Keyword: «functional potential»

The epigraph is a unique element of the text, allowing an adequate interpretation of the author's idea and artistic information of the complete text. It is a part of the existential discourse and can act as a communicative sign. As a communicative element, the epigraph participates in the dialogue of cultures, ensuring relations between representa-tives of different eras. The epigraph has been a subject of research for not such a long span of time. However, at the moment there are several classifications of its functions. Many researchers identify the main functions such as dialogical, intertextual and aesthetic functions. They are known as primary functions. Nevertheless, secondary functions also attract attention, but are not fully explored yet. The article presents several classifications of epigraph functions, and only one contains secondary functions. These include synthetic, characterological and rhythmic functions. The article presents the results of studying the primary and secondary functions of the epigraph using the following literary texts as the material for research: "Fiesta (and the Sun Also Rises)" by Ernest Hemingway and Ran-som Riggs's trilogy "House of Strange Children". According to the results, the epigraph most often represents informative, notionally thematic and intertextual functions. The topic is considered to be not fully studied and requires further research.