The world of “worlds” in the dimensions of semiosis

With the example of the linguacultural space of Kyiv

Abstract

The relevance of the article is due to the constant dynamics of the lexicon as a manifestation of the essential property of the language and, in particular, of the phenomenon of the development of semantics of the name world (світ), which became one of the most frequently used notional units of the Ukrainian language in the 21^st century. The purpose of the study is to identify the peculiar features of the semantization process of the lexeme world (світ) using the example of the linguacultural space of Kyiv taking into account various dimensions of semiosis. The study is also aimed at establishing the factors that influenced the nominative activity of the unit and determining its linguo-pragmatic vector. The subject matter of the study is the nominative-referential and pragmatic potential of the name world (світ), recorded in mass media texts and Kyiv ergonymicon. To achieve the goal, the following methods and techniques were used: component analysis of the word, distributive analysis, analysis of dictionary definitions, the descriptive method, results of associative experiments, the constructive method, contextual analysis, content analysis, and techniques of quantitative analysis. The novelty of the study is determined by the complex multifaceted approach to elucidating the semantization process of the name world (світ), carried out on the basis of semiotics and linguacultural studies.

As a result of the study of the semantics of numerous common and proper nominals with the world component, it was concluded that the reference of these nominations was affected by the actualization of the nuclear semes ‘limit’, ‘sphere’, ‘totality’, ‘completeness of volume’ (‘межа’, ‘сфера’, ‘сукупність’, ‘повнота обсягу’), and in addition, by the potential evaluative seme. Emphasis is placed on the general tendency towards the nomination of various semiotic spheres by units with spatial semantics. One of the main factors of the nominative activity of the name has been determined as the sound-symbolic and iconic nature of the sign, which ensures its euphony and aesthetic appeal, which, in its turn, is especially significant for ‘commercial’ names and advertising texts. Attention is paid to defining the specifics of comprehension and interpretation of knowledge and ideas about the world and their arrangement in mental space. On the comparison basis of the concept WORLD (СВІТ) as a Ukrainian linguacultural dominant with the universal domain SPACE (ПРОСТІР), the axiological cognitive features of ‘comprehensiveness’, ‘infinity’, ‘matter’, ‘cognition’ (‘всеосяжність’, ‘безмежність’, ‘матерія’, ‘пізнання’), which determine the linguo-pragmatic vector of nominations, have been allocated. Prospects for further research are seen in the study of the functional and pragmatic properties of the name world (світ) in different speech registers.