Linguo-cognitive and linguo-cultural potential of Spanish realias within literary discourse of Eduardo Mendoza

The thesis performs an analysis of Spanish realias collected through texts La ciudad de los prodigios and Sin noticias de Gurb written by a modern Spanish novelist Eduardo Mendoza. Linguo-cognitive and linguo-cultural potential of realias is being studied with literary discourse considering the factor that the reader represents another linguistic culture. This approach allows to define the most productive ways of presenting extralingual information as well as to take into consideration basic strategies for its interpretations, determined by the linguo-cultural competence of a reader. Complex linguo-cultural analysis, definition analysis and using other sources of information facilitated the process of creation of a list with culturally determined realias which are used in the texts of the analyzed novels. The research findings may be applied for lectures on lexicology, intercultural communication, theory and practice of translation and used for development of reading guides for foreign students

Cultural Dominants in the Linguistic World of View of the Spanish

The thesis deals with identification and definition of factors that form the linguistic world of view and stipulate the particularities that generate cultural dominants in the language, as well as revelation and analysis of cultural-significant potential of Spanish lexicon through the lens of the linguistic world of view of the Spanish. Integral approach combining etymologic analysis, complex cultural linguistics analysis, definition analysis, component concept analysis allows arranging factors that form the linguistic world of view, determine the role of cultural dominants in the linguistic world of view of the Spanish, and reveal ways of correlation between lexical singularity of the Spanish language, national character and linguistic world of view of the Spanish. The results of the research as well as the collected material can be used in theoretical and practice courses on linguistic and cultural studies, lexicology, stylistics, cultural linguistics, theory and practice of translation

Impoliteness and Rudeness in the American and Russian Communicative Cultures

This thesis is devoted to a comparative study of pragmatic and ethnocultural aspects of the communicative categories of impoliteness and rudeness in the American and Russian communicative cultures. Impoliteness and rudeness are analyzed in close connection with the category of politeness and as discursive and pragmatic categories which possess ethnocultural specifics. Based on the results of the sociolinguistic study, it examines and compares major characteristics of impoliteness and rudeness in American English and Russian, as well as analyzes and compares the peculiarities of how Americans and Russians conceptualize the phenomena under study. The paper also contains the results of the comparative study of impoliteness and rudeness in interpersonal everyday discourse in the American and Russian communicative cultures. It reveals and analyzes the communicative strategies of impoliteness and rudeness as well as linguistic and nonlinguistic means of their expression. The results of this research have implications for linguistic pragmatics, discourse analysis, communicative ethnostylistics, the theory of intercultural communication, sociolinguistics, teaching English and Russian, and the working practice of employees of international companies.

Functional and Pragmatic Features of the Speech Genre of Invitation in the American and Russian Communicative Cultures

This thesis explores the functional and pragmatic features of the speech genre of “Invitation” in the American and Russian communicative cultures. Based on ethnographic observation, questionnaires and interviews, it examines the two pragmatic types of invitation – genuine, and false (“phony”) which are regarded as subordinate speech genres with particular focus on the American and Russian communication strategies (politeness strategies) and linguistic means employed for their performance in a variety of social contexts. It also discusses criteria which can be used to differentiate genuine invitations from false ones revealed through sociolinguistic research showing how Americans and Russians conceptualize false invitations. The results of this research have implications for cross-cultural pragmatics, social linguistics, psycholinguistics, discourse analysis, cross-cultural communication theory and teaching English and Russian as second languages.

Conceptual models of the effective election campaigns for the posts of Moscow and London mayors

The thesis research is devoted to finding out the explanatory potential of model making in political communication studying and clearing up the communicative view of the texts representing the election campaigns as a typical way of a typical content representation for a definite culture. The universal algorithm of the holistic conceptual model derivation of the election campaign is worked out in the thesis. The conceptual models of the successful election campaigns for the posts of Moscow and London mayors and to interpret these models as the ones which correlate with the horizontal and vertical types of culture in conditions of a special communicative situation – the election situation. The results of this research can be used both in the lectures of research is both worked out and used. That allowed to derive the holistic comprehensive method of comparative typology, general and particular semiotics, cross-cultural communication and philological hermeneutics, in specialized courses and seminars and in diploma and course paper’s themes making.

