On the Pushkin text in the poetry of Perestroika
This article is devoted to Perestroika poets referring to the Pushkin text as a ‘tuning fork’ in reconfiguring poetics. The study aims to show that, in this case, intertextual connection create a special text-within-a-text. The corpus, intertextual, and compositional methods are used to analyse Pushkin-invoking texts by Yuri Arabov, Vladimir Druk, Timur Kibirov, and other poets. It is concluded that these authors perceive Pushkin’s poetry as a lexicon whose units can be used for building countless...
Digital World Communication аnd Translation
The introduction of digital computers, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the Internet/Web has broadened the scope of communication globally in ways unprecedented in human history. The “digital world” implies more than the technical and instrumental aspects and usage of technology; it equally involves our tangible human social engagement and interface with the tools and technologies themselves. The relevance of digital studies to translation studies, and vice versa, is substantial...
Translation of sociolect texts
A moment's reflection suffices to convince one that no language is homogeneous, being represented by a set of language variants or language existential forms, reflecting the heterogeneous character of the national culture. Notwithstanding variable nature of language, linguistic theorizing has been mostly based on standardized languages forms, rather than on natural speech dialects. The present research addresses the fundamental issue of variability within a language and aims at studying the specific...
On combining translator training with foreign language teaching
Contemporary methodological landscape in translator training (TT) is dominated by the competence-based principles whose epistemological roots are found in social constructivism asserting learners’ active participation in knowledge accrual. The paper gives a brief account of the status quo of TT and revisits the controversial issue of appropriateness of combining TT with foreign language teaching (FLT). The author maintains that FLT may, and quite often has to, be part of TT course, the share of linguistic...
‘What can be described can happen too…’: describing text semantics as a model structure of transworld relationships
In this article, I explore the content-related and formal aspects of describing the multidimensional semantic organization of a text, particularly, I focus on the possibility of using the apparatus of modal semantics to identify the relationship between sentential complexes. To those ends, I employ the concepts of model, model structure, and centred world. The latter is a system of functions that correlate language expressions, the language expressions of a text, states of affairs (possible worlds)...
A. G. Baumgarten’s aesthetic-semiotic concept
In this article, we consider the semiotic concept developed by Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, a founder of modern aesthetics. We describe the principles of the semiotic theory, as expressed in Baumgarten's Metaphysica, particularly in the parts ‘Ontology’ and ‘Psychology’, in which he introduced the basic semiotic terminology. We pay special attention to the general context of Baumgarten’s Aesthetica. This context had determined the characteristics of the semiotic ideas that he developed later. In...
Audiovisual translation and reception
Reception of translated texts has thus far received relatively scant, uneven attention in Translation Studies, even though reception studies theories have been applied in the last decades, first to literary translation and then touching upon other areas and text types. This chapter reports on audiovisual translation in particular, exploring the very concepts of audience and reception. Adjacent concepts are also discussed, all having a bearing on the approach and the methodology, and all chosen for...
OPOIAZ and Bakhtin: the Decision Science’s perspective
Decision science is a relatively new discipline: the product of a cross-pollination among mathematics, psychology, economy and a few other branches of knowledge. It studies how humans make their choices and purports to provide a “rational framework for choosing between alternative courses of action when the consequences resulting from this choice are imperfectly known.” In and of itself decision science is a vast field of intersecting theories and methodologies that I will exploit only in a limited...
The symbolic complexes of mass culture and the semiosis of political discourse
In this article, I address the influence of modern mass culture (MC), its symbolic system, narratives, and protagonists on the political discourse. I emphasise that an analysis of the images of mass culture protagonists can give a complete picture of the society that continuously reproduces these protagonists and seeks to resemble them. Therefore, the mode of the production of effective political discourse (PD) in modern society cannot ignore either the patterns of behaviour replicated in MC or the...
