The Dynamics of the Category of Evaluation in the Russian Language (Based on Comparative Constructions)

About the author:

Maria N. Krylova, Cand. Sci. (Philol.), Associate Professor, Department of Professional Pedagogy and Foreign Languages, Azov-Black Sea Engineering Institute; krylovamn@inbox.ru

Abstract:

In the article the author analyzes the changes in the category of evaluation in the Russian language on the material of comparative constructions belonging to the beginning of the XIX century (I. A. Bunin, S. A. Yesenin) and modern time. The category of evaluation is dynamic, and its transformations are reflected in various forms and implementations of the Russian language — in the language of fiction, in oral speech, in language of mass media, television, etc. It has been revealed that the quantitative-emotional evaluation is significant for languages of both periods.

The most important characteristic of the evaluation category is dynamics, closely associated with the development of society and changes in the mentality of a person. Qualitative and aesthetic evaluations were more actual in the language of classical literature, whereas emotional evaluation, evaluation of intelligent data, and utilitarian evaluation are the semantic types of evaluation, demonstrating pragmatics of a language, the prevalence of material values over the aesthetic and spiritual, which have come to the fore in the modern language.

At the same time negative evaluation is much more common in modern language. Comparative constructions most often used for evaluation of personality both in the language of classical literature as well as in the modern language are the following: an animated subject, a person, a person’s behavior, moral qualities, appearance. The distinctive features of evaluative constructions in the modern language are conciseness and emotionality, and in the language of classical literature evaluative comparisons are greater in volume and less emotional, especially in the language of prose. Comparative constructions are a crucial element in the system of evaluation in the Russian language, they are involved in the evaluation of individuals, objects, facts, and events.

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