Russian Linguoculture Research Articles

Representation of Gender Dominants in the Russian Language. Diachronic Aspect

The article speaks about gender dominants in the Russian language. In Russian linguistics the problem of studying gender becomes especially relevant in the beginning of the 21st century, although the studies of peculiarities and differences in the speech of men and women were conducted throughout the 20th century. Gender studies make it possible to analyze language taking into account the multifactorial influence of gender, with the binary opposition «male / female», «masculine / feminine» largely representing the value orientations of any ethnos. In modern society, linguistic gender dominants are associated with the activation of the feminist movement around the world, as well as with the spread of variously interpreted liberal views. In general, femininity and masculinity as part of modern linguoculture are related to the essential characteristic of an individual and are determined by the qualities considered «feminine» or «masculine» in Russian ethnoculture. That is why the phraseosemantic group of feminine and masculine lexicon is actively replenished in the modern Russian language. However, in general, it should be stated that in Russian linguoculture, first of all, the gender dominants, preserved since ancient times, which are based on the binary opposition of mother / father, man / woman.

Особенности взаимодействия преподавателя с российской и китайской студенческой аудиторией

This article deals with the peculiarities of the teacher’s interaction with the Russian and Chinese student audiences in the process of teaching in the higher education system of the Russian Federation. Russian and Chinese students’ audience features were analyzed in terms of using these features in the professional activity of a teacher teaching Russian and Chinese students both individually and as part of mixed groups. The author highlights the following as the main features of Chinese students: collectivism, respect for elders, fear of “losing one’s face”, good memory, tendency to memorize the material, orientation to the fact that the teacher is always right, compliance with the principles of subordination, different from Russian practice, ambiguous attitude to non-traditional forms of classroom instruction, positive attitude to the use of electronic learning tools. Russian and Chinese students are also given a comparative description from the point of view of the peculiarities of the mentality of the representatives of Chinese and Russian linguoculture. It is concluded that a university teacher who takes into account the peculiarities of the Chinese audience will be able to structure the educational process in such a way that all the peculiarities of the mentality of Chinese students will be taken into account. The author also concludes that the due regard of the Russian and Chinese students’ national characteristics will make it possible to teach effectively in mixed student groups. The final paragraphs present possible prospects for further research into the peculiarities of teacher interaction with Russian and Chinese student audiences at the current stage of the development of the higher education system of the Russian Federation.

Человек душный: особенности коммуникативного поведения

The aim of the study is to identify the characteristic features and signs of the communicative behavior of a “stuffy” person. The article, based on an analysis of texts posted on social networks and Internet forums, presents a generalized “portrait” of a stuffy communicative personality. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time it describes the typified communicative personality “stuffy person” in Russian linguoculture. As a result, it was found that a stuffy person belongs to the number of potentially destructive communicative personalities, whose communicative behavior is due to such characteristic features as an increased level of critical attitude towards others, increased attention and unfounded nagging about trifles, and a lack of a sense of humor. It was found that stuffy communicative behavior is characterized, on the one hand, by excessive communicative activity, realized in unsolicited comments, lengthy discussions, and long explanations of the obvious, and on the other hand, by a low degree of informativeness, manifested in aimless, empty conversations. Stuffy communication contradicts the principles of positive communication, oriented TOWARDS the interlocutor, causes discomfort and stimulates a negative assessment from others.

Comparative analysis of the conceptual features of the concepts of YOUTH and JUVENTUD in Russian and Spanish linguistic cultures

In modern linguistics, research is actively developing aimed at cognizing the surrounding reality, verbalized by linguistic units of a particular language. At the same time, of course, interdisciplinary research, including both linguistic and extralinguistic data, is of particular value. The relevance of our article is the comparison of the concepts of YOUTH and JUVENTUD as fragments of the linguistic picture of the world of the Russian-speaking and Spanish-speaking peoples based on the synthesis of linguocultural and linguocognitive approaches to the study of concepts. The purpose of the work is to identify and compare the conceptual features of the above-mentioned concepts in Russian and Spanish linguistic cultures based on lexicographic sources and using extralinguistic socio-demographic data. The results obtained can find practical application in lexicographical activity. In our study, the conceptual features of the concepts of YOUTH and JUVENTUD were reconstructed based on the data of explanatory, encyclopedic, etymological dictionaries of the Russian and Spanish languages. The conceptual features of the mentioned concepts were identified by understanding the semantic scope of the names of the concepts: the lexemes youth, young in Russian and juventud, joven – in Spanish. Despite the fact that the concept of YOUTH was previously the subject of scientific analysis in the works of Russian linguists, a comparative study of the conceptual features of the concepts of YOUTH and JUVENTUD in Russian and Spanish linguistic cultures has not been conducted before, which is the novelty of the article. It was revealed that the coinciding conceptual features include: 1) a certain life stage of a person between adolescence and adulthood; 2) characteristic of youth; 3) the first stage of life / existence (about an animal, plant, phenomenon); 4) younger in age or time. It was also found that the period of youth for speakers of Spanish linguoculture covers a greater number of years, compared with the same period in Russian linguoculture, which is due to extralinguistic factors – a longer life expectancy in a Spanish-speaking society. In addition, for native Russian speakers, YOUTH is often associated with ‘immaturity, weakness’, while in Spanish linguoculture JUVENTUD is perceived as a period of ‘flourishing, strength, energy'.

