Vol 9, No 4 (2023)

The work presents an attempt to fill the gap in the study of intraspecific homonymy in felisonymy. The current research is aimed at determining the specifics of intraspecific homofelisonyms on a modern synchronous section of felisonymic material. The empirical base is made up of felisonyms (proper names of domestic cats; from Latin felis ‘cat’) obtained through a survey of respondents and continuous sampling from the Internet resources. A descriptive method and quantitative calculations are used to analyse the research base. Homonymy in felisonymy turns out to be quite a representative phenomenon. It manifests itself at the intraspecific level through numerous homooppositions, formed at the nomination stage, and includes homonymous felisonyms, which are determined by various nomination motives. The non-closed nature of the motivational base of intraspecific homofelisonyms is shown. The motivational base can be expanded due to additional nomination motives determined by the nominator’s preferences and felisonymic creativity. The specific features of intraspecific homofelisonyms are revealed. Being a felisonymic fragment of the nominator’s linguistic world picture, homofelisonyms represent in a concentrated form the onomastic features of felisonyms in general, namely: the principles underlying the naming process; possible formation by metaphorical and metonymic models; felisonymisation processes; derivational features of felisonyms; the difference between the namesake and homonymous felisonyms. The novelty of the present research appears to be an introduction of a certain layer of felisonymic units into scientific circulation and the presentation of their onomastic characteristics. The practical significance of the research is determined by the possibility of using its materials and conclusions in the development of zoonymy in general and felisonymy in particular, as well as in school and university teaching. Further prospects lie in the study of homonymous shortened felisonyms, which are derivative forms of the main proper names of domestic cats, which formed the empirical base of the current research.

An analysis of the use of interjections and interjection complexes in the plays  of A.N. Ostrovsky was carried out, whose 200th birthday is celebrated all over the world this year. The playwright’s works significantly changed the Russian theater; ordinary people, representatives of the merchant class and the lower social classes appeared on the stage. They spoke the folk language, in which dialectisms, vernacular units, proverbs, sayings, and phraseological units were widely used. There important component of folk speech are interjections. They represent a complex part of speech with contradictory lexical-semantic and grammatical properties. Among them there are units with non-standard phonetic composition. Attempts to convey such interjections  by means of the alphabet lead to the use of traditional notation, which very approximately reflects their real sound appearance (ugh), which becomes the cause of ethnospecific forms of transmission of such physical phonations in different languages, and this causes difficulties in their translation. At the same time, it is hardly worth talking about a special phonetic system of interjections, since the overwhelming majority of primary units (well, ah, ah, ba, wow, alas, and many others) consist of standard phonemes of the language, and their prosody generally corresponds to the prosodic characteristics vocatives and other lingual units. Interjections are widely represented in the texts  of A.N. Ostrovsky’s plays. A significant place in the speech of the characters is occupied by primary interjections, with the help of which the author reflects the diversity of feelings and experiences of the characters. Among the most frequent words in plays by A.N. Ostrovsky includes interjections, well, ah. In almost all works there are also primary interjections oh, eh, hey, etc. Secondary interjections in the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky is mainly represented by the interjectivated words God, God, Lord, used both independently and as part of interjectional constructions (God bless, God be with you, etc.). In many cases, it is not easy to draw a line between interjection and religious use of these units in the speech of characters. 

The didactic potential of the texts of modern commercial advertising in Russian as a foreign language classes is studied. In the theoretical part of study, the authors turned to the foreign experience of considering authentic materials as a means of developing communicative competence in teaching foreign languages. Approaches to the concept of authentic materials, the principles of their selection and algorithms of application in pedagogical practice are systematized. The advertising text is considered both as a means of improving linguistic competence and as a tool for integrating cultural components into the learning process, the advantages and disadvantages of advertising texts in terms of their linguo-methodological function are identified, and criteria for selecting promotional materials for classes in Russian as a foreign language are formulated. As a practical material, an algorithm for working with advertising texts at different levels of Russian language proficiency is presented, sample tasks are proposed for use in Russian as a foreign language classes in accordance with the three classical stages of working with text: preparatory (pre-demonstration), cognitive (demonstration) and reinforcing (post-demonstration). In the work, such research methods as the descriptive-analytical method, the method of systematization and classification, the design method, as well as the communicative method of teaching a foreign language are used. 

