LINGUAL SEMIOTICS OF ABSOLUTE POWER IN THE TUDORS’ TIMES

• Main Authors: Tatyana N. Astafurova, Andrey V. Olyanich
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Volgograd State University 2017-12-01
• Series: Vestnik Volgogradskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta. Seriâ 2. Âzykoznanie
• Subjects: absolute power; lingual semiotics; ritual component; chronosemiotic component; toposemiotic component; signs-regulatives; signs-processives; signs-classificators
• Online Access: https://l.jvolsu.com/index.php/en/component/attachments/download/1683

The paper addresses the phenomenon of absolute power enablement in Great Britain of the 15th-16th centuries from the perspective of social semiotics and semantics: it includes the definition of obligatory and optional parameters of power and identification of its lingual-semiotic, ethno-cultural and semantic features. The Anglo-Saxon absolute power generates a lingual semiotic space that is structured with a system of verbal and nonverbal signs of various complexity and content; they perform their iconic, directive, evaluative and presentation functions to exercise maximum authoritative impact. Special attention is paid to royal rituals as the power is enabled through them. The case study reveals semiotic, ritual and nominative means of power representation in times of the royal dynasty of the Tudors (1485-1603), a period reputed as England's "Golden Age". The semantic space of Anglo-Saxon absolute power is composed from lexical units that nominate subjects, objects, tools and resources of royal power (economic, social, political), as well as its authority actions, conditions and processes that depict the stages of «birth, life and death" of power in general and formation, distribution and enactment of power in England of the Anglo-Saxon era, represented by the specific conceptual and lingua-cultural sphere by means of non-verbal (material) and verbal signs.