Linguocultural Commentary as a Means of Immersing Foreigners in the Russian Mentality when Studying a Local Text (on the Example of Work with the Essay by E. I. Nosov «The Road Home»)

The article dwells on the experience of using an authentic text in the classroom with foreign students.The relevance of the study is due to the scientific, theoretical and practical significance of the problems associated with understanding and adequate interpretation of the new linguoculture and is determined by the search for optimal tools for language teaching within Russian linguoculture, the study of which involves identifying the specifics of the worldview of Russian speakers, understanding the mentality of the inhabitants of Russia as a whole and the region in particular, where foreigners are trained. The scientific value and novelty of the research lie in the development of tools – a linguocultural commentary to authentic texts of a regional theme – in order to develop communicative and linguocultural competencies.The study is carried out on the material of the essay by E.I. Nosov “The Road Home”, which reflects Kursk regional realities, thus allowing to update linguocultural knowledge and develop communication skills. The object of commenting in a foreign audience is, first of all, vocabulary with a pronounced national and cultural component: archaisms, historicisms, neologisms, anthroponyms, toponyms, phraseological units, etc.The study is based on an interdisciplinary approach that integrates knowledge from various fields of science: linguoculturology, philology, cognitive linguistics, and linguodidactics. In the process of research, such methods as commenting, statistical, comparative-analytical methods were used.To assess the effectiveness of the methodology of linguocultural commenting on the authentic text, a test was conducted in the experimental and control groups of foreign students. The results of the test showed that the linguocultural commentary contributes to the understanding and adequate perception of the new linguoculture, the development of communicative competence.

HUMAN INNER WORLD AS A MEANS OF SYMBOLIZATION IN THE FOLKLORE (based on the animal concept лиса (fox))

The article is devoted to the consideration of the animal concept of the fox in the minds of representatives of the Russian linguoculture. Of particular interest is the study of the concept in the folklore picture of the world. Using the example of Russian folk and Soviet fairy tales, the animal concept is analyzed and interpreted as a cultural and symbolic phenomenon functioning in the illustrative material in the form of a lexeme. The article is aimed at decoding the national and cultural conceptual image of the fox and at identifying the spectrum of ethno-cultural symbolic signs. Signs are objectified at the level of the compatibility of words and sentences. The analysis of folklore sources has shown that the symbolic component of the animalistic concept-image лиса (fox) is very extensive: cunning, slyness, treachery, deception, resourcefulness, sneakiness, dexterity, ingenuity, caution, patience, cheating, insight, hypocrisy, greed, prudence, flattery, commercialism, manipulation, inventiveness, attentiveness, intelligence, selfishness, pretense, theft, seduction, sense of smell, purposefulness. The revealed structural features reflect the inner world of a person, his/her moral and mental characteristics. It is important that symbolic signs attached to the image of лиса (fox) have not changed over time. The image of лиса (fox) in the Russian-speaking consciousness is steadfastly preserved as contemptuous, but at the same time instructive.

