Gender studies in Russian linguistics
Gender studies in Russian linguistics largely depend on the development of linguistics and society. Instances of sexism in the Russian language are associated with the level of grammar and observed in proverbs and gender clichés. The author examines differences in communicative styles characteristic of women and men in oral and written speech and consider cases of gender predetermination of language.
1. Вежбицкая А. Язык. Культура. Познание. М., 1996....
The functioning of interrogative hortative structures in the political discourse (based on V.V. Putin’s public speeches)
Based on the verbatim records of V.V. Putin’s public speeches, the authors examine syntactic structures representing different types of interrogative hortative modality in the political discourse. The functional-semantic and communicative features of these structures are identified in the oral speech of the mentioned ...
Psychological tradition of "Poor Lisa" by N. M. Karamzin in the poem "Eda" by E. A. Baratynsky
... these two works prove to be clearly similar. The characters could be more deeply understood if the esearch goes into their inner world. Such analysis allows to discover a few psychological strategies introduced into literary practice by Karamzin: the author’s presence in fictional world, "closeups", "anthropocentric" landscape, specific fictional details, bodily "code". Comparativistic analysis of the two texts, that are storywise close to each other, not only allows ...
The sociolinguistic aspects of Russian-Spanish -Catalan multilingualism: The case of a bi-ethnic polylingual family in Catalonia
This article considers the phenomenon of multilingualism in the case of a Russian-Catalan family living in Spain in the autonomous community of Catalonia. The author defines the terms ‘bilingualism’ and ‘trilingualism’. The sociolinguistic situation in Catalonia is examined. The article analyses the Russian-Spanish-Catalan trilinguism in the observed family. Special attention is paid to the development ...
The “living” word in the light of modern cognitive studies (Dedicated to the anniversary of Alexandra Zalevskaya)
This article considers the key provisions relating to the nature and structure of the word in human mental space. The author distinguishes between the word as an asset of an individual (the “living” word) and the word as found in a dictionary. It is concluded that there is a dramatic difference between the mental lexicon and a dictionary as a lexico¬graphic unit....
N. M. Karamzin in the jubilee articles: semiotics and pragmatics of the image
The article presents an overview of the anniversary texts about N. M. Karamzin, and analyses semiotics and pragmatics of his image. The author assumes that the jubilee event and constructing N. M. Karamzin’s image depends on the socio-cultural context and identifies forms of "revival" and “modernizing” the celebrant.
1. Балдин А. Карамзин как множество ...
‘A power of shuffled letters’: anagrams in the European culture of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
This article addresses the history of anagrams in the European culture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The author stresses the variety of application of anagrams within cultural practices of difference social groups. Promising areas of research on anagrams in the context of European culture are identified.
1. Дементьев И. О. «Что (не) написал ...
The alphabet of happenstance. On M. L. Gasparov’s Notes and excerpts. Pt. 1.
This article examines the new genre created by L. M. Gasparov — the ‘interdiscursive novel’. The author analyses characteristics of the genre, in particular, its termhood, research features, flexible interaction with methodology, and journalistic style. These characteristics of ‘the interdiscursive novel’ reflect general trends observed in contemporary ...
The functioning of phraseological units with zoonym components in the Russian and Lithuanian languages
This article considers the semantics of Russian and Lithuanian zoonym phraseological units and performs their semantic and structural systematisation. The author identifies the cultural linguistic features of fixed expressions containing a zoonym component in the worldview of native speakers.
1. Гак В. Г. Сравнительная типология французского и русского ...
The English Theme on the Pages of N. M. Karamzin's Messenger of Europe (Vestnik Yevropy) in 1802—1803
The article is sourced from the first 48 issues of The Messenger of Europe founded by N. M. Karamzin who was the publisher, editor and author of most articles of this literary and political journal in 1802—1803. The paper presents a systematised survey of the publications on the most important developments in England’s foreign and domestic policy. Special attention is paid to the ...
