Discursive Space of Morality: Content, Structure, Specificity (by the Material of the German Language)

The aim of the study is to determine the semantic and axiological features of morality as a subject. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the authors’ approach to analysing and describing metaphors-phrases with the common component ‘Moral’ in moral discourse. As a result of the study, it has been found that the abstract noun ‘Moral’, the basic semantic content of which is objectivity, undergoes culturally and socially conditioned changes and is able to transform its semantic content into subjectivity. Morality as a subject has an unstable status, is prone to changes in time, space and quantity. The strengthening of its semantic content is due to the use of the metaphtonymies ‘Moral siegt’ and ‘Moral sinkt’, which have the contextual meanings of UP and DOWN in their semantics, underlying the conceptual metaphors UP is STRENGTH, DOWNWARD MOVEMENT is THE LOSS OF VALUE. It has been found that in the German linguistic consciousness, there is a vector of negative orientation, while the lack of morality is a distinctive social feature of modern consumer society.

Morality as a subject: Variability of evaluativeness and transformation of meanings (based on the material of the electronic corpus of the German language DWDS-Korpus)

Хахалова

Nevolina

2023

Semantic aspect of morality deconstruction (based on the material of the German language)

Nevolina

2023

The study aims to determine the semantic features of the transforming morality and its discourse. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the author’s approach to identifying and describing the semantics of morality and moral discourse, taking into account the most typical collocations of the keyword ‘Moral’ acting as a subject. As a result of the study, it was found that metaphors, metaphtonymies and intertextuality serve as the semantic markers of the transforming morality as a subject in the type of discourse under consideration. The analysis of examples of moral discourse, in which ‘Moral’ acts as a subject, has shown that intertextuality is manifested in the use of precedent phenomena in moral discourse referring to moral issues. Aphorisms can undergo formal transformations and receive occasional components without changing the negative axiological vector of moral discourse. It is determined that the sports metaphor ‘auf der Strecke bleiben’, which is based on the metaphorical model LIFE is A SPORTS COMPETITION, is actualised in moral discourse. The conceptual vector of rivalry reflects the real worldview and the place that morality occupies in it: morality appears as a loser, a player who has lost the race, who has conceded victory to politics, art, profit and economic progress. The metaphtonymies ‘Moral verlangt’, ‘Moral herrscht’ have negative evaluativeness. Metaphors and metaphtonymies in moral discourse emphasise the secondary nature of morality at the present stage of societal development.

The linguocultural concept “good” in Russian and German linguistic consciousness: The conceptual component

Nevolina,

Tretiakova

2024

The study aims to determine the conceptual characteristics of the concept “good” in Russian and German linguistic cultures. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the concept “good” is explored in a comparative aspect based on the materials of the Russian and German languages to identify and describe its national cultural features. As a result, the study has revealed that in Russian linguistic culture, “good” is conceptually understood as a morally positive principle in a person, opposed to evil, expressed in actions, feelings, and aspirations, possessing moral value, benefiting and bringing joy to others, and bringing people closer. In German linguistic consciousness, “good” is conceptualized as a deed that is appropriate, useful, beneficial, pleasant, possessing spiritual value, meeting certain expectations, norms, and goals, and possible with a friendly attitude. It has been found that the content minimum of the concept “good” largely coincides in Russian and German linguistic cultures. The main difference lies in the fact that in Russian linguistic consciousness, “good” is primarily perceived as a positive moral principle of a person, while such an understanding of “good” is absent in German. In addition, in German linguistic culture, “good” is conceptualized as a deed, while in Russian linguistic culture, it is understood as actions, aspirations, and feelings. In both cultures, its benefit for other people and the humaneness of a person doing good are noted.