The article is devoted to the study of Scottish toponyms with names of folklore characters. The purpose of the research is to establish what knowledge about folklore characters is reflected in Scottish toponymy, and what nomination mechanisms are involved in their development. The article deals with Scottish toponyms containing the names of geographical objects, and names of folklore characters. The source of empirical material is Scottish toponymic dictionaries, works of foreign researchers and Internet resources. The methods of searching for particular toponymic units, cognitive matrix, lexico-semantic and etymological analysis, as well as cultural analysis are used to accomplish the purpose. in the course of the research we considered toponyms, the internal form of which contains the names of giants Saxa and Herman and the names of mythical creatures – faeries, boggles and brownies. In the cognitive bases of the considered toponyms there is cognitive context folklore characters and characteristics of the concept of place: inhabitant, quality and event. The place-names are formed through metaphorical and metonymic transfers. the cognitive bases of the considered toponyms reflect such knowledge about folklore characters as their habitat, abilities of folklore characters and related actions and events occurring at the place. Metaphorical and metonymic transfers are based on the comparison of knowledge about the external properties of the character and the geographical object and knowledge about feelings caused by what happens at the object, as well as on the correlation of the name of the folklore character, the quality of the object acquired due to the folklore character, and the name of the object. 

The article examines the view, assessment, interpretation of the personality scale, the direction of A. Solzhenitsyn’s work in the letters and journalism of V. Astafiev. The importance of the research is due to the attention of modern literary criticism to the historiosophical and sociopolitical issues of Russian prose, the necessity to research the creations of Russian literature of the 20th century in its brightest performances and assessments. The purpose of the research is an attempt to determine the similarity of aesthetic positions, which became the basis for assessing and interpreting the personality and work of A. Solzhenitsyn in the V. Astafiev’s epistolary and journalism. The publications of letters and journalism by V. Astafyev, the writer’s reaction to publication of the first story by A. Solzhenitsyn are analyzed. The main arguments of V. Astafyev’s letter in defense of A. Solzhenitsyn, the motives for applying to the Writers’ Union are considered.  V. Astafyev’s reaction to the “Vermont hermit” return to Russia is considered, the scale of A. Solzhenitsyn’s personality is characterized, and his public position is assessed. As a result of the analysis, it is established that in the letters and journalism of V. Astafiev a vivid image of A. Solzhenitsyn is created as an unbending fighter, an authoritative thinker, one of the founders of village prose, a patriot of Russia. It is concluded that the creative behavior of the writer V. Astafiev is determined by the specifics of his personality, the characteristics of his marital status, and the sociopolitical life of Russia in the 1960s – 1990s. The scope of application of the work results is research on the modern literature, teaching literature in higher and secondary schools. 

The subject of work is the question of V. Sorokin’s creative method. An attempt to explain the writer’s creative nature leads to the idea of an internal contradiction that is characteristic of his work as a whole and is realized in each individual work. The point is that the writer’s creative declaration, reduced solely to a “linguistic experiment”, does not fit well with real practice, which leads to contradictions in the interpretation of his work in criticism. There are as if “two Sorokins”, one insists that his works are exclusively texts for exercises in “transgression”, the other creates dystopias perceived as works saturated with social meanings. V. Sorokin was originally“against literature”, but lives “at the expense” of literature and is interpreted by readers and researchers as literature of the highest level. He dissociates himself from “literary centrism”, but paradoxically becomes its epicenter. This study proves that this contradiction does not really require resolution, it is the “driving force” of the writer’s work, “organic” for the “Sorokin phenomenon”. The result is the creation of a “linguistic dystopia”. The problem is of undoubted relevance, the results of the analysis allow us to clarify important points in assessing the writer’s work.

