Article

Name: On the process of westernization of Russian language consciousness (a case study of non-frequent associative pairs with proper names)

Authors: Ye. V. Bentya

Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Linguistics

Abstract: The paper makes an attempt to estimate the degree and to describe the nature of western influence on the Russian language consciousness using a quantitative method of processing the empirical data obtained experimentally. The analysis is conducted on the material of the Russian Regional Associative Database – SIBAS to develop the approach to the semantic annotation of the database. The particular subject of the research is non-frequent associative pairs with proper names as reactions. These pairs were classified into several categories, with some of them being discussed earlier during the analysis of frequent associative pairs (2016), and represent as well the channels of western influence. The analysed categories are: toponyms, anthroponyms, names of cinema, TV and print media realia, literature names, names of computer and connection realia, makes of cars, trademarks of food products, names of companies and firms, names of organisations. There are also several sub-groups within most of the categories. One of the biggest category – anthroponyms – has eight sub-groups which represent the spheres where the personalities are active. The percentage shows that a large number of personalities from SIBAS belong to such spheres as cinema, politics and science. Moreover, the paper deals with the units that are resistant to categorization owing to their small number and vague origins. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of non-frequent units, alongside with frequent ones, of associative-verbal data in the research of language consciousness. The result of the analysis shows that the biggest amount of units studied represents the realia of the USA, Great Britain and Germany. The vast majority of the realia refers to the USA which is also true for previous results of the study of frequent units. It is also found that the reactions in its majority are mass-consumption products which have well developed and spread commercials. This fact just one more time supports the findings that the nature of the associative pairs demonstrates the main channels of these realia – Mass Media, television and cinema.

Keywords: russian language consciousness, westernization, proper names, associative pair, non-frequent reaction, the russian regional associative database

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