully-functionaland keep education, society and economy running.

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