Two approaches to the study of journalist’s professional identity are compared: institutional and ontological. The theoretical foundations and heuristic possibilities of the ontological approach are demonstrated on the example of empirical research into the psychological problems of novice journalists. Professional identity is considered not as an externally set standard, but as a psychological attitude spontaneously formed in real life, which is found in the deep structure of respondents’ anxiety. In order to identify the most common psychological problems faced by novice journalists, a survey of journalism students is conducted. Based on the subjective assessments of the respondents, a ranking of the most frequently occurring anxiety is compiled. The limited resolving power of self-reports frequency processing is shown in comparison with multivariate analysis, which allows us to move from the realized anxiety’ level to the anxiety underlying determinants level. In the course of factor analysis, the main components of professional identity as an individual-personal and collective attitude are identified. The interrelation between the identity components and ontological properties of a journalist is shown. Using non-parametric criteria for comparing samples, the influence of the place of training on the intensity of anxiety anxiety is demonstrated. The conclusions about the necessity to take into account the psychological structure of professional identity during the training of future specialists are drawn. 

In a situation of intensive changes in society, the conditions for the functioning of companies change dramatically, and there is a need to transform the existing brand. In 2022, the reaction of domestic glossy publications to the objective conditions of the new reality is divided into three types: some closed, others remained the same, and others changed their brands. The research material is glossy publications that have carried out rebranding: TechInsider, “Novyi ochag”, The Symbol, Men Today, U Magazine, The VOICE, “Pravila zhizni”. The purpose of this research is to study the state of the magazine segment of the domestic media industry during the rebranding of glossy publications. The methods used in the course of our research include system analysis, including comparative and functional approaches. For a visual presentation of the research results, all its parts are built according to a single scheme: verbal and visual brand attributes, media content (categorization), development strategy in the digital field, brand values. Evaluation of the rebranding nature comes from the fact of preservation or transformation of the value level. As a result, conclusions are drawn that publications took advantage of the situation in different ways: most publications do not depart from the established global brand and carry out partial rebranding, while others, on the contrary, decide to continue functioning in a new form. A full-fledged rebranding is carried out by “The VOICE” and “Pravila zhizni”, completely changing both the external and internal appearance of the publication. The final table presents the results of the study and conclusions about the nature of the rebranding. 

The research is devoted to the identification and study of methods of manipulating public opinion when covering political events by radio stations in Russia and Germany. Obtaining accurate and verified information about the events of reality is the constitutional right of every person, and the formation of an objective picture of the world and the explanation of the phenomena occurring is the most important function of the editorial office of each media. However, at present, the priority of the media is the formation (often imposition) of a certain public opinion that can distort the real situation both in the local and international context. 842 broadcasts of radio stations of different forms of ownership of Russia and Germany (three from each country) for the period from 17.01.2021 to 01.11.2022 were studied. On the example of four widely publicized Russian media events of a political nature, using the methods of content, plot-composition, lexico-stylistic and comparative analysis of radio broadcasts revealed the use of certain (even identical) manipulative techniques on both Russian and German radio stations. The leader in the regularity of the use of manipulative techniques was the state radio station “Vesti FM” (Russia) and “Deutschlandradio” (Germany), while correspondents of other radio stations studied by us presented information about events of interest to us on the air, as a rule, briefly, discreetly and only in a news format. The practice of regular use of manipulative techniques does not allow us to speak about the objective presentation of selected political media events by correspondents of some Russian and German radio stations. It seems that the current situation could contribute to the creation of an incomplete picture of the world among the audience of these radio stations. A conclusion has been reached that it is possible to minimize such cases only by continuing the activity of forming and developing a person’s critical thinking. 

