The factors of semantic commonalities in different languages

Abstract.

THE FACTORS OF SEMANTIC COMMONALITIES IN DIFFEREN LANGUAGES

Volodymyr Manakin

Department of Romano-Germanic philology and foreign literature, Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine.

Abstract

Background: The reseach surveys the idea of commonalities in cross-cultural communication through examining potential semantic universals in languages, particularly in their proverbs – the smallest verbal folklore genre that vividly reflects the mentality and culture of any nation. At the global level, diverse human languages and cultures exist and are interconnected in a dialectical unity reflecting both its universal/common and specific features. Based on the idea of Noosphere, i.e., the latent planetary source of any kind of intellectual and spiritual information, this metaphysical perspective enables us to identify the synergy of human universality in all its forms.

Purpose: In spite of the differences observed, however, languages and cultures have a lot in common, perhaps to the extent that similarities are more noticeable than differences. This raises an important question as to how commonalities and universal features and laws can be observed in different languages and cultures, and what makes it possible for us to identify such features.

Results: At the proverb level, it is possible to identify, basic cognitive universal mechanisms that lead to the creativity of metaphorical thinking, principles of verbalization of common human values in different languages and statements of effability, translatability, and as a result, mutual understanding between nations.

Discussion: The main factor of linguistic and cultural commonalities refers to the Noosphere theory that is assumed to be a global source of linguistic, cultural, and other intelligent (as well as spiritual) activities of humankind.

Keywords: noosphere, proverbs, linguistic universals, cultural commonalities.

Vitae

Volodymyr Manakin is a Doctor of Philology, Professor, Professor at the Department of Romano-Germanic philology and foreign literature at Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University. Areas of research interests include comparative linguistics, language typology, contrastive semantics.

Correspondence: v.manakin@donnu.edu.ua

Article.

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