The rhetoric and logic of the representations of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878 in Russian public discourse
... by most actors. I analyse these oppositions from the perspective of orientalism and demonstrate that an orientalist vision of the conflict was instrumental in ‘Westernising’ the image of the Russian Empire. The critics of this model placed both parties of the conflict in a common oriental framework but did not equate them. Self-orientalisation was viewed as a political challenge that required Westernisation, which did not apply to the other party to the conflict that represented the Orient proper....
The Riddle as an Object of Linguistic Research
The article considers the riddle as an object of linguistic research. Today, studying riddles remains relevant, since they have not been examined from the perspective of cultural linguistics. The cultural meanings preserved in traditional riddles across nations have not been identified and described. However, filling this gap requires an analysis of the most prominent research works I the field. The most fundamental works on the structure, semantics, and pragmatics of riddles are considered in this...
Mapping Poetic Bilingualism in Europe: Language Contacts and Cultural Transfers
This article presents preliminary results of a project studying multilingualism in world poetry. Multilingual interactions are particularly persistent in the contexts where either writers (poets) exist in multilingual sociocultural environments or they are moving from one country to another throughout their literary career. Existing in two or more cultural and/or linguistic spaces at the same time and thus making transfers across the boundaries of different languages easier, more efficient, and more...
Linguistics in the 21st Century: Problems, Prospects, and Growth Points
This paper considers four problems that are most likely to affect the future development of linguistics: 1) linguistic diversity; 2) the text/system interpretation of language; 3) the role of quantitative methods; 4) the role of diachronic analysis. The author concludes that systemic, static, synchronic, qualitative linguistics is replaced by linguistics of variability, which is asystemic and oriented towards quantitative approaches, diachrony, and maximum linguistic diversity.
1. Gasparov, B...
Transformations in the Communicative Characteristics of Political Discourse in the Current Information Space
... Transformation and development of the party in Eastern Europe after the end of the transitional decade. In: E. Yu. Meleshkina and G. M. Mikhailova, eds. Politicheskaya konkurentsiya i partii v gosudarstvakh postsovetskogo prostranstva [Political competition and parties in the states of the post-Soviet space]. Moscow. p. 32.
16. Zolyan, S. T., 2014. Semantika i struktura poeticheskogo teksta [Semantics and structure of poetic text]. Moscow. pp. 42—43.
17. Zolyan, S. T., 2016. Semiotics and pragmasemantics of ...
On the Semiotic Model of Image
The article is devoted to the development of a fundamental semiotic model of images that is based on the categorical apparatus of Ch. S. Peirce (on the concepts of Firstness, icon, hypoicon and metaphor). The image is proposed to be defined as a complex sign (two-level hypoicon- metaphor), which has a certain “primary” sign as its sign vehicle that represents the object constituted by all the facts (cases of semiosis) that are similar to that primary sign. Three key functions of the image are defined:...
Imagology as a Part of Compartive Literary Studies
The author explores the genesis and evolution of imagology as a field of comparative literary studies abroad, considering ideas of G. M. Carré, M. F. Guyard, A. Dima, D. H. Pageaux, H. Dyserinck and paying particular attention to the modern approach presented by J. Leerssen, a well-known representative of Western imagological school. The author analyzes the main ideas of Leerssen's updated conception “Imagology: on using ethnicity to make sense of the world” published in 2016: the thesis about interdisciplinary...
History in Transcription and Transcription as History: Charles Bally in Soviet Linguistics
This article describes the results of a systemic study into the history of conveying the name of the Swiss linguist Charles Bally by the means of Russian transcription, in the 20th-century linguistic discussions. The author reconstructs the history of introducing Charles Bally’s works into Russian and Soviet linguistics, particularly, in the context of the publication of Ferdinand de Saussure’s Course of General Linguistics. The article analyses the variants of transcribing the name Bally in the...
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 literary thought.
1. Автономова Н. С. Открытая структура: Якобсон — Бахтин — Лотман — Гаспаров. М., 2009.
