Oplakvane [Complaining] and What It Teaches Us about Communication in Bulgarian Discourse

Here I offer a report on oplakvane as a cultural term for talk and as a communication practice available in Bulgarian discourse, which provides insight and illustrates the diverse ways communication is understood around the world as culturally shaped and utilized in social interaction to serve particular communal functions (Philipsen, 1987). Examining instances of communication and discourse, provide not just a glimpse of this fusion between culture and communication, various for all communities, but also a deeper understanding of the communal realization of larger conceptions of personhood, sociality, dwelling, action, and emotion (Carbaugh, 2007). The cultural nuances that oplakvane brings to the fore show not only the way the particular term for talk and the practice it names are conceived in the particular area, but also provide insight as to the various ways communication as a field is studied in Bulgaria, as situated primarily within the realms of mass media, technology, journalism, and public relations, while “culture” slips within the domain of folklore, nationalism, and anthropology.