SYNTACTICAL AGREEMENT OF ENGLISH COLLECTIVE NOUNS IN AMERICAN AND BRITISH POLITICAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of syntactic agreement of English collective nouns with a verbpredicate in British and American political discourse. Although the principles of subject-predicate agreement are clearly established in English grammar, the issue of collective noun agreement belongs to the variable aspects of English syntax and is relevant because it demonstrates how grammar interacts with meaning. The aim of the article is to clarify the features of the agreement of collective nouns in English in the context of English-language political discourse, as well as to identify the influence of semantic factors on the agreement of collective nouns with a verb-predicate. Collective nouns constitute a separate category, the syntactic features of which are determined by the meaning of the word. The choice of political speeches as practical research material is determined by the fact that such journalistic style texts are designed for a wide audience; they combine meaning and expressiveness, and have a significant perlocutionary effect. Using the example of agreement of the collective noun “government” in American and British political discourse, it is found that the syntactic agreement of collective nouns is influenced by context and communicative purpose. The choice of the form of the verb-predicate with which the collective noun agrees also depends on the national variant of the English language. In political speeches by American politicians, the collective noun “government” is used exclusively in the singular. In British English, there are differences. In official speeches, the noun “government” is usually used in the singular, emphasizing the idea of the unity of the nation and the integrity of the government as a governing institution, while in speeches of opposition leaders and in parliamentary debates, the use of the plural form is registered, which can be explained by the intention to emphasize the responsibility of each member of the government for political and administrative decisions. The article proves that agreement is not exclusively a syntactic phenomenon, since the determination of the form of the predicate that agrees with a collective noun also depends on semantic nuances and context. We see the prospect of further research in clarifying the features of agreement of collective nouns in other functional styles of the English language.