Cultural significance of the word in historical commenting of Russian linguistic facts

   The relevance of the article is determined by the development of linguistic anthropology in the field of scientific research and pedagogical practice.

   The study aims to show the theoretical, as well as scientific and practical foundations for applying the concept of the cultural significance of the word in diachronic commenting on the facts of the modern Russian language.

   Accordingly, two objectives are set: firstly, to establish the concept of the cultural significance of the word in relation to the theory of language and culture as semiotic systems and secondly, to demonstrate examples of the representation of the cultural significance of the word in diachronic vocabulary description. The research employs linguocultural analysis and semantic description of linguistic symbolism. Linguistic material analysis shows that the lexical semantic evolution of the word is explained by its ability to be included in the cultural sign system through the cultural significance of the word. For instance, the history of the words grad and gorod (English town, city) is determined by Old Russian ideas of state power, which is reflected in the meaning of the derived word grazhdanin (English citizen). The history of the words pastyr’ (English shepherd) and put’ (English way) is determined by Old Russian Christian symbolism. The way as a symbol of life is widely represented in Old Slavonic and Church Slavonic texts. The cultural significance of the word pastyr’ (spiritual counselor) was formed in prototypical biblical texts. The cultural significance of the word gad (English creeping thing) is rendered explicit in Old Russian contexts. The analysis of the word zhivot (English life) requires the use of Russian dialect material. The proposed commentary enables one to more accurately characterise the functional properties of words in the field of phonetics and grammar. By way of example, the pronunciation of the word nebo (English heaven) is determined by its relevance for the Church Slavonic discourse. A description of the cultural significance of words is relevant to historical commenting on the facts of the Russian language in at least three aspects. Firstly, the cultural meanings conveyed by the language develop into historically changeable forms of national world perception and worldview. Secondly, the cultural significance of the word reveals the logic of changes in lexical meanings and the mystery of lost meanings. Finally, the analysis of the cultural significance of the word confirms the interaction of various language levels (phonetic, morphological, lexical).

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