About the author:
Alla V. Riabkova, Cand. Sci. (Phil.), Associate Professor, Department of Foreign Languages and Intercultural Professional Communication for Humanities, Institute of History and Political Sciences, Tyumen State University;
ARiabkova@mail.ru
Abstract:
The national consciousness attracts interest of investigators; techniques
and approaches to the language mentality description are developed.
The present article focuses on linguistic and culturological study of lexical-semantic
space joy-grief as mirrored by the cognitive frame pragmatics, because the particularities
of the opposition of the specified lexemes have not been examined in the national
language consciousness, and semantic lexemes in terms of cognitive frames have not
been considered.
Application in this paper of such methods as descriptive, component, comparative
and framing methods allowed conceptual lexemes, structured in frames, to penetrate to
the sphere of thought of a specific linguistic and cultural social medium and to carry
out a comparative study, due to which the universal and national reveals at the level
of the Russian and German languages in lexical-semantic space joy-grief and at the
level of mentality of both social media in the frame space joy-grief.
The undertaken study has demonstrated practicability of the notion “frame”
developed in cognitive science for representing mental structure. As a result of the
framing method when interpreting frames joy-grief mental specificity and understanding
of cognitive processes of certain ethnic groups was distinguished.
Expressive characteristics of German mentality, namely, economy, rationality,
pragmatism are opposed to Russian mentality; to Russian open-mind, well-wishing
character and accordingly, to the great, figurative Russian language. The national mental
trait of German people becomes apparent in the language as well. The phenomenon of
conciseness relates to both morphology and syntax of the German language, whereas
accurate succession and order covers grammatical categories. The presence of compound
words in the language also testifies to German mentality peculiarities as concentration
of a considerable idea fragment in one unit.
Mental specificity of the Russian language is evident enough if compared with
the German language mentality, the roots of which stretch into unlikeness of national
consciousness of the mentioned above ethnic groups.
The present paper may find practical use when translating literary texts,
in theoretical courses on cultural studies and linguistics.
