IMAGINATIVE-EVALUATIVE CONSTITUENT OF THE LINGUOCULTURAL CONCEPT WEALTH IN THE AMERICAN LINGUISTIC WORLDVIEW

Abstract

The article focuses on the imaginative-evaluative constituent of the concept WEALTH in the American linguistic worldview. Linguistic and cultural researches devoted to the study of concepts that are the constituents of the American linguistic worldview are based on the interest of modern linguistics directed to the specifics of verbalization of culture and mentality. In this context, it should be noted that the linguocultural concept WEALTH belongs to the category of material values, and is an important part of the American worldview, since it embodies the idea of American well-being.

In our scientific research, we rely on the fact that the linguistic and cultural parameters of analysis of the concepts involve accentuation of the value component, since the very value of a particular phenomenon determines ethnic specificity and the linguistic picture of the world of a certain nation. It is worth noting that, for today, the linguistic-cultural description of the concept presupposes its three-layer structure, namely (conceptual, figurative and value components).

Thus, the methodology of linguistic and cultural description of the concept of WEALTH includes the analysis of the conceptual and cognitive structure of the concept along with the analysis of its value component. In view of this, we have determined the basic conceptual, figurative and value components of the linguocultural concept WEALTH verbalized in the American publicistic discourse.

The analysis of the value component of the linguocultural concept WEALTH in the American linguistic worldview has made it possible to clarify the fact that the concept of WEALTH belongs to the category of material values, which receives a generally positive assessment in the modern American publicistic discourse. The analysis of the figurative component of the linguocultural concept of WEALTH has allowed us to distinguish nine domains within which the concept is represented. In this context, it is also worth noting that the linguocultural concept of WEALTH has a high metaphorical potential, since it embodies the vision of Americans regarding material well-being and success.