The great spread of the phenomenon of MeToo, a global movement promoting the publicity of the facts of sexual harassment, has also received a response in Lithuania: anonymous stories in blogs have grown into a provocative discourse that has attracted a great deal of attention. The aim of the research presented in this article is to characterise the discourse of MeToo in terms of rhetorical expression that has not been discussed yet: to identify and elicit the dominant elements of rhetorical argumentation. The empirical research was conducted using the method of rhetorical analysis that allows distinguishing and defining in rhetorical categories the models characteristic to rhetoric appeals. The method of rhetorical analysis combined with directed content analysis, as well as with critical discourse analysis. Following the methodology of provocative narrative research, it was analysed the material published at the time of maximum intensity and involvement in the discourse, such as testimonies, publications, interviews, and comments of women who have been subjected to sexual harassment. The results of rhetorical discourse analysis allow us to discuss the culture of accusation in which the normalization of victim condemnation is prevalent, and logical reasoning gives way to prejudice-based emotional appeals.

ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8590-4540 Moksliniai interesai: paveikiųjų diskursų retorika, perceptyvioji dialektologija, sociolingvistika Scientific interests: rhetoric of persuasive discourse, perceptual dialectology, sociolinguistics Santrauka. Šiuolaikinės medijos lėmė komunikacijos aprėpties, intensionalumo ir efektyvumo pokyčius. Interneto terpė, suteikianti kone nevaržomą dialogo ir polilogo galimybę, tapo patrauklia erdve provokacijai gimti ir funkcionuoti. Provokatyvus naratyvas ne tik inspiruoja žanrų kaitos procesus, bet ir pats formuojasi kaip tokios žanrinės modifikacijos rezultatas. Straipsnyje kaip provokatyvus diskursas analizuojamas pasaulinio judėjimo MeToo, skatinančio viešinti seksualinio priekabiavimo atvejus, lietuviškasis variantas -seksualinį priekabiavimą patyrusių moterų liudijimai, šį klausimą aptariančios publikacijos žiniasklaidoje, diskurso dalyvių interviu, komentarai. MeToo diskursas charakterizuojamas retoriniu aspektu: išskleidžiama provokacijos kaip paveikios komunikacijos strategijos samprata; aptartas provokatyvaus naratyvo santykis su žanro kategorija; išskirti būdingi retorinės invencijos, dispozicijos ir elokucijos dėmenys.Reikšminiai žodžiai: provokacija, provokatyvus naratyvas, retorinė analizė, žanras.Summary. Modern media has led to changes in the scope, intensity and effectiveness of communication. The Internet medium, which offers almost unlimited dialogue and polylogue possibilities, has become an attractive place for provocation to be born and function. The provocative narrative not only inspires these processes, but also becomes as a result of such a genre modification. This article analyzes a provocative discourse, the Lithuanian version of the global movement MeToo, which promotes the publication of cases of sexual harassment: testimonies of women who have been sexually harassed, publications in the media discussing the issue, interviews with discourse participants, another type of comments. The MeToo discourse is characterized I. Linguistic Researches / Lingvistikos tyrimai / Badania lingwistyczne E. Gabrėnaitė, M. Triaušytė. Provokacija kaip žanras: retorinės MeToo diskurso apibrėžtys by a rhetorical aspect: the concept of provocation as an effective communication strategy is explored; the relationship of the provocative narrative to the genre category is discussed; characteristic rhetorical elementsinvention, disposition, elocution -have been distinguished.

Dialects change, transform, and new ones – transitional, intermediate varieties between dialect(s) and standard language – emerge due to various extralinguistic factors (see Lenz 2010, 296). The research shows that the variety of the periphery of Samogitia, Akmenė region has also changed (Murinienė 2018).The aim of this study is to reveal the gymnasium students’ competence to identify local intermediate variety by assessing it from the perspective of three language varieties – dialect, semi-dialect (intermediate variety) and standard language, and also its value. The data was obtained from a questionnaire, based on the methodological principles of sociolinguistics and perceptual dialectology, to reveal attitudes of young residents of Akmenė region.The analysis shows that gymnasium students, according to their verbalised and visualised attitudes, identify the local variety as a semi-dialect and reflect a less marked dialect. Respondents call it semi-Samogitian dialect, semi-Samogitian and semi-Highland dialect/standard language. In the mental maps, the local dialect is also marked as a semi-dialect and is located between Šiauliai and Mažeikiai, which reveals the reflected peripherality of the local language variety.According to the associations with users of semi-dialect, this variety acquires a high value compared to the (traditional) dialect. The user of the intermediate language variety is described as adaptable, flexible, and simultaneously modern, but not the person who abandons the traditions. The local language variety is important for expressing the local identity because the standard language usage is not recognised among the local dialect users as a conscious separation from the community if it is used in informal situations.