STABILITY AND DYNAMISM OF RUSSIAN AND CHINESE LINGUISTIC CONSCIOUSNESS: BASED ON PROVERBS AND ASSOCIATIVE EXPERIMENT

Abstract

The article compares stable and variable components of Russian and Chinese linguistic consciousness based on everyday concepts represented in proverbs and in data from a free associative experiment conducted among student native speakers of the respective languages. Paremiological units are considered as a concentration of normative cultural scripts and axiological attitudes, whereas associative reactions are interpreted as an indicator of the current psycholinguistic relevance of these meanings. The combination of frequency analysis and typologization of reactions makes it possible to identify zones of convergence between traditional and contemporary associations and areas of divergence reflecting sociocultural shifts. It is shown that the concept “table” in Russian consciousness retains a strong connection with family life and shared meals while simultaneously strengthening a utilitarian-labor layer, whereas in the Chinese sample an educational and work-related interpretation increases. The concept “stove” demonstrates “museumification” in Russian consciousness, moving into the sphere of folkloric and nostalgic associations, while in Chinese consciousness it undergoes technological replacement and rationalization. For “cup/bowl,” a weakening of professional-status metaphorics is recorded in Chinese consciousness and a shift in the Russian sample toward individualized consumer rituals. The obtained results make it possible to assess the degree of preservation of cultural codes and the nature of their recoding under conditions of modernization and globalization.