Cultural Markers of Anglo-Saxon Cultural Concepts: A Linguo-Statistical Approach

Abstract

This article addresses the notion of a cultural concept with reference to the British culture. It focuses in particular on the concept typology, with the assumption that a discussion of concept types and their meanings (as notional components in the concept structure) can enhance the understanding and appreciation of conceptual and associative meaning to reveal the concept’s cultural elements (markers). The discussion takes its general conceptual orientation from the approach that considers a concept as a verbalized mental entity whereby the unit of analysis is the sentence embracing lexical units that stand for a cultural concept. This is a functional view of the concept’s verbal embodiment, the tenets of which are contained in cognitive grammar. From a broader perspective, the article distinguishes the concept’s content through the associative use of a lexical concept with the collocated lexemes (nouns, verbs and adjectives) in a sentence, then proceeds to deal with the concept GENTLEMANLINESS and its cultural markers in the British novels of the 18th – 20th centuries. Ultimately, the linguo-statistical method of associative analysis finds in texts of fiction ten cultural associative markers of the concept in the 18th century: nobility of birth, wealth, professional or business activities, appearance, emotions, surrounding of a gentleman, time, leisure and entertainment, symbols of gentlemanliness, traveling; seven associative markers of the concept are found in the novels of the 19th century: noble origin and social status, well-being, professional or business activities, appearance, emotions, surrounding of a gentleman, time; six cultural markers of GENTLEMANLINESS are distinguished in the 20th century novels: high social ranking, being self-organized, occupation, appearance, traits of character, surrounding of a gentleman. From the discussion, conclusions about the involution of the concept of GENTLEMANLINESS are drawn.