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WORDS vs MEANINGS

Where and how meanings emerge

Abstract

The discussion aims to identify the interpretive mechanisms that provide an interface be­tween text and context (between language and the world, language and culture, language and society). It is a multi-level system of interfaces connected by inversion and recursion relations and operations. We identify this system as a pragmasemantics. It also acts as an interface platform for correlation/transformation of intra-system semantic units and extralinguistic objects within a set of possible worlds. At the same time, this platform is endowed with the autopoietic potential to generate new operating interfaces systems, as well as textualized structures of operations and interpretations (instructions, memory, reframing). The genera­tion of meaning is the result of the interaction of the system platform with the platform-as-context, due to the possibility that one generates and determines the operational potential of the other, acting a recursive loop or Möbius strip. The connection between subjectivity and meaningful semiosis is crucially important due to the key role of textualization and langua­ging. The signified are reproduced by signifiers and thus generate those processes that are structured by interactions and other practices. In complex systems (biological and beyond), the possibility of self-replication arises through recursive self-interpretation. Thus, subjectivi­ty acts as a kind of universal interface that determines the change of contexts, their interac­tion, the generation of possible new ones, ensuring the pro-creativity and pre-adaptability of the system (its stability and development.

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Vladimir Bibikhin: the connoisseur of poetry and the poet

Abstract

The publication of «Selected Records from 1965 to 1989» has exposed the reader to poetry of Vladimir Bibikhin’s poetry as a key to understanding the patterns of culture. In these rec­ords, Bibikhin discussed the formation of the canons of national poetry and its peculiarities. In his poetry, Bibikhin emulated the poetic style and essence of Russian poetry, surrounded by the aura of myth and replacing moralistic content with existential themes. These poems delved into the ethical-metaphysical question of how presence in existence is possible without arro­gance or violation of the rights of others. Bibikhin reflected on the relationship between poetry and prose during the formation of national literatures. He insists on the non-conditionality of the distribution of forms of poetry and poetic expression, political construction as a source of the national language, and the role of bodily movements, such as walking, running, and swimming. The exploration of these movements, discovered during the implementation of a cultural and missionary national programme, gives rise to both stable forms of verse and new genre-thematic complexes. The Records demonstrate how poetry allowed the poet to unveil the underside of the myth of the poet, revealing the role of conceptualizations in the development of creative individuality and the associated rhythm. A comprehensive examination of Bibikhin's expertise in verse and his poetry addresses several related questions: how late Sovi­et independent philosophy initially interpreted cultural creativity, not predetermined but aimed at the formation of universal social organization; how hermeneutic efforts were directed towards metacritique of social rituals; and how composing verses helped explain the regulari­ties of text interpretation in different periods, thus elucidating the specificity of pivotal epochs in culture as eras of problematizing this interpretation.

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Semantic potential of the lexeme twilight in Russian poetry

Abstract

The article provides an in-depth analysis of both direct and figurative usages, as well as the figurative transformations of the term 'twilight' in Russian poetry spanning over a cen­tury and a half of its evolution. The linguistic and poetic examination focuses on contexts featuring the lemma 'twilight' within the poetic corpus of the Russian National Corpus, spe­cifically those related to the period from 1756 to 1917. The chosen timeframe aligns with the initial recording of the selected lexeme, as per corpus data, with the second date serving as a conditional endpoint corresponding to the conclusion of the Silver Age of Russian lyrics. The aim of the linguistic and poetic analysis is to discern patterns in the figurative and symbolic utilization, as well as the individual reinterpretation of the term 'twilight' by poets across various literary methods, trends, and schools, including baroque, classicism, sentimentalism, romanticism, realism, and modernism. The conducted analysis leads to the following conclu­sions: 1) The term 'twilight' is employed in poetry in its direct-nominative dictionary sense, contributing to the creation of a lyrical chronotope and landscape sketches. In this context, the meaning actualized in the literary text may deviate from the dictionary lexical definition, such as in cases of personification and periphrastic renamings like 'twilight witch' or 'twi­light monk.' 2) Figurative and symbolic meanings in poetry become notably prominent dur­ing the Silver Age. This period witnesses an enrichment of the conventional semantics, with vari­ous "extensions" and transformations occurring when the term is used figuratively to charac­terize transitional states in the realms of the world, history, and consciousness. 3) Tropic con­texts prevail, showcasing the broadest syntagmatic and functional-semantic possi­bilities of the lexeme 'twilight' in Russian poetry. These contexts demonstrate the extensive range of fi­gurative applications and symbolic nuances associated with the term.