Reflection of Chinese Cultural Realities in the Modern Russian Language in the Paradigm of Subject and Semantic Correspondences

The article deals with the importance of language and culture interaction, the linguistic and cultural characteristics as features of the languages belonging to various linguistic macrogroups (Russian as part of Indo-European, Chinese as part of Sino-Tibetan). The paper highlights the importance of translation in the interaction of linguistic cultures; the difficulties that can be encountered in interpreting the realities of another culture are indicated, which is due to both the peculiarities of the lexical and grammatical structure of the source and translating languages, and the peculiarities associated with the traditional culture of the language community.
 The component of the meaning of the real words of the Russian and Chinese languages with different semantic structures is part of the denotative macro component of the lexical meaning of the word. The national-cultural component of words with different degrees of differentiation of concepts in the Russian and Chinese languages is included in the significative macro component of their lexical meaning, and its content consists of differential semes of the significative macro component. The national-cultural component of the lexical meaning of words of corresponding languages with a mismatched internal form is the semes of the denotative macro component. Russian linguoculture should take into account the specifics of the Russian language, and in cases where the realities are completely alien to Russian national and cultural ideas, the necessary historical and other comments are tobe given. It should be noted that recently, due to the intensification of national-cultural and economic contacts, a great number of words (including national-specific realities) from the Chinese language have been penetrating into the Russian language, which requires separate linguistic research.

The Modelling of a Multidimensional Linguocultural Concept on the Example of the Concept СТАРОСТЬ ‘SENILITY’

The novelty of the study is due to the modelling of a linguocultural concept, while its structure properly represents a multilevel model determined by its essential, obligatory components, such as meaning, notion, value and imagery components, as well as by the set of their potential associates. The study synthesizes modern ideas and views already developed in the Russian linguistics concerning a concept as a mental formation. There are generalized theoretical and applied approaches to the definition of mental formations or concepts, in particular, both linguocultural and linguocognitive formation aspects of a concept are discussed in detail. The complexity of elaborating a simple, unambiguous definition and formulating value and imagery conceptual components represents the subject of the study. On the basis of the Russian language material, the model of the concept СТАРОСТЬ (‘SENILITY’) is put forward, the concept’s structure is particularly characterized, as well as the principles of selecting lexical, paremiologiсal and phraseological units which form the concept’s lexical frame. The elaborate algorithm to structure the concept consists of a number of stages: the defining of a semantically and stylistically neutral concept’s verbalization, the reconstructing of the notional component, the selecting of lexical units to express its value and imagery components. The issue of the differentiation and delimitation of value and imagery components is studied separately as both of them possess different and common reconstruction sources, e.g., phraseological and associative dictionaries. The model of the multidimensional linguocultural Russian concept СТАРОСТЬ ‘SENILITY’ as the pattern to construct similar models of other concepts, produces the main result of the given study. The reconstruction of multilevel models of concept is in prospect and would allow present the fragment of the worldview of the Russian linguoculture bearers.

Basic Signs of the Borrowed Concept of Soldier in Russian Linguoculture (According to Lexicographical Sources)

Basic Signs of the Borrowed Concept of Soldier in Russian Linguoculture (According to Lexicographical Sources)

Transformation of the concept of MONEY in the everyday consciousness of the speakers of Russian linguoculture from the end of the XX to the first third of the XXI centuries.

This article presents the results of the study of the transformation of the concept of MONEY in the everyday consciousness of the speakers of Russian linguoculture in the period from the end of the XX to the first third of the XXI century and a description of its actual content. The relevance of this study is due to significant changes in the realities of life in the specified period, which could not but be reflected in everyday consciousness, as well as the use of a special methodology for studying concepts. The study was conducted within the framework of a triangulation approach, using a combination of three methods of various humanities: associative experiment, the method of pictorial associations and a sociological survey. The combination of these methods allows the author to comprehensively study the subject and get the most complete picture of the subject being studied. As a result of the analysis, significant changes in the structure and content of the concept of MONEY for the specified period were revealed, changes in their perception as a phenomenon were revealed, their domestic status determined, and the place of financial well-being in the value system of ordinary carriers of lingvoculture determined. The proposed methodology and the presented conclusions can be used in conducting other psycholinguistic studies, as well as be useful to sociologists and economists. We see the prospect of further research in further monitoring of changes in the concept of MONEY, as well as in further improvement of the methodology used.

Концепт ДЕНЬГИ/MONEY в структурах разных концептуальных категорий (на материале ассоциативных словарей)

