The Concept Death in the Ukrainian Cognitive-Language World Picture : Structure, Statics and Dynamics.

Abstract

The thesis is devoted to the study of the language representation of the concept death, which being an important element of any national and cultural community participates in the formation of the cultural norms. The concept is viewed as a cognitive and linguocultural phenomenon. The concept is defined as the mental formation which combines certain concepts, ideas, knowledge, associations, emotions connected with a particular phenomenon. Part of the above elements form the core which is collectively developed and conceptually structured, while others form the individual variable periphery. The basic theoretical principles of national, language and cognitive world picture are clarified and revised, the new empirical material is analysed. The terms “concept”, “image”, “symbol” and “concept” are defined.

The concept death occupies a crucial place in the Ukrainian cognitive-language world picture. The six-stage analysis of the concept death is suggested, which combines cognitive and linguocultural approaches to its interpretation. The concept death is qualified as abstract, nominated, relevant, complex (multi-level), binary (has an antonymic couple ‒ life), universal, stable, primary, teleonic unit. Its motivational, notional, figurative, symbolic, value, associative components are revealed through the analysis of lexicographic sources and the Newest Ukrainian literature.

In addition to naming the concept, the lexeme death has a number of derivatives, synonyms and idiomatic phrases which are included into nominative means of the concept’s linguistic representation. The presence of the voluminous derivational field is a characteristic feature of the concept death in the Ukrainian language; powerful paradigmatic and syntagmatic relationships, which the verbalisers of the concept death form, determine its relevance in the Ukrainian linguocultural studied.

The concept death accumulates general and specific values. The most widespread in the Ukrainian cognitive-linguistic picture of the world are the following valuable characteristics of the concept death: natural / unnatural, beautiful, heroic, easy, terrible, shameful, ordinary, majestic, sudden. Within the value component of the concept, we single out such universal values as freedom, will, happiness. In the centre of the concept death scenario lies the situation scheme which contains the event itself, its assessment and emotional experience. In the centre of the emotive scenario, there is the emotion associated with the death. In the event scenario, on the contrary, the emotional experience of death is the consequence of the event.