Motivating Signs of the Concepts “Zvezda” and “Star” in Comparative Aspect

• Main Author: Aigul A. Bakirova
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kemerovo State University 2019-07-01
• Series: Вестник Кемеровского государственного университета
• Subjects: language picture of the world; linguaculture; conceptual analysis; etymology; motivating trait; syncretism
• Online Access: https://vestnik.kemsu.ru/jour/article/view/2716
• ISSN: 2078-8975; 2078-8983

The article deals with the contrastive study of the linguacultural concepts “zvezda” in Russian and “star” in English. Modern typological, comparative, and contrastive studies are aimed at defining common and distinctive characteristics of linguistic development of reality by human in related and non-closely related languages. Linguits search for parallels and differences in the course of cognitive-discursive reconstruction of linguocultural concepts. The article introduces a complex methodology of researching the language verbalization of conceptual characteristics. The algorithm of systematic study is demonstrated on the analysis of the concept “zvezda” in Russian and “star” in English. The research takes into account the following factors: 1) motivating features based on etymological dictionaries; 2) actualizing the revealed features in contexts; 3) defining the syncretic meanings. The author analyzed the etymological dictionaries of the languages and revealed 10 motivating signs for “zvezda” and 12 of motivating signs for “star”, some of which overlap. The presence of common motivating signs in the structures of the concepts suggests that the stars were interpreted by carriers of Russian and English linguacultures in a similar way. The signs “nebesnyi / heavenly” – located on the sky, “telo / body” – the mythopoetic perception of stars as the eyes of gods; “siianie / sparkling” – ability to emit light. It indicates a relationship of adequate congruency of the motivating signs. The following motivating signs showed some difference. Russian sign include “svetilo” (light-emitting body), “blesk” (brilliance), “mertsanie” (shimmer), “nepodvizhnost” (immobility), “kometa” (comet), “otmetina (na lbu zhivotnogo loshadi / korovy)” (a mark on the forehead of a horse / cow) and “serebro” (silver); in English – “not including the sun and moon”, “strewer or spreader, or disperser of light”, “sprinkling”, “constellate”, “born under unlucky star”, “disaster”, “disastrous”. This testifies to the different perception of the given concepts by the linguacultures under consideration. These data reflect the mechanism of concept formation and can serve as a basis for further development.