Uglinskaya N.A. “Russian Soul” as a Modus of Russian Mentality: A Semantic Approach
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/lp.jvolsu.2024.2.4
Nadezhda A. Uglinskaya
Junior Researcher, Volgograd State University
Prosp. Universitetsky
100, 400062 Volgograd, Russian Federation
Senior Lecturer, Philosophy and Law Department, Volgograd State Technical University
Prosp. Lenina, 28, 400005 Volgograd, Russian Federation
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5593-0913
Abstract. In the article the concept of "Russian soul" is considered as a modus of Russian mentality. Soul as a personal category in combination with the characteristic "Russian" has subjective qualities. It is shown that the semantic method is an important part of the strategies for studying the mental characteristics of the Russian soul. The method allows us to identify its essential properties through the analysis of words and expressions that have become entrenched in the language of "folk culture" to denote habitualized, familiar behavioral patterns and social practices of the bearers of "Russianness." Semantic groups associated with the concept of "Russian soul" include alternative characteristics inherent in the Russian character, which is explained by its inherent inconsistency. The main ambivalent meanings invested in the expression "Russian soul" are highlighted. It is shown that the main drawback of the semantic approach to the analysis of the Russian mentality and its manifestations is the detachment from reality. Although the semantic method has great potential, it cannot be considered universal and sufficient for revealing the content of mental characteristics by analyzing the conceptual sphere of Russian culture due to its inherent subjective and formal nature. Subjectivity is expressed in the fact that in the process of studying individual meanings and determining the frequency of word use, it is impossible to take into account all terms that are close in meaning, united by a dominant idea, but differ in nuances. The insufficiency of the semantic method for studying the "Russian soul" as a modus of Russian mentality is due to the peculiarities of the use of typification techniques in it and can be compensated for by using a prototypical approach, in which specific subjects – historical figures, literary, mythological, or fairy-tale characters, folk heroes, etc. – act as prototypical bearers of "Russianness," thanks to which a consensus of ideas about the "Russian soul" is formed in the national community, ensuring the "recognition" of its manifestations.
Key words: mentality, Russian mentality, soul, Russian soul, personal modus of mentality, semantic method, modal analysis.
Citation. Uglinskaya N.A. "Russian Soul" as a Modus of Russian Mentality: A Semantic Approach. Logos et Praxis, 2024, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 33-40. (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/lp.jvolsu.2024.2.
“Russian Soul” as a Modus of Russian Mentality: A Semantic Approach by Uglinskaya N.A. is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International 
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