Structural characteristics of the conceptual field of ‘Mission’ in J. H. Wichern’ religious discourse
... ‘mission’ religious conceptual field in the discourse of the German theologian J. H. Wichern. The structure of the corresponding core concept incorporates basic characteristics – representatives of group meanings and varying characteristics, i. e. the author’s interpretation of group meanings.
1. Кубрякова Е. С. О тексте и критериях его определения // Текст: Структура и семантика. М., 2001. Т. 1. С. 72—81.
2. Макаров ...
The ‘secret portrait’ in Eastern Slavic religious paintings on the threshold of modernity: The southwestern accent
This article examines the first attempts at introducing realistic portraits into Eastern European religious paintings. The author identifies stages in the development of this trend and describes aspects of cultural synthesis embodied in a portrait as the first secular genre of painting. A distinctive feature of this process is depicting an actual person in a religious context....
Miracle-working plants: Slavic parallels
This article presents an ethnolinguistic study. The magic properties of certain herbs – as seen in the cultural traditions of South, East, and West Slavs – are described in a comparative aspect. The author also examines different herbs that exhibit similar features. It is concluded that the magic properties of herbs are determined by their connection to the chthonic kingdom and the other world in folk consciousness.
Rhythm and Metaphor in the Art of the Icon
Using art history interpretation methods and the methods of historical cultural studies, the author demonstrates the role of rhythm and metaphor as the most expressive artistic means of icon painting. The interaction of rhythm and metaphor is an integral part of the imagery and semantics of icon painting. It is stressed that the entire theological ...
The motif of childhood in Bruno Schulz’s novel Cinnamon Shops
This article analyses Bruno Schulz’s autobiographical novel Cinnamon Shops in the aspect of mythological thinking. It is stressed that the concept of ‘childhood’ is the foundation of his mythopoeia largely shaped by the author’s memories of his father and other members of the household.
1. Денисенко В. Тема отца в Коричных лавках. URL:
http://samlib.ru/d/denisenko_w_a/shulc
. Shtml (дата обращения: 24.04.2015).
2. Шульц ...
Freud’s cognitive and linguistic insights in the theory of dream interpretation
This article stresses the theoretical ‘touching points’ of S. Freud’s theory of dream in¬terpretation and modern cognitive linguistics. The authors stress the relevance of such lin¬guistic transformations as metaphor, metonymy, symbolisation, paronymy, homonymy, language game, and associative networks for Freud’s theory. Moreover, polysemy, initial context conditions, and the transfer ...
Between mysticism and technique: anagram the European Baroque culture
The author analyses the history of anagrams in the European baroque culture of the 17th century, shows a rich diversity of literary genres where anagrams are used, and identifies the main trends and techniques of creating anagrams. The article outlines the ...
The hermeneutics of literary modelling and intertext in L. Leonov’s novel The Pyramid
This article analyses L. Leonov’s novel «The Pyramid» from the perspective of hermeneutical and intertextual methodologies and identifies the coordinates of the text’s literary dialogue with the reader’s perception. The author shows that the hermeneutical and intertextual research methodologies make it possible to identify the multitude of intersections of literary layers, evaluations, and positions and describe the dynamic process of modelling a literary meaning, which ...
I.P. Khmelnitsky at the Königsberg University of the 18th century
... review of the activities of I.P. Khmelnitsky at the Königsberg University of the 1760s, examines the ideational and philosophical context, and identifies the role and position of Khmelnitsky in the intellectual polemics of the mid-18th century. The author emphasises that D. Weymann referred to Khmelnitsky’s works when debating with I. Kant.
1. Аноним. Хмельницкий, Иван Парфентевич // Русский биографический словарь. СПб., 1901. Т....
Criminal songs: The hero and the plot
The criminal song is considered as a phenomenon of urban folklore functionally linked to the criminal community as an archaic subculture. The author characterises the plot structure of the criminal song: the system-building characters, their plot function, and typical motives. The article poses the question as to the thematic typology of the criminal song. It is emphasised that the bearer of ...