The article is devoted to the study of the connections that occur between conceptual categories and between elements of such categories. The authors show the way one concept can be included into several conceptual categories on the basis of similar, identical, or inverse features of a category element and a categorical concept. Russian concept ДЕНЬГИ and American concept MONEY are analyzed with the use of definition and associative dictionaries. That gives the opportunity to trace conceptual features and establish differences in the perception of the two concepts in Russian and American linguocultures. The methods of conceptual and linguocultural analysis are used as well as the methods for studying associative-verbal networks suggested by Yu.N. Karaulov. It was found that such features as is evil, something that is missing, something that is in a large number are specific to the concept ДЕНЬГИ in Russian linguoculture, while bring social and material wellness, kept in bank, can be increased are characteristic of the concept MONEY in American linguoculture. These features help to relate the concepts under study to corresponding conceptual categories. It was proved that the Russian concept is connected to the following categorical concepts: МНОЖЕСТВО (a lot of), ЗЛО (evil), ТРАТА (expenditure), НЕДОСТАТОК (lack of), РАБОТА (work), ЧЕЛОВЕК (human), while American concept is connected to SALARY, JOB, WEALTH, GOLD, PEOPLE. It is also stated that one concept can belong to different conceptual categories, and this unites different categories in native speakers’ consciousness. The study is performed at the intersection of psycholinguistics, cognitive linguistics, and language and cultural studies.

Semantic and pragmatic potential of Turkmen and Russian personal names

This article is devoted to identifying the pragmatic and semantic features of personal names in the Russian and Turkmen languages. In the article personal names are considered in the linguocultural and linguocognitive directions which determines the relevance of the pragmatic-semantic study of personal names. A comparative examination of the analyzed Turkmen and Russian personal names allows us to identify their common and distinctive characteristics and clarify the system of value priorities of different linguistic communities. The study showed that each person is endowed with a name that reveals in the language and in the process of communication their own semantic aura as a set of semantic components that constitutes its associative-figurative basis. In the course of a comparative analysis of Turkmen and Russian personal names associative-figurative complexes were established that underlie the semantics of personal names in Russian and Turkmen languages. Also, a comparison of Russian and Turkmen personal names showed differences in the evaluative halo. The pragmatic potential of personal names is revealed in the fact that they show (at an unconscious level) the attitude of the speaker to the addressee. In the Russian language people are positively evaluated whose names, for example, Daniel, Ilya, Lev and etc., negatively — Kirill, Olga, Svetlana etc. As for the ratio of positive and negative connotated personal names in Russian out of 260 names 39 % positively assessed and 61 % negatively. In Turkmen out of 300 names, 93 % positively assessed and 7 % negatively. In the Turkmen language, as a rule, personal names were positively evaluated which is due to the fact that the names encoded a prediction, a wish for the future. For example, Mekan — wealth, Batyr — courageous, Mahriban — tender, etc. Accordingly, personal names acquire the assessment that is given to people. Names also convey culturally significant information in a given linguistic culture. In Russian linguoculture the female name Ekaterina are associated with Empress Catherine the Great or the male name Peter with Peter I. In Turkmen linguoculture, Muhammed is associated with the prophet, Mahtymguly with the poet, Atabeg with the teachers of the children of the rulers. In Turkmen linguistic culture names can be associated with plants which is not typical for Russian. In Russian linguistic culture associations with the characters of songs, literary works, poems are specific.

Особенности репрезентации отдельных компонентов фреймовой структуры образа звезды (знаменитости) в русском языке (на материале СМИ довоенного, послевоенного и современного периодов)

The article presents a general characteristic of the “star (celebrity)” frame in the Russian linguoculture based on the material of three chronological periods. The author substantiates the relevance and practicability of studying the star (celebrity) image from the standpoint of the frame approach. It is established that the structure of the “star (celebrity)” frame is determined by the actual nature of the stardom phenomenon, as well as the factual research material. Based on the material of the Russian-language newspapers and magazines of the Soviet pre-war and post-war periods, as well as the media texts of the modern period, the structure of the “star (celebrity)” frame is modelled, which contains a number of slots and terminals. The author remarks that this frame structure is not constant in all three periods and it is represented by some variations. Using the example of the leading slot “wide popularity”, which includes such terminals as “a high degree of popularity”, “a medium degree of popularity” and “the number of fans”, the article discovers the similarities and differences in the objectification of the separate structural components of the “star (celebrity)” frame in the mass media texts of the above-noted periods. It has been established that the terminal “a medium degree of popularity” is eliminated from the texts of the pre-war and post-war periods. In the factual material of all three periods the clichéd expressions, as well as the linguistic units with the root мир- (world) were identified as the leading representatives; the frequent language units in the texts of the Soviet pre-war and post-war periods are a group of impassioned vocabulary, as well as nominations of creative work artifacts. Within the framework of the above-mentioned slot, the linguistic and cultural characteristics of the stardom phenomenon are defined as follows: “glory”, “popularity” and “attention”. Modelling of the invariant structure of the “star (celebrity)” frame in the Russian linguoculture is indicated as one of the prospects for further research.