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‘People in Black’: Semantization of the concepts ‘sectant’ and ‘baptist’ in the anti-religious campaign of 1958—1964

Abstract

In the post-revolutionary era, the population's adoption of a new political vocabulary demanded the Soviet authorities to play the role of the interpretant. They engaged in the pro­cess of assigning meanings to new concepts through mass media and fiction. Simultaneously, established concepts had to undergo reshaping to align with the new worldview of the 'Soviet citizen’. The transformation of the semantic structure of religious vocabulary, ideologically marked, reflected the shift in the fundamental values of Soviet society. This article, employing component and contextual analyses, explores the target semantization process of key concepts during Khrushchev's 1958—1964 anti-religious campaign, specifically focusing on 'sektant' and 'baptist'. Through mass media and propaganda literature, a set of semantic features for these terms was imposed on the children's audience in ideological contexts. The analysis of linguistic material from numerous sources such as the newspaper Pionerskaya Pravda, Pioner and Koster children's magazines, and selected works of children's literature reveals that the target audience — school children — led to the emergence of semantic primitives. This in­vol­ved significantly narrowing the semantics of the words 'sektant' and 'baptist.' Linguistic tools such as new lexical pairs ('sectarian-Baptist,' 'fanatics and bigots,' 'subversives and villains') and linguistic markers related to colour, sound, appearance, age, and location were employed. These tools helped develop a negative image of a Protestant believer and ultimately transformed the concepts of ‘sectant’ and ‘baptist’ into political labels.

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Polynominativity of geographical objects in the linguocultural context

Abstract

The article attempts to analyze the linguocultural factors contributing to the phenome­non of polynominativity—multiple names for a single object. This investi­gation employs top­onyms as a case study. The exploration delves into several key factors that give rise to poly­onyms: 1) linguosociocultural factors: these factors play a pivotal role in shaping subsystems of names, encompassing both official and unof­ficial, widely used and niche terms, as well as neutral and connotatively charged expressions. 2) linguogeocultural factors: they contribute to the differentiation of objects based on culturally significant oppositions such as ‘near-far’, ‘left-right’, and subsequently transmit binary characteristics like ‘own-alien’,’ ‘good-bad’, among others. 3) linguoethnocultural factors: these factors elucidate the intricacies of the in­teraction and mutual influence of onomastic systems from different ethnic groups coexisting within the same geographical space. 4) linguopragmatic factors: these factors drive the multi­plication of onomastic units and subsystems for utilitarian purposes, including cultural con­siderations. 5) linguocognitive factors: they lead to the emergence of ‘double’ names that mir­ror individual or collective features of a particular worldview model. It is evident that these factors interact dynamically within specific historical, social, and cultural contexts. The study of the intricate interplay between these elements holds promise, and advancements in onomas­tic ethnolinguistics, coupled with developments in computational linguistics, are par­ticularly noteworthy. Despite progress, researchers tackling this thematic area are confronted with numerous unresolved questions.

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TRANSLATING THE UNTRANSLATABLE

Unveiling the unseen: the challenge of phenomenological conceptual untranslatables

Abstract

This article aims to explore the significant challenges posed by phenomenological un­translatables while also emphasizing their role as cultural phenomena. Phenomenological untranslatables are typically associated with a specific cultural, historical, or social context, and their meanings are shaped by the unique experiences of the community that uses them. They encode complex elements of human perception, emotions, or phenomena that do not have direct equivalents in other languages. Yet, the absence of direct linguistic equivalents should not be misconstrued as the absence of shared human experiences. By employing a multidisci­plinary approach that encompasses linguistics, cognitive science, and cultural studies, we have conducted an analysis of the conceptual framework underlying this type of lexis and identified macro- and micro-conceptual attributes that may necessitate various verbalizations in different cultural and contextual settings.

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Transposition — retelling — translation: the destiny of Areopagitica in Slavia Orthodoxa

Abstract

The article undertakes a conceptual analysis of the challenges associated with translating works from the Corpus Areopagiticum, a collection of theological treatises attributed to Dio­nysius the Areopagite from the 1st century. However, these works are unequivocally associat­ed with early medieval Eastern Christian mystical-theological thought, presumably from the turn of the 5th—6th centuries. These texts first appeared in the Slavic Orthodox area in 1370, and subsequent translations emerged at the end of the 17th century, in the 18th and 19th centuries, and, most recently, in contemporary times. The authors introduce a set of criteria that facilitate the differentiation of the analyzed texts into distinct types of text transmission, namely transposition, retelling, and translation. These criteria are founded on factors such as the dominant translation strategy, the approach to the source language, and the textual tradi­tion. The primary research methodology involves a diachronic analysis of linguistic material, employing comparative, stylistic, and textual analysis within the theolinguistic paradigm. The hypothesis posited in the article is substantiated based on empirical evidence. Moreover, the article draws conclusions regarding the impact of general linguistic changes on the nature of translations. This includes shifts in the role and status of the Church Slavonic language, the conditions contributing to the formation of a new literary language, and the inevitable influence of broader cultural and civilizational factors. The paper also explores the tradition of translating otherness, a practice that persists in contemporary times.

