THE SPECIFICS OF A COMPLIMENT IN ARABIC AND RUSSIAN LINGUOCULTURES

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the specifics of representation of complimentary expressions in Russian and Arabic linguocultures. The paper considers from the linguoculturological point of view features of a compliment as an etiquette statement in such different-structured and genetically distant languages as Russian and Arabic. A selection of expressions from the corpus of the languages under consideration is carried out, interlanguage complimentary equivalents are identified and methods of verbalization and conceptualization of compliments are described. The paper compares the content plan of compliments in accordance with the extralinguistic situation in which they are implemented. The actively expanding intercultur- al contacts between representatives of different faiths potentially involve the risk of communicative failures associated with the ethnospecific and cultural characteristics of a particular linguistic community. The study provides recommendations on verbal behavior in the Arab society and the elimination of possible misunderstandings or interpersonal conflict between native speakers of Russian and Arabic. A well-chosen compliment can be the key to successful intercultural communication.