Общие и национально-специфические лингвокультурологические черты паремий с компонентами – названиями инструментов кузнеца, столяра и плотника в русском и китайском языках

The paper attempts to conduct a systematic analysis of the national-cultural semantics contained in Chinese and Russian paroemias with the names of tools used by a blacksmith, a joiner and a carpenter in their professional activities involving relevant theories of linguistics and cultural studies, as well as to examine the similarities and differences in the linguocultural features objectified in these proverbs and sayings. The research aims to determine the common and culture-specific linguocultural features peculiar to Russian and Chinese paroemias with the components naming tools of a blacksmith, a joiner and a carpenter, which makes it possible to identify lacunary areas in the two cultures, as well as to highlight the most vivid national connotations and stereotypes recorded in the paremiological stock of the language. This kind of research contributes to the formation of effective methods of intercultural communication between Chinese and Russian business partners. The scientific novelty of the research lies in formulating the recommendations for a productive speech interaction between native speakers of Russian and Chinese linguocultures, taking into account their national specifics of the attitude to work and to the success achieved as a result, based on the analysis of the linguocultural specifics contained in paroemias with the components naming tools from a narrow professional field. The research findings have shown that being a linguistic universal, paroemias with the components naming tools from narrow professional fields along with common cultural components contain unique cultural connotations, the consideration of which will contribute to the effectiveness of intercultural communication. It has been found that the perception of work as hard labour the systematic performance of which can lead to the desired goal is typical for Russian linguoculture, while in Chinese culture, there is a more positive attitude to work understood as a tool on the way to achieving the planned result.

Transformation of the Meaning "POVERTY" from the End of the XX Century to the Present Day

The article presents a part of the study of the conceptual field of WEALTH/POVERTY in the everyday linguistic consciousness of the speakers of Russian linguoculture. The purpose of this study is to trace the transformation of the conceptual field of word POVERTY in the linguistic consciousness of an ordinary native speaker of Russian linguoculture over the past thirty years, marked by serious socio–economic and political changes in Russian society, as well as to trace the influence on the perception of this conceptual field of the philosophical trend of non-possessiveness – one of the basic archetypes of the Russian conceptual sphere. "Russian Associative Dictionary" edited by Yu. N. Karaulov, "Russian Regional Dictionary-Thesaurus EVRAS" edited by G. A. Cherkasova and "Russian Regional Associative database" by SIBAS N. V. Ufimtseva and I. V. Shaposhnikova served as the research material for the databases of different periods obtained during free associative experiments. The material of the first source was collected and published in the late Soviet – early post-Soviet period, when socio-political changes were actively taking place that turned the lives of the country and Russian citizens upside down. The second and third sources were created in the second decade of the XXI century and are still being replenished. After analyzing the data, we established the destruction of the archetype of non-possessiveness, and also traced changes in the mood of society in relation to the problem of poverty by analyzing the content and structure of the conceptual field. The scientific novelty of the work is that we have traced the transformation of the conceptual field. The analysis and conclusions of the work complement the picture of public opinion and can be used by sociologists, as well as in linguoculturology classes.

МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ КОНЦЕПТА ПЕНСИЯ: ЭКСПЕРИЕНЦИАЛЬНЫЙ ПОДХОД

This article aims to model the nominative field of the concept PENSION in the logical and experiential approaches. Using the method of the conceptual and definitional analysis, we analyze the objective semantic features in the meaning of the lexeme “pension”. The conceptual characteristics, reflected in the ordinary consciousness of young speakers of Russian linguo-culture, are revealed on the basis of free associative experiment data. Free associative experiment was carried out among 99 students (17-25 years old) of the Philological Faculty of the RUDN University. The data of the free associative experiment allow us to reveal the connections of the concept PENSION with the concept OLD AGE in the conceptual system of the Russian linguo-culture.

Linguocultural Connotations of the Lexeme willow ‘ИВА’ in Russian and Chinese Languages

