Temporal interpretation of the world in dagestanian languages

Abstract

The article deals with certain aspects of conceptualization of time, predetermined by the national specificity of the world perception. The topicality of the given study is accounted for by the extremely differentiated verbalization of space and time peculiar to the Dagestanian languages. The aim of the article is to identify the common origin of temporal and spatial vocabulary in the Dagestanian languages. To achieve the goal, the authors used a comparative-typological method, as well as a cognitive approach to reveal the role of national consciousness in conceptualization of time. The article also examines some aspects of national peculiarities of time conceptualization aimed at finding out the genetic connection between temporal and space vocabulary. The data under study allows claiming that in the basis of most lexemes with temporal meaning lies a semantic component denoting “space”. Temporal lexemes representing cycling time were developed by means of objectivation of the heavenly bodies’ movement. Meanwhile temporal vocabulary representing line time was formed by means of semantic conversion which allowed transforming local adverbs onto temporal. The most important results obtained by the authors are as follows: (a) the conceptualization of time in the Dagestanian languages is realized on the basis of spacial parameters, so the vocabulary of temporal semantics are formed on the basis of spatial vocabulary; b) the temporal vocabulary of the Dagestanian languages has evolved along the lines of spatial representations > space-time representations> time representations. The results achieved are important for the cognitive studies of the Dagestanian languages, as well as for the further description of the space and time conceptualization in the world language pictures.