THE PRAGMASTYLISTICS OF DREAD: LEXICAL AMBIGUITY AND SYNTACTIC COMPRESSION AS AFFECTIVE TRIGGERS IN AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER NARRATIVES

This article examines the linguistic encoding of emotion within the American psychological thriller, focusing on the stylistic mechanisms that facilitate the transition from textual stimuli to visceral reader response. By integrating principles of cognitive poetics and affective stylistics, the study analyzes how specific lexical and syntactic choices serve as "affective triggers" to construct an atmosphere of psychological instability. The research identifies a systematic reliance on epistemic modality, paratactic structures, and semantic shifts that disrupt the reader’s cognitive schemas. Through an analysis of representative works in the American canon, the paper argues that the elicitation of dread is a result of "linguistic claustrophobia"—a state where the discourse limits the reader’s interpretive agency through heightened ambiguity and sensory saturation. The findings suggest that the efficacy of the psycho-thriller lies in its ability to manipulate the pragmatics of communication, forcing the reader to inhabit a state of permanent "evaluative hesitation."