The humility of holy fools in Orthodox Christianity: On the problem of understanding (The Vita of Simeon the Holy Fool and The Vita of Andrew the Holy Fool)
This article analyses the problem of understanding the deeds of a holy fool in Russian Orthodox culture. Through considering the images of two “classical” saints – Simeon the Holy Fool ad Andrew the Holy Fool, the author emphasises the idea of humility as the dominant type of behaviour and the main personal characteristic thus objecting to S.A.Ivanov’s concept of aggression as the key typological feature of holy fools. The article also analyses images of saint ...
V.Ye. Cheshikhin as a populariser of the Tristan and Iseult motif in Russian culture
This article examines the work of V.Ye. Cheshikhin as a translator, populariser, and interpreter of the legend of Tristan and Iseult — the basis of libretto to R. Wagner’s opera. The author identifies the basic assumptions of V.Ye. Cheshikhin’s critical concept: Wagner as an “interpreter of the old legend”, the connection between the Tristan and Iseult legend with the texts of Hellenic and Celtic cultures, the emphasis on the ...
On the history of the problem of a human being in Soviet Medieval studies
... situation around studying the problem of the human being that developed in Soviet medieval studies in the 1950—70s. Emphasising the characteristic of the period monologue nature of assessing the meaning content of the image of the human being, the author compares the ideas of D. S. Likhachev and V. P. Adrianova-Peretz, and S. S. Averintsev about the nature of the human being in ancient texts and identifies the underlying internal polemical nature of their concepts.
1. Аверинцев С. С....
The thought of death and overcoming of death in B. Pasternak’s cycle ‘Some Songs in Letters So She Won’t Be Bored’
... connections with the Bible found in the cycle ‘Songs in Letters So She Won’t Be Bored’ (My Sister Life, 1917) help identify the features of artistic expression of the Christian ideas of immortality in the early works of B. Pasternak. An analysis of the author’s symbolism shows that the philosophising persona of Pasternak’s book ponders on death looking for the ways to overcome it. The way to overcome “boredom”— death is the “narrow way” of the Gospel, whereas the motif of grace is manifested ...
Amber as an economic and cultural phenomenon in the history of the Aesti and Prussians
... necessary goods from Europe. In these conditions, amber played a dual role: on the one hand, it stimulated trade connections between the Balts and other peoples, on the other hand, it decelerated their own cultural and technological development. The author’s assumptions are corroborated by archaeological data.
1. Давидан О. И. Янтарь Старой Ладоги // Археологические сообщения Государственного Эрмитажа. Л., 1984. Вып....
The image of a doll in Latvian and Russian traditional folklore texts: the aspect of ritual practices
This article offers a comparative analysis of the image of a doll in the Russian and Latvian folklore traditions and examines the dialogue between the national cultures. The author emphasise the presence of the image in Russian and Latvian folklore texts and compares its functional features. The major difference in representing the image of a doll in the aspect of Russian-Latvian connections is that, in Russian texts, a doll ...
The Russian language, dialogue of cultures, and F. M. Dostoyevsky
This article shows that the dialogue of cultures is one of the fundamental socio-political needs. The author emphasises – which is an axiom for many educated people – that interactions limited to a close circle of ‘us’ impoverishes one’s life and that many values cannot be divided into ‘ours’ and ‘theirs’. The article analyses the increasing ...
The intellectual interconnections between Königsberg and the Baltics in the 19th century
... and Jacob Lange — in the Baltics and offers an overview of their linguistic works. On the basis of the hypothesis about the influence of the Königsberg spirit of Enlightenment on the formation of Lindner’s and Lange’s linguistic activities, the author shows that, in the Baltics, the Enlightenment had several modifications differing in forms and objectives. It is demonstrated that, when compiling German-Latvian and Latvian-German dictionaries, both authors target their works at German settlers; ...