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Analysis and translation of the Old English poem Instructions for Christians in the context of the Christian tradition

Abstract

An Old English poem, preserved in a copy of the 12th century, Instructions for Chris­tians, consisting of 265 lines, is considered through the prism of the explication of the theme of moral instructions in the Old English tradition. The poem, along with other Old English sermons and Christian poems, represents the suggestion of moral rules regarding early Chris­tian life, being a set of orders for believers. This article provides the author's translation of the contexts of the poem Instructions for Christians. The problem of studying the phenomenon of instructions and the representation of the indisputable position of faith in the ancient culture of the Anglo-Saxons is posed. The overall goal and objectives of the study determine the com­plex nature of the traditional methods used for philological analysis of texts and the semiotic approach to texts. The analysis of the Old English text showed the interweaving of plots of the Old and New Testaments, reflecting opposing views on poverty and wealth, sacrifices, acts of gift and exchange. Issues related to the deeds of the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament Apostle Paul are highlighted in the context of the analyzed material. The work provides a list of variant addresses to God which are used in the poem, which indicates a de­veloped Christian tradition in the Old English period, and also notes the direct name of the devil, which is usually absent in the texts of this period.

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Translation of the absurdist literature as an example of cultural transfer (“Cases” by Daniil Kharms in Korean translations)

Abstract

The article explores the semiotic aspects of the theory of cultural transfer, translation, and (non)translation, with a specific focus on the translator's comment. It unravels discur­sive and interpretative concepts that illuminate the transformation of an original text into a secondary text, encompassing reception, interpretation, cultural transfer, and literary trans­lation, showcasing their interdependence and connection. The analysis centres on the literary translation of texts by Daniil Kharms, portraying it as a process where the social and aesthetic practices of both the translator and the reader manifest in the creation and perception of a secondary text. The study scrutinizes literary translation as a linguistic and creative endeav­our, illustrating the meticulous approach of the translator Kim Jung A in authentically repre­senting the author's ideology and aesthetics. Furthermore, the article, for the first time, un­veils the ways in which the aesthetics of the absurd are culturally transferred into a foreign context, specifically in the translations of stories and "cases" by Kharms into Korean. It delves into the implementation of translation transcreativity, providing concrete examples of translation solutions in the Russian-Korean language pair. The research not only analyzes the real implementation but also explores possible avenues for transferring the aesthetics of ab­surd literature in contemporary translation practices.


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Problems of transliteration and translation of Kazakh geographical names

Abstract

The article addresses the challenges associated with standardizing and unifying the spel­ling of toponyms in Kazakhstan. The authors conduct an analysis of the linguistic varia­bility of toponyms, exploring methods for their transcription into Kazakh, Russian, and Eng­lish languages. The study's findings reveal that a majority of the country's geographical names un­dergo various modifications. The authors identify and scrutinize several types of transfor­ma­tions, including transliteration, phonetic adjustments, morphological changes, lexical trans­formations, reduction (pollination), translation or calquing, reinterpretation, and rena­ming (denomination). The study establishes that these modifications adhere to general lan­guage laws and are influenced by differences in the typological characteristics of Turkic and Slavic languages. The article argues that the intensification of toponym renaming pro­cesses necessitates coordination and control by state administration bodies. This involves sys­tematic organization and standardization of geographical names. The issue of standardizing geo­graphical names in Kazakhstan is particularly pertinent, especially amid ongoing discus­sions about the country's potential shift to the Latin script.

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RETURNING TO THE PUBLISHED

Grammar. Linguistics. Language (in response to opposing views)

Abstract

I discuss the criteria of defining linguistics against other science branches. Lin­guistics is not a proper part of semiotics, since the foundations of language do not necessarily rely on the theory of sign systems. Grammar always operates on sets, including the sets consisting of one element. Not all language objects can be treated as signs. The connectors, i. e. segmental means marking the levels of clause linkage are legal linguistic objects, but the analysis of in­dividual texts is a prerogative of philological and interdisciplinary research.

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