CONCEPT RELIGION IN EURO-ENGLISH LYRIC TEXTS: COGNITIVE-DISCOURSIVE ASPECT

Abstract

The investigation is aimed at research in the field of cognitive linguistics and linguocultural studies, where the dominant problem is the relationship of a text, thinking and culture in the minds of individuals and society as a whole. The object of this study is Euro-English lyric texts, and the subject is the concept of RELIGION in these texts. The purpose of this work is to describe the actualization of the concept of RELIGION. The choice of methods is due to the linguo-communicative approach to linguistic and speech phenomena, which is based on general scientific methods of induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis, abstraction and concretization, involves the complex application of such methods of linguistic analysis as theoretical generalization, description and functionality. The theoretical basis grounds on the works of W. Humboldt, D. Likhachev, O. Potebniy, E. Sepir, Yu. Stepanov, B. Wharf and others. The researched material is selected from English-language collections of Euro-English lyric texts performed by popular European artists such as Sandra, C.C. Catch, “Modern Talking”, “Bad Boys Blue”, Fancy, etc. In this article, the concept is considered as a multidimensional semantic formation, which highlights the figurative and conceptual aspects. We note that one of the most important concepts of national culture and quite significant in the English-language world view is the concept of RELIGION. RELIGION is a complex mental formation and it has a multidimensional structure. The concept of RELIGION in Euro-English lyric texts has been found to include HEAVEN, PARADISE, HELL, GOD, JESUS, MARIA MAGDALENA, ANGEL (S), SEVEN and SUNDAY. RELIGION appears to be a controversial concept in Euro-English lyric texts. On the one hand, the speaker is aware of the purity, spirituality, holiness and righteousness that are in this concept, but on the other hand, the speaker renounces proper behavior, following his bodily desires, emotions and passions, feelings of love, experiences and more. The concept is revealed lexico-stylistically by such means as epithets, antonyms, metaphors and phraseologies, cognitively imitating the canonical traditions of understanding the descending constituents.