Riposta językowa w świetle wybranych ujęć teoretycznych
The verbal retort in the light of selected theoretical approaches

Summary/Abstract: This article provides a multifaceted overview of the verbal retort as a linguistic, cognitive, and interactional act. Despite the pervasive presence of retorts in rhetorical, comedic, and social discourses, a thorough analysis of their structure and functions has hitherto been lacking. The objective of this review is to systematize and interpret diverse approaches to the retort – ranging from Grothe’s rhetorical distinctions and Alzabin’s logico-pragmatic matrices to the analytical tools of cognitive linguistics, namely frames, conceptual metaphors, and conceptual blending (mental spaces integration). Special attention is dedicated to juxtaposing physical and verbal retorts as a conceptual framework, as well as examining the role of humor and politeness strategies in modulating the force and tone of the retort. The review delineates the shared mechanisms underlying retorts, such as linguistic shock, attentional shift, and instantaneous inference. Rather than offering a single unified theory, the author maps the epistemological landscape of research on retorts, identifying a coherent set of theoretical tools that may serve as a point of departure for future empirical and conceptual investigations.

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