Historical Prussia in the mirror of confessional relations
This article develops the concept of historical process being determnined by cultural phenomena. The cultural aspect examined by the author is religious beliefs. It is shown that Prussia constituted a region of intersection between ancient Prussian paganism rooted in the proto-Indo-European era and Roman Catholic Church and Orthodoxy. The interaction of these forms of ideology is used ...
The urban palimpsest: the urban development practices in the Kaliningrad region (1945—1990)
This article examines the adaptation of historically developed East Prussian settlement system to the new objectives and functions during the formation of the Kaliningrad region. The author offers an overview of the basic urban development trends in the course of the region’s formation in the ages of Stalin (partial restoration and adaptation of the existing buildings with the minimum infrastructural transformations of towns and ...
Teaching colloquial Russian as a foreign language
... of Russian philology. The colloquialisation of public communication, the development and availability of the Internet, and the intensification of tourist contacts result in the modification of programmes of teaching Russian as a foreign language. The author stresses the need to develop a relevant didactic framework corresponding to the demands and expectations of students.
1. Беглова Е. И. Семантико-прагматический потенциал некодифицированного ...
The 3rd international workshop Folk Culture and Orthodoxy at IKBFU
This article offers a review of the International workshop ‘Folk Culture and Orthodoxy: Literature, History, Arts’, which took place at IKBFU in the framework of the 2013 Research Summer School in Philology. The author presents the topics and problem fields of open lectures delivered in the course of the workshop and analyses the positions of the participants of the discussion generated by I. A. Yesaulov’s presentation ‘Folk Culture and Orthodoxy’.
The condition of cultural heritage sites in the Kaliningrad region
... analyses the condition of settlements, manors (Landschlösser), castles, churches of East Prussia on the territory of today’s Kaliningrad region. It is shown that almost all historical sites of this type are either ruined or close to this condition. The author stresses the need to take urgent measures to preserves such sites or organise professional reconstruction.
The destinies of the Russian minority in Gdansk (translated from Polish by L. Maltsev)
This article offers a historical sketch of the life and activities of the Russian diaspora in Gdansk in the 1920-1930s. The author considers the participation of Russian emigrants in the political, business, and cultural life of Gdansk and their relationships with the local authorities. Special attention is paid to the political competition among the Russian minority, the ...
The ways to increase motivation for learning literary Russian language
... Classical literary texts and works of Kaliningrad writers are considered as a means to develop the students’ emotional abilities and inspire respect for their future professions. It is stressed that introduction to the works of leading Kaliningrad authors and poets gives international students a clearer idea of Russian culture, helps them develop empathy, improve emotional and associative memory, and increase motivation for learning literary Russian.
1. Глушкин О. Б. Обретенные ...
The portrait of a dreamer: The problem of language as a sign system of dreams
The most vivid characteristics of a person capable of having ‘prophetic’ dreams are identified on an analytical basis. The authors consider such aspects as the dreamer’s gender, age, ability of semantic development of dreams, and ability to understand their prophetic nature. The combination of these parameters comprises the portrait of a dreamer.
1. Берестнев ...
A major principle of Indo-European poetry or arbitrary etymologising? A review of modern international publications on anagrams in the cultures of Ancient East and Antiquity
This article examines the approaches of modern international scholars to the problem of anagrams in ancient texts. The author addresses the following “problem nodes”: the difficulty of proving the presence of an anagram in each individual case and the ambiguity of the question as to the arbitrary or systematic nature of anagrammatic structures and anagrams’ functions....
The Russian language in modern Estonia: functioning, learning, features
This article summarises the observations of different authors about the modern condition of the Russian language in Estonia, outlines the emerging areas of research on the use of the Russian language and the features of language policy. The features of diaspora speech are described from the perspective of ...
The features of metaphors in “prophetic” dreams
... specific through the specific (abstract semantics is ensured by metonymy), spontaneity, integration into cultural contexts, elimination of functional borders between nominativity and predicativity, closeness to the object and cognitive metaphors. The author arrives at a conclusion that, in dreams, the metaphor brings together the rational and irrational spheres.
