Vol 21, No 4 (2017)

Various approaches to the necessity of semantic/taxis interpretation have been substantiated. The perspective of the current paper allows us to take into account the interpretative aspect of linguistic consciousness, where it is extremely important to rely on the speaker's language competence, and the degree to which s/he creatively modifies the language. All the proposed provisions are illustrated by concrete examples. The main aims of the paper are, firstly to demonstrate the necessity of carrying out semantic/taxis interpretation analysis, and analysis of the speaker and listener cognitive interaction mechanism, in the struc-ture of communication; secondly, to describe the structure of the cognitive characteristics of subject activity. Taxis/semantics modelling methodology allows for the exploration of basic cognitive features: 1) the dyna-mism and activity of the speaker’s point of view; 2) characteristic multidimensionality, and 3); the struc-ture of the relationship between thought and language. It is shown that the chronological relation expres-sion, in the sphere of taxis, is differentiated by a high degree of sub-categorization, and is transmitted through a branched system means of expression. Illustrative material from the fictional text clearly demon-strates the vagueness of the boundaries between the temporal correlations of the differentiated and un-differentiated types. It is suggested that the represented real actions and states can objectively exist in relations of simultaneity / diversity. However, in the linguistic interpretation of the relationship, there is an implication which can be difficult to distinguish from the vaguely temporal type of action combination, in a single period of time. The processes of action direction, and the distribution of character formation over time, are considered through the prism of such cognitive mechanisms as representation, interpretation, intention, metaphor, comparison, and explicitness / implicitness of expression. The results of the investigation have a lingua-methodic potential: they allow us to carry out the semantic compression of educational material by mastering pathways of compressed information presentation, through models and diagrams in the process of teaching languages.

Fashion exists in all aspects of human life, including language. In this context, we refer to the phenomenon of language fashion, which became an object of linguistic study in Russia at the turn of the 20th/21st centuries. This article is concerned with the phenomenon of buzzwords in modern Russian and Chinese newspaper texts, from the perspective of comparative analysis. In the article, we clarify the meanings of language fashion and buzzwords, discuss the essential features of this linguistic phenomenon, present a classification of buzzwords, characterise the main ways of enlarging this group of lexical units, and analyse the semantic and functional features of these units. The material for analysis is drawn from newspaper texts in online versions of Russian and Chinese mass media resources, for the period 2016-2017. The results of the research show that there are common features between the buzzwords of the two languages. Firstly, from the point of view of origin, the form or meaning of the buzzwords is associated with novelty and a break with tradition. Secondly, in a semantic sense, there are lexical coincidences in the buzzwords of the two languages. Thirdly, in a functional sense, a buzzword in one or another language can act as a pro-ductive model for creating new words, and a stimulus for the realization of new ideas. The conclusion dis-cusses the prospects of studying buzzwords and language fashion in general.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the cultural and linguistic features of Chinese narrative songs of the 20th - early 21st centuries. They are explored through the theoretical frameworks and research instruments of narratology, cultural anthropology and linguistics (M. Bakhtin, R. Barthes, G. Genette, V. Propp, T. Todorov, etc.). The paper highlights the most important changes of narrative songs determined by historical events in China during the period under investigation: a) dynamics of themes, plots and attitudes towards related events - from ideological praise of the Communist party and Chair-man Mao - to a more personalized narration about people’s life and love in a globalized world; b) evo-lution of characters from selfless fighters for communism with clearly defined social identity - to general-ized lyrical personalities motivated by love, suffering, kinship and loyalty to their country; c) growth of genre variability due to the relaxation of ideological pressure and the influence of Western musical culture; d) return to the values of ancient Chinese culture and restoration of traditional national identity, implemented in background knowledge, binary oppositions and intertextual connections; e) new forms of linguistic expression.The findings indicate that the algorithm of text analysis developed in the course of the research may be used to investigate other types of Chinese narratives, as well as narratives from other cultures.

