ДОКУМЕНТ КАК ТЕКСТ КУЛЬТУРЫ. ВЫП. 18

51 4. Morphological Features of the Document Text The morphological structure of the official and business style is aimed at pre- cision, objectivity, and impersonality. Its most distinctive feature is the predomi- nance of nouns over verbs, giving the text a nominal character. Abstract and collec- tive nouns help generalize concepts and depersonalize tone: instead of we decided to approve, official texts use the decision on approval was made, emphasizing for- mality and neutrality. Passive and impersonal forms such as the order was issued or it is required shift focus from the performer to the result, ensuring objectivity and authority. Singular forms are preferred, even for collective subjects, to express a unified institutional stance (the committee has decided). Strict adherence to grammatical agreement and government is essential. Estab- lished combinations like agreement on cooperation or to pay employees for work main- tain clarity and legal accuracy. Deviations can distort meaning and reduce reliability. Verb usage is limited mainly to the present tense for general statements and the future tense for prescriptions. Modal constructions (shall be submitted, must com- ply, may be used) express obligation and permission, central to legal discourse. Thus, the morphology of document language reflects precision, consistency, and impersonality – features that ensure its legal validity and communicative clarity. 5. Syntactic and Compositional Features of Document Texts The syntax of official and business texts aims for precision, logic, and coher- ence. Sentences are predominantly complex and hierarchically organized, allowing multiple ideas to be expressed clearly within a single structure. As Tokarev (2010) notes, such syntactic density enables the transmission of extensive factual and nor- mative information without ambiguity. Subordinate clauses of cause, condition, and purpose (whereas, provided that, in accordance with) express legal and logical relations. Participial phrases like taking into account or based on the decision connect parts of the text and ensure cohesion. Parallel constructions (The director orders… The department approves…) highlight procedural consistency, while personal pronouns are avoided in favor of neutral nouns (the employee, the committee) to preserve impersonality. Documents also follow a fixed compositional pattern: heading, preamble, main part, and conclusion. The preamble states the grounds (In accordance with the order of the Ministry…), the main part formulates decisions or provisions, and the conclu- sion contains confirming elements such as dates, signatures, and official seals. Overall, the syntactic and compositional structure of official documents guar- antees clarity, logic, and formality. Through standardized constructions and formu- laic organization, the document becomes a linguistically precise and legally author- itative form of communication. 6. The Role of Standardization and Clichés in Business Communication Standardization is one of the defining linguistic principles of the official and business style. It ensures the uniformity of expression, facilitates understanding among specialists, and preserves the legal validity of documents. As Tokarev (2010) notes, the use of fixed formulas and clichés transforms the document into a