LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL CONTENT OF THE CONCEPT OF FLATTERY IN THE ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN LINGUISTIC CULTURES

The article analyzes the modern interpretation of the term
“concept”, highlights the main approaches to the study of
concepts, presents the characteristics of the concept “flattery” in
the English and Russian linguistic cultures from the perspective
of cognitive-epistemological approach (V.I. Karasik).
The aim of the article is to consider the content aspects of the
concept “flattery” in the Russian and English linguocultures.
Research methods include general scientific hypotheticaldeductive method, contextual analysis; comparative analysis;
descriptive method.
The study is relevant, because a deep understanding of the
conceptual sphere of linguoculture allows to cover the linguistic
and mental characteristics of native speakers more fully, what
promotes the formation of the system of intercultural interaction.
The subject of this study is the concept of flattery in the Russian
and English linguistic and cultural environment. It was found that
this concept can be classified as universal, this is confirmed by
the high degree of its “cultural development”, i.e. lexical
development of the conceptual field (Fedunin, E.A. Lyashenko,
I.B., 2017: 62).
However, like other universal concepts has certain national
characteristics. V.V. Leontiev refers this concept to the category
of emotional concepts (Leontiev V.V., 2000).
In the work as the basic approach is adopted the approach of V.I.
Karasik (2002), which offers a three-tiered structure of the
concept, highlighting the conceptual / information-factual,
figurative and perceptual and value components in its structure.
The last component is the most interesting, because it reveals a
system of assessments, attitudes and norms of behavior.
Consideration of the concept from the position of this approach
has allowed to reveal its linguistic and cultural content the most
fully. Thus, the concept “flattery” is interpreted by the author
from the position of the analysis of its conceptual, value and
figurative aspects.
The concept proposed by Z.D. Popova and I.A. Sternin (Sternin I.
A., 2001)is used in the analysis of the conceptual aspect of the
concept, according to which the concept is organized on the
principle of the nucleus and periphery. The study showed that the
core of the conceptual field of the concept under consideration is
the lexeme “flattery”, the zone of the near periphery includes
lexemes covering the largest number of features inherent to the
studied type (lie, deception, hypocrisy, manipulation), and the
zone of the far periphery consists of lexemes describing the
smallest number of such features. The following Russian lexemes
are in the periphery zone: dvoedushie, dvoemyslie, dvulichie,
dvurushnichestvo, iezuitstvo, komediya, krivodushie, lest’,
lzhivost’, lukavost’, lukavstvo, neiskrennost’, pritvornost’,
pritvorstvo, tartyufizm, fal’sh’, farisejstvo, fars, filisterstvo,
hanzhestvo, plutovstvo, kovarstvo, koryst’, cinizm, raschet and
others.
In English, the concept “flattery” is transmitted by the following
lexical units: adulation, cajolement, flam, flattery, lipsalve,
sawder, soft sawder, soft soap, sycophancy, treacle, to blarney. In
addition, the concept of “flattery” is reflected in many
phraseological phrases. The core of the concept consists of
lexemes: flattery, adulation (Leontiev, V.V., 2000).
The analysis of the value component of the concept “flattery”
showed that the value characteristic of flattery is very similar in
the considered linguistic cultures, but it can have different value
significance on the individual level. In the value aspect “flattery”
is considered as a way of manipulating. The attitude to flattery is
negative both in Russian and in English as evidenced by the
lexical and semantic field of the concept (sycophancy,
obsequious praise, obsequiousness, servility). On the other hand,
the practical material of the study showed that flattery is not a
homogeneous cognitive formation. Flattery can act as an
individual personal quality, exaggerated because of the desire to
please the addressee, and it can be used not for the purpose of
causing harm or manipulative influence.
The paper also analyzes the figurative aspect of the concept of
“flattery”, the study shows that flattery is associated with
falsehood, sweetness in both linguistic cultures.
The study demonstrates that the concept “flattery” has a similar
semantic and lexical expression in the English and Russian
linguistic cultures, establishes the similarity of the conceptual and
value aspects of this concept in the studied linguistic cultures.
However, there are some differences at the level of the figurative
component because of the different mentality of the
representatives of this culture.
Keywords: flattery, concept, linguistic culture.