This paper attempts to explain linguocultural connotations of phytonomen WILLOW by analyzing the results of process that Russian and Chinese perceive this object in our surrounding world and their aesthetic ideas about it. The relevance of the study is due to the need for an accurate understanding and transmission of the information received in the communication of representatives of different cultures, as well as insufficient knowledge of linguocultural connotations of phytonomen in Russian and Chinese, especially in comparative aspect. The aim of this paper is to study connotations of the lexeme WILLOW in Russian and Chinese linguocultures. The material of the study is proverbs and lyrical works containing the phytonomen WILLOW with special linguocultural connotations for the Russians and Chinese. The paper uses such methods as descriptive, paremiological, contextual, comparative, component analysis, cognitive modeling. The study belongs to the sphere of the current direction in linguistics - comparative linguoculturology and paremiology. The scientific novelty lies in clarification of the historical and cultural associative meanings of the lexeme WILLOW in Russian and Chinese linguocultures. The result of the study is establishing of the fact that WILLOW occupies an important position in both linguocultures. It symbolizes strong life and graceful female image in the two languages. In addition, WILLOW personifies grief, soreness and even funerals in Russian linguoculture and has connotations of «frivolous girl», «farewell», «longing for someone absent or the homeland» in Chinese. Hence follows the conclusion that linguocultural connotations of the lexeme WILLOW in Russian and Chinese do not completely coincide, they have both similarities and differences.

Генезис когнитивных признаков в структуре концепта вишня

The article describes the motivating signs in the structure of the cherry concept in the Russian linguoculture. The author defined the primary signs, determined their cultural relevance, illustrated them, and identified those that became cognitive. The research covered twelve etymological and historical dictionaries of the Russian language, as well as the National Corpus of the Russian Language. The methods included etymological, descriptive, conceptual, and component analyses of dictionary definitions. The study revealed fifteen motivating signs of the cherry concept, which were classified as follows: 1) the plant and its components: branch, tree, (shrub) plant, small / round, mistletoe, fruits, rods, flowers, cherry; 2) color: crimson, brown, dark red; 3) substance: (glutinous) juice, bird glue; 4) qualitative state: sagging under its own weight. All the motivating signs have retained their relevance and assumed the status of cognitive (conceptual) ones, except for mistletoe and rods, which were not confirmed by the National Corpus of the Russian Language. The demand for primary signs proved the preservation of the prototypes underlying the word as the representative of the concept under study. Vegetative linguocultural concepts were also interconnected with the corresponding symbols.

Отражение национальных стереотипов в паремиях с компонентом - названием инструментов для шитья и вязания в русской лингвокультуре на фоне китайской

The aim of the study is to describe the national stereotypes inherent in Russian and Chinese linguocultures that are actualised in paroemias with a name of sewing and knitting tools (needle, knitting needles, awl) as a component. The study is novel in that it is the first attempt to describe the national stereotypes reflecting the world outlook and notions of the carriers of Russian and Chinese linguocultures concerning labour/work and life in general, using the material of a narrow area of the “Tools” phraseosemantic field (paroemias containing names of sewing and knitting tools). As a result, it has been proved that paroemias, in particular proverbs and sayings, reflect events that took place during the historical development of peoples and in a concentrated form communicate folk wisdom, moral ideas, stereotypical attitudes. Both Russian and Chinese proverbs and sayings with a name of sewing and knitting tools as a component reflect the peoples’ ideas about the importance of such human qualities as tenacity, perseverance, which help to achieve excellent results in one’s work. Unlike Chinese linguoculture, in Russian linguoculture there is a stereotype about the hierarchical structure of society, which seems optimal for ensuring labour productivity; a similar idea is not recorded in the Chinese national consciousness. In addition, a Russian person, unlike a Chinese person, is characterised by their devotion to work, willingness to labour for the benefit of others.

Oppositive Semantics in English and Russian Phraseological Units by the example of PHU with a Semantic Component MAN

The article deals with a complex analysis of a phraseological unit (PhU) phenomenon: its linguo-cognitive basis, structural-semantic potential as well as actualization peculiarities in the English and Russian linguo-cultural spaces under the manifestation of a multidimensional oppositive sense through PhUs with a semantic component man . The study establishes that the component exhibits the characteristics of a polysemant in the English language and reconstructs three basic modi of entity: mental-ethical, cognitive-psychological, socio-economic. The semantic component man is less polysemantic in Russian compared to the English equivalent and represents a monolithic spiritual modus. This fundamental difference is caused by the tendency to the ideal interpretation of typically material senses which is specific to the Russian linguoculture. It is revealed that oppositive semantics manifests itself both on the level of internal relations (between the components within a PhU) and on the level of the external ones (with other PhUs) in the two languages. Besides, the main oppositive load is carried out through lexical-grammatical means: antonyms, adversative conjunctions and particles that form symmetrical and asymmetrical contrastives. The study proves that oppositive patterns with a similar structure mark fundamentally different archisemes in English and in Russian, modeling diametrically opposed existential-axiological trajectories (material and ideal correspondingly) in the linguocultures under examination.