1. Арутюнова Н. Д. Языковая метафора // Лингвистика и поэтика. М., 1979.
2. Берестнев ...
Folklore texts in teaching Russian as a foreign language: The perception of Russian folk tales
This article addresses the problems of appropriate perception and decoding of a folklore text in the process of learning Russian as a foreign language. The author analyses the image and concept-related cultural difficulties faced by foreigners when studying Russian folk tales. The article identifies the differences in perceiving and assessing the culturally relevant folklore motifs by recipients with different ...
The man as seen in Russian jokes
The cultural portrait of the man is reconstructed on the basis of contemporary Russian jokes in the context of gender studies. The author identifies such typical traits as love of drinking and watching sports programmes, laziness, ostentatious eroticism, etc. At the same time, certain mechanism of the comical are defined from the perspectives of cultural and cognitive linguistics....
Russian and Latvian proverbs and sayings on sin
... the semantic scope of the notions of «грех / grēks» as fundamental ones in Russian and Latvian worldviews. Russian and Latvian proverbs and sayings help identify the basic, universal ideas about sin, as well as particular, national ones. The author comes to a conclusion that the Russian mentality — unlike the Latvian one — reflects the interaction and partial interference between the Christian an folk worldviews, whereas the notion of sin is found in the intersection areas, which is indicative ...
The images of dreams and symbolic forms of culture
This article addresses the issue of the underlying cognitive unity of the symbolic forms of culture and the symbols of “prophetic” dreams. In this connection, the author justifies, in particular, the introduction of similar objects in the object area of modern cognitive linguistics, gives a definition of prophetic dreams, and identifies the position of this issue in the cultural tradition. The article identifies ...
The aesthetic position of A. A. Delvig as a critic
This article considers the aesthetic views of Delvig as a critic and identifies the sources that help him develop individual criteria for assessing literary works. The author emphasises his original interpretation of theoretical problems of aesthetics characteristic of Romanticism. It is stressed that the category of harmony defined by Delving as a crucial principle of artistry is very productive in his system of views ...
Hyperbole, the comical, and grotesque in Yu. Buida’s collection of short stories The Prussian Bride
The connection between grotesque and myth is shown in the context of Yu. Buida’s collection of short stories The Prussian Bride. The author identifies the thematic areas of the intersection between grotesque, hyperbole, and the comical and analyses the linguistic means of their representation.
1. Агеев А. Черная бабочка сновидений // Знамя. 1999. ...
The phenomenon of Napoleon in the German spirit of Napoleon’s age
... “codes” of life and death in arts. The completely opposite assessment of Napoleon in the history of German romanticism identifies the problem of a human being as a “field of fate” — a site of the battle between the Light and Darkness. The author emphasises the transformation of the legend of Napoleon in the German romanticism from the idealisation of the “world spirit” (G. W. H. Hegel) to defining it as a “symbol of social unnaturlaity” (H. von Kleist).
1. Гёте И. В. Фауст ...
The problem of hereditary sin in F.M. Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov
The analysis of the problem of “hereditary sin” in Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov is considered in the light of the discussion on the theory of “hereditary sin” within modern Orthodoxy. The author examines the “threshold situations” faced by the novel’s characters and arrives at a conclusion about the role of the “hereditary sin” problem in Dostoevsky’s literary system.
1. Достоевский Ф. М. Братья Карамазовы ...
A woman as seen by a man in modern Russian chanson
This article reconstructs the portrait features of a woman as presented in ’female’ modern Russian chanson. The authors emphasise the woman’s original self-perception as opposed to the way she is presented in chanson by a man. Such original features include a greater number of details in the ‘self-portrait’, orientation towards the male psychological models ...
G. P. Fedorov in the search of philosophy of culture
This article considers G. P. Fedotov’s philosophical views on culture and history and provides an overview of his ideas. The author addresses the problem of the sources of cultural development, its mechanisms, and patterns. Another focus is the analysis of the problem of cognition of culture and the methodological justification of such possibility in the framework of Russian ...