Abstract: The subject of this article is the semiotics of a painting as a work of art. The object of the study is the functioning of the title of a painting as a sign constituting its semiotic space. At the same time, the picture itself is considered as a complex sign that carries out a special kind of communication between the sender and the recipient. The main conclusions of the study are the thesis that semiosis occurring in the process of interaction between the viewer and a work of art is largely based on the artionymic text, as well as the conclusion that follows from it that, despite the generally accepted characteristic of modern culture as a visual culture, the text continues to play an important civilisational role as a conductor and keeper of various kinds of information. When decoding a message conveyed by the complex sign “painting”, under the conditions of limited perception time, the recipient tends to extract information and interpret it through a textual channel (i.e. through an artionym). The novelty of the study lies in considering the artionym not only as a small-format text, but also as a sign involved in the transmission of information in the situation of perceiving a painting by the recipient.

Keywords: information, small text, semiosis, recipient, painting, indexicality, work of art, sign, semiotics, artionym

Abstract: The article formulates the main provisions of narrative semiotics and offers an analysis of four cases illustrating the methodology of semiotic study within the framework of a new concept. The difficulties associated with the application of the traditional semiotic approach to the analysis of iconic signs, symbols, diagrams, music, and other works of art are characterized. The author's proposed version of the extended version of semiotics and the problems that arise in this case are outlined: firstly, the new approach is subjective, and secondly, it requires the concretization of semiotic discourse. Overcoming these difficulties, the author characterizes the narrative-semiotic approach, highlighting in it three plans of analysis (framework) and special concepts. The most general frame and the encompassing whole is "conscious cultural reality"; the second, also quite general frame and the encompassing whole (meaning narrative constructions), "cultural communication"; the third frame is the structure of the content of narrative constructions, consisting of two wholes a certain reality and signs that allow you to enter this reality, to actualize its events. These plans are defined as ideal objects and concepts that require specification and empirical verification. Solving this problem, the author analyzes four cases: an interesting childhood dream, a teenage experience of K.Jung, children's experience of works of art and the knowledge of love in Plato's "Feast". At the same time, along with the use of the concepts of the reality of culture, communication, the structure of the content of narrative construction, formation, development, evolution, the concepts of "life world" and "objectivity" are introduced. Agreeing that the concept of narrative semiotics is seriously different from the traditional one, the author claims that he tried to act within the framework of a semiotic approach, and therefore the proposed concept, in his opinion, has every right to be considered semiotic.

Keywords: communication, life world, subject matter, culture, reality, signs, narrative, approach, semiotics, concept

Abstract:   This article presents an extended interpretation of the meaning of semiotic approach, which allows to comprehend from the perspective of semiotics not only the symbols that are adequately described in linguistics and semiotics, but also iconic signs, symbols, schemes, and artworks. For a better understanding, the author suggests two cases, one of which is taken from culturological studies, the other – from children's literature. Leaning on the material of these cases, the author formulates the peculiarities of broadened understanding of semiotic approach. The effectiveness of such understanding is illustrated by the example of semiotic interpretation of Roman Faerstein’s literary work. As a result of the conducted research, the author proposed an extended interpretation of semiotic approach, which includes the analysis of situation and problems, resolution of which leads to the creation of new semiotic tools; untraditional understanding of these tools; reconstruction of reality, which is signified by various semiotic tools. In the author’s opinion, structuring of the reality of a certain text is attributed to semiotic interpretation, since the reality alongside other schemes, signs, symbols, metaphors and other semiotic formations, is an important semiotic concept in terms of the augmented meaning of semiotic approach.  

Keywords: content, meaning, default, interpretation, cases, semiotics, schemes, signs, culture, reality

Abstract: This article poses a question on the semiotic nature of symbols, schemes, icons, artworks. The matter is that on one hand, these are clearly semiotic formations, but on the other – their attribution to the concepts of semiotics faces theoretical difficulties. The article presents the opinions of semioticians who deal with these questions. The author analyzes two cases, which allows advancing a hypothesis that the indicated formations include two different components – reality (of (symbols, schemes, icons, artworks), and two types noting for actualizing these realities. Discussing what represents noting and realities, as well as suggesting a broader understanding of semiotics, the author concludes on the semiotic nature of formations he is concerned with. As a result, the author was able to distinguish two traditions in understanding and analysis of symbols and semiotics; reveal that in these symbols, schemes, icons, artworks, the realities and two types of noting that allows actualizing such realities, should be differentiated; advance a hypothesis on the semiotic nature of symbols, schemes, icons, artworks attributing them to a specific type that is characterized with Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity; clarify some of the previously expressed opinions of schemology and symbology.

Keywords: reality, semiotics, works of art, icons, symbols, scheme, sign, semiosis, value, discipline

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