The article aims at tracing means of corporeal semantics employed to create a nonverbal discourse-portrait of the subject of political discourse. Complexity of semantic corporeal pragmatics interpretation of participants in political communication by members of other linguacultures is determined by national and cultural specificity of nonverbal behavioral signs as well as by individual preferences. The article shows dependence of body language signals on the character and conditions of social interaction in institutional sphere, psycho-emotional type and state of a politician, the aim to produce a certain effect on the interlocutor and the audience. The material includes theoretical resources, body language dictionaries, descriptions of Barack Obama’s corporeal discourse-portrait by American nonverbal experts with detailed interpretation of significance of such cues. The examples selected from descriptions are subjected to componential, contextual, pragmatic, comparative and linguacultural methods of analysis. The research testifies to the prospects of efficient use of various representations of corporeal semantics and pragmatics related to participants in political communication. The data obtained confirm the importance of body language in creating individual nonverbal behavior models of the subject of political discourse reflecting ethnic, national and socio-cultural peculiarities and personal features.

The article is devoted to the study of the category of future in French, Russian, Tatar and Mari aphorisms. The data were taken from international and regional mass media. We compared proverbs, sayings, appeals, mottoes, slogans, cliches, symbol phrases, and quotations. The special attention was paid to functioning of aphorisms expressing the concepts “power” and “politician”. The conducted analysis showed that the most frequent aphorisms in mass media of the languages under the study relate to the following lexico-semantic fields: foreign/domestic policy, state/country, state structures / services, establish-ments, governing bodies, political system, authorities, heads of political structures, parties, movements, and their members. The analyzed languages aphorisms are based on precedent texts and intertextuality. The use of internal resources of language prevails in the Russian, French and Tatar political discourses while the regional languages tend to calque aphorisms from Russian and have a relatively small number of occa-sional aphorisms. Besides the grammar means of expression of future, which is typical of all the languages analyzed, Russian, Tatar, and French contain lexical and grammatical means. The Russian language demonstrates semantic transformation in political aphorisms expressing the future. The article revealed the predominance of aphorisms in political discourse relating to the core area of functional semantic field of futurity, over the periphery and border zone. The results of the study show that aphorisms with the meaning of future are more typical of the Russian political discourse in comparison with the French, Tatar and Mari political discourses.

This article focuses on types of challenge to intercultural communicators arising during communication between those with a good level of intercultural competence and those with a lower level and which relate to communicative style. Those with weaker intercultural competence tend to have limited awareness of variation in communicative style and its link to language and culture. As a result, they often continue using aspects of the communicative style of their first language when using a for-eign language. They may even criticise ethnocentrically aspects of the communicative style associated with that foreign language. This can create specific challenges for a more interculturally competent communicator who may well understand the behaviour in question but find it hard to deal with. The key aim of this article is to analyse these challenges prior to hypothesising what underlying skills and prac-tical strategies might help communicators to deal with them. Relevant skills are sought in existing lit-erature and the further processes used in generating hypotheses are described. Skills are identified which include the capacities to deal with negative comments on your own communicative style, to per-suade your fellow communicator of its validity, to negotiate compromises and to steer the communica-tion towards a mutually satisfactory dynamic. Besides outlining the forms further research needs to take, the article concludes by stressing the importance of better understanding these challenges and of incorporating the development of skills for dealing with them into a variety of teaching programmes containing an intercultural component.

Over the last few decades the scope of the translator’s role has extended from being a me-diator between source and target texts and is now seen within a purely linguistic approach to establishing his/her own integrated dynamic reality of digital texts and virtual database. Within an integrated approach, we propose that equivalence can be considered from the neutralized position of a translator who needs to conform with translational norms as well as render the communicative purpose of the sender; the text content includes stylistic peculiarities and non-verbal information. In terms of the localization industry, the leading factor should be translational norms incorporated into the system with the help of special software to determine certain modes of translation, the foreignizing mode, domesticating mode, internationalizing mode, and localization mode. With the GILT paradigm the translation model is developing into a new concept that consolidates complex integrated solutions for the translation process.