The results of an experimental study are discussed, the purpose of which is to determine the general and specific principles of the reception of a academic text posted on the Internet, taking into account a group of communicative and technological factors, including the possibility of using interactive elements that control attention and perception of the text (affordances), and the use of extralinguistic material elements. Through a combination of methods – oculographic research, user experience analysis (UX-observation) and semi-structured interview – the data were obtained indicating the areas of attention and the structure of reading scientific Internet articles by users, as well as tactics of interacting with the text and understanding its content, depending on the presence or absence of affordances. The readers of scientific texts have academic affiliations and different experience of interacting with scientific materials. The authors come to the conclusion that it is necessary to take into account two groups of data in the course of studying the reception of a academic text: visual fixation on a text element / behavioral reaction to it and verbal representation of a text element during an interview. The paper draws preliminary inferences about how the readers perceive scientific Internet articles depending on the technological organization of the context. In conclusion, the requirements are offered for the organization of the main stage of the study.

The active development of new media and the growth of their influence on the traditional media provokes interest in this sector on the part of researchers. And in connection with the activation of the consumption of audiovisual information, the video blogging sector is attracting more and more attention. The latter develops in a highly competitive environment. A blogger faces a difficult task – to win the attention of the audience in competition with other bloggers, platforms and reality. One of the means of solving this problem is naming. The name of the video content is able to attract an audience to it and promote the channel. The study analyzes the methods and techniques, which are used by the most popular video bloggers of Russian-speaking sector of the Internet in the field of naming. The conditions for the primary attraction of attention, as well as the means of emotional impact that bloggers use most often, are given.

The main features of dialogic genres development in the online environment are considered. The history of dialogic formats development is described and the features of their functioning in the online space are highlighted. In particular, the influence of network media on the dialogic formats evolution is noted. In the empirical part, a review of selected YouTube channels is carried out to consider how the dialogic formats features are implemented in the online space. As a result of the study, a general characteristic of dialogic formats evolution in the online space is formulated and the hosting platform influence on the format and content of dialogic genres is identified. The features of the presenter’s role in creating an effective interview, as well as conducting interviews in the online space are considered. In conclusion, the study draws conclusions and offers recommendations for the development of dialogic formats in the online environment. Prospects for further research include conducting a more detailed analysis of dialogic formats evolution in the online space and their impact on the audience. 

The main features of the Russian national character are analyzed, which allow expanding the horizons and range of humanitarian knowledge, contributing to the formation and strengthening of national culture in modern society. The factors that determined the specifics of the Russian national character formation are considered, among which dialectics stands out. The necessity of orientation of modern socio-economic transformations in the formation of the worldview and mentality of the Russian people is substantiated. The Russian character is examined in the symbols and markers of the national ethnic group, familiarity with which reflects one of the principles of the cultural description of the Russian language – the inclusion of maximum information that helps to reveal the cultural originality of the Russian language, representing the linguistic picture of the world. The dialectical nature of the features of the Russian national character is substantiated, which is reflected in the popular consciousness and traditional culture. This factor is not sufficiently reflected in the educational description of factual material in textbooks for universities and schools of secondary general education with Russian and other languages of instruction. Cultural knowledge as components of the Russian value system should be formed in the human mind and help supplement existing knowledge about the Russian language, national culture, Russian morality, which constitute the Russian value system, which generally contributes to the formation of such a stable concept as “Russian character”.

Universities, as dynamically developing systems, are subject to constant change. Political, economic, social, spiritual phenomena and processes influence the field of higher education. In modern society, the role of the university is perceived as a mission, which implies its special purpose. The mission statement briefly and clearly reflects the concept of the existence and development of the university. The structural elements of the mission are highlighted, its close connection with the values of state and public life is noted. The main idea of the mission is often expressed in the university motto. The ways and means of implementing the mission are comprehensively covered in the university’s program documents. Important documents are ethical codes that regulate the spiritual side of the life of the university community. The vision of its mission by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Tokyo is considered. Based on the study of both universities websites, a comparative analysis is carried out. Both common characteristic features of missions and their differences are revealed.