2. Ваш М. Г.: Из писем Михаила Леоновича...
Russia and the First Balkan War
This article considers foreign policy events relating to Russia’s participation in the Balkan issue in the early 20th century. One of the major considerations behind Russia’s Balkan policy was the possibility of Bulgaria seizing Constantinople and Serbia gaining access to the Adriatic Sea
1. Документи о спољној политици Краљевине Србије 1903—1914, в редакции Михаило Војводић. Београд, 1984. Књ. 5. Св. 1.
2. Документи о спољној политици Краљевине Србије 1903—1914. Београд, 1985. Књ. 5. Св. 1.
3...
The history of the myth of L. P. Karsavin’s conversion to Catholicism
There numerous publication on the conversion of the Russian scientist and religious philosopher Lev Karsavin to Catholicism. Meanwhile, the juxtaposition of the memories of those who witnessed the last years of Karsavin's life as well as many other documents of that time make it possible to assert that his conversion to another faith is only a myth created by enthusiastic zealots of Catholicism, since it contradicts the dying philosopher’s testimony.
1. Ванеев А. А. Два года в Абези. В память...
Author's modality in N. M. Karamzin's "Poor Lisa"
The article examines various means of expressing the author’s modality which is explicit about the author’s intentions and evaluations in “Poor Liza” by N. Karamzin. The question of relations between the “narrator” and the “author” is in the focus. The analysis og the story shows that the category of the author’s modality gets implemented with the language means of various levels, i. e. evaluative adjectives, explicit modal words and word combinations (certain word-combinations with modal verbs and...
The image of N. M. Karamzin in Russian poetry
There are virtually no specialized studies into the creation of poetic image of N. Karamzin in late 18th — early 19th centuries in Russian literature; though it is the expressiveness and imagery of poetry which can have a great impact on the myths in public consciousness. The present study is based on the texts published in the following collections of poems: “Epigrams and Satire: from the history of literary feud of the 19th century” (Epigramma i satira: iz istorii literaturnoy bor’by XIX veka....
Problems of Studying Russian Hagiography
This article outlines the major problems of studying Russian hagiography. The author responds to the challenge of performing a comprehensive analysis of a hagiographic text, while preserving the unity of the content and the form. Considering hagiography as an ecclesiastical genre and a form of the Sacred Tradition, the author addresses the analysis methodology and proposes to combine the principles of hagiology and literary and philological research on hagiographic texts. The primary focus is on...
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 and aesthetic image of icons, which is based on rhythm and metaphor, expresses the cosmogonic ideas of the Church Fathers. However, the practical realisation...
Poetry sets the pace of life
This article is the author’s lyrical reflection on the literary life in modern Lithuania. One of its particular aspects is poetical festivals of different levels. In this context, the author considered the 50th festival “The spring of poetry” dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of Kristijonas Donelaitis. The festival made it possible to identify the influence of Donelaitis on modern Lithuanian poetry, as well as its indirect effect on Kaliningrad poets.
1. Гильманов В. Х. Хроносотериология...
Russian and Latvian proverbs and sayings on sin
This article examines 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,...
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 villages), Khrushchev (the development of new design and construction...
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 activity of religious, cultural, and educational organisations. The article offers a review of Russian periodicals published in...
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 three basic characteristics that bring together the symbolic forms of culture and the...
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’.
A Critique of Latvian Integration
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2. Друвиете И. Функционирование и статус латышского языка // Коммунист Советской Латвии. 1988. № 12. C. 45—51.
3. Шюц А. Чужак // Избранное: Мир, светящийся смыслом. М., 2004.
4. Apine I. Etnopolitikas analīze // Pretestība sabiedrības integrācijai: cēloņi un sekas. Rīga, 2007.
5. Baetens Beardsmore H. Who is afraid of bilingualism? // Bilingualism:Beyond Basic...
Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Germany: Models of Memory and Cultural Recollections
1. Berek M. Gutes oder schleschtes Erinnern? Die Notwendigkeit des Politischen in der Erinnerungskultur // Erinnerungskultur und Versöhnungskitsch. Marburg, 2008.
2. Assmann J. Das kulturelle Gedächtnis Schrift, Erinnerung und politische Identität in frühen Hochkulturen. München, 2002.
3. Staliūnas D. Savas ar svetimas paveldas? 1863—1864 m. sukilimas kaip lietuvių atminties vieta. Vilnius, 2008.
4. Langewiesche D. Unschuldige Mythen: Gründungsmythen und Nationsbildung in...
The «(Un)Encapsulation» of the Political Elites of Latvia and Estonia and Russian-speaking Minorities
1. Dreifelds J. Latvia in Transition. Cambridge, 1996.
2. Political Representation and participation in Transitional Democracies: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania / Loftsson E., Choe Y., eds. Sodertoerns hoegskola, 2003.
3. Rozenvalds J. Latvia After Twelve Years of Renewed Independence: the Search for Normality // Latvijas Universitātes Raksti. 663. sēj. Rīga, 2004.
Trägheit und Raum: Kant und Euler
Kant’s natural philosophy in the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science is heavily influenced by Newton’s Principia. However, a closer look makes it clear that Kant’s project has also been influenced by other thinkers. One of these thinkers is Leonard Euler. His work was of great influence for Kant, not only with regards to his view on space and inertia but on the relation between metaphysics and natural science in general. Even though Euler’s Physics built on Newton’s work, he differs from...
Semantic and Stylistic Features of Kant’s Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and the Sublime: The Art of Seeing and Describing an Object
Immanuel Kant’s Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and the Sublime is examined in the context of the emergence of the epistemological practice of scientific observation. By focusing on the genre-stylistic and semantic-structural features of the text the authors demonstrate the mechanisms of observation as well as the methods of describing the results characteristic of mid-eighteenth century science. The authors consider Kant’s treatise to be a hybrid text: on the one hand, it attests to...
Kant über inneren Sinn, Zeitanschauung und Selbstaffektion
The aim of this research is to explore what relations self-affection bears to the intuitions of inner sense. I propose that self-affection makes some contribution to formal intuitions and empirical consciousness by arguing that the functions of self-affection consist respectively in conceptualising and conscious-making. I begin by examining Kant’s concept of inner sense and point out that inner sense as a receptive faculty depends on self-affection. In so doing, I emphasise that self-affection includes...
Broken Facets of Ethical Universalism. Commentary on the Book Universality in Morality
Some ideas expressed in the collective monograph Universality in Morality (2020), edited by Ruben Apressyan, are here critically examined. The book is based on the results of a large-scale study by professional ethical philosophers devoted to the question of the nature of universality in morality and the mechanisms of universalisation of individual maxims and norms from antiquity to modern ethical theories, represented above all by the analytical tradition in philosophy. Of great interest is the...
Kantian Rationality in the Philosophy of Science. Report of the First Conference of the Kantian Rationality Lab.
The international conference “Kantian Rationality in Philosophy of Science” was held on 9–11 October 2020 at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU) in Kaliningrad. Fifteen participants from different countries discussed aspects of the Kantian understanding of science and the roles of reason in it: the unity, difference, and systematicity of the functions of reason in science, as they are revealed in Kant’s discussions of criteria of scientificity, the classification of sciences, or methods...
Report of the Roundtable “The Relevance of Hermann Cohen’s Philosophy”
This report of the roundtable that took place on 25 November 2021 at The Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) attempts to explain the obvious growth of interest in Neo-Kantian philosophy in general and the philosophy of the head of the Marburg School of Neo-Kantianism, Hermann Cohen, in particular. In their contributions, the participants in the discussion demonstrated that the current interest in Neo-Kantianism does not solely or even largely have to do with the history of...