The Semantic Structure of an Orthodox Liturgical Sermon

The thesis is devoted to revealing the immanent semantic structure of an Orthodox liturgical sermon. The theoretical significance of the research is determined by its contribution to the development of a systematic approach to the study of the texts of exceptional semiotic complexity, which include the liturgical sermon as an organic part of the main service of the Christian church. In the thesis the semantic structure of a liturgical sermon is studied proceeding from the essential opposition of a liturgical and non-liturgical sermon for the first time. The discovery of ontologically conditioned semantic constants and establishment of basic semantic tendencies of the Orthodox liturgical sermon as a central genre in the system of ecclesiastical speech genres made it possible to build criteria for the linguistic evaluation of diffuse texts - non-liturgical sermons - as they deviate from the principles of semantic organization of a liturgical sermon text, up to the limit of their ultimate distortion and transformation into the functional antipode of a liturgical sermon - a speech work of publicistic style. The thesis proposes the concept of the dictionary of essentially meaningful notions that can explicate the discrepancy of meanings fixed in common language and meanings formed in liturgical space. The results of the conducted research can be used in lecture courses on general and particular semiotics, lexical semantics, history of the Russian literary language, rhetoric, and in the preparation of special courses aimed at developing skills in working with a text.

Official correspondence in Education and Science in Russia and France: theoretical and practical aspects

In this dissertation, the author analyses the text of official correspondence relating to education and science in Russian and French in terms of its structure and linguistic content. On the basis of this analysis it is intended to develop the concept of a specialised French- Russian and Russian –French dictionary (in both printed and electronic format) of official terms relating to education and science. By examining the text of official letters it is possible to identify specific features of their design and to note the character of their linguistic and grammatical structure. It is also possible to group the most common French and Russian standard phrases used in official correspondence relating to education and science. On the basis of an analysis of current standard and specialist French and Russian dictionaries of official terms in both printed and electronic format, it has been possible to outline the principles whereby the vocabulary for a bilingual dictionary of official language can be selected, to produce a draft dictionary with examples of correspondence and to propose the methodology for designing a computerised version. The results of the research may be used in higher education to provide practical support for the improvement of French and Russian written language. It can also be used by students, teachers and administrative staff of educational and scientific institutions to assist them in the composition of official letters to their French colleagues who are taking part in university, school and scientific exchanges with Russia. The author’s conception can be used with good effect for further work in developing dictionaries by specialists in computer linguistics.

Ethnocultural idioglosses in the author's language picture of the world of Chingiz Aitmatov and their lexicographical representation

The dissertation research is devoted to the reconstruction, cognitive interpretation of the textual associative field of basic ethnocultural idiogloss (HORSE, MOUNTAIN, WOMAN) in the author's language picture of the world of Chingiz Aitmatov and their lexicographical representation. Materials and results of the research can be used in the process of developing lectures, practical courses and special courses in the following areas: intercultural communication, semiotics, psycholinguistics, ethnopsycholinguistics, author’s lexicography.

Contemporary Russian Urbanonyms in the Aspect of Creative Speech Activity

The thesis deals with describing contemporary Russian urbanonyms in the aspect of a nominator's creative speech activity. The material of the research is the urban commercial naming in Russian megalopolises (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan). The research examines the sphere of commercial name giving as a kind of media discourse, which is characterized by increased linguistic creativity. The thesis describes tools for commercial linguocreative urbanonyms creating, analyzes basic communication strategies and tactics, as well as highlights principles of commercial namegiving. The results of the study are a contribution to the development of onomastics, linguistics of creativity, naming; they can be used for naming expertise. The material is also valuable in the linguodidactic aspect and can be used in the practice of teaching Russian in high school, including in students’ project activities, as well as in universities in the preparation of courses on lexicology, word-formation and stylistics, special courses on linguistics of creativity, semiotics, the language of advertising, copywriting, and naming.

Discourse Of An International Non-Governmental Organization (Based On The Russian And French Versions Of The Amnesty International Website)

The dissertation describes the discourse of the international non-governmental organization Amnesty International in terms of the identification of its universal and ethno-cultural specifics based on the comparison of texts and polycode texts of the Russian and French versions of the organization's website. The influencing potential of texts in the two languages is considered in terms of the discursive activities of Amnesty International in Russia and in France. The organization's discourse is defined as a social hybrid persuasive discourse, suggesting a social dialogue with the Organization's supporters, the problems and forms of which are conditioned by the pragmatic intentions of the Addressee; verbal and non-verbal means of speech influence are described, basic communicative strategies and tactics are analyzed, principles of the websites' organization are highlighted. The research results contribute to the development of discourse study, comparative linguocultural studies and stylistics, theory of speech influence. The material of the research is also of linguodidactical value and can be used in developing courses on intercultural communication and text linguistics, as well as in teaching Russian and French languages, Russian as a foreign language, in translation theory and practice.