ABSTRACT
The study of zdzek (a Belarussian word for ‘mockery’) humorous discourse of Belarusian-speaking online communities in the deontological aspect is conducted for the first time and is based on the material of alternative communities in the social network VKontakte. The researchers focus on the proto-situation “Beehive” (a high backcombed women’s hairdo), represented by two cases in which high hairstyles of women representatives of public administration are ridiculed. Zdzek as a humorous social and communicative action has a palette of ethical shades: from empathy for zdzek objects who are helpless in the face of circumstances to aggressive humiliation of objects of comic speech effect in order to obtain an sublimated superiority over them. The comic effect of discussing “Beehive” is enhanced by LOL-trasyanka, a network version of mixed Belarusian–Russian speech with deliberately exaggerated, parodic code mixing. LOL-trasyanka acts as a trigger for laughter, is used by members of the online community to create an ironic and grotesque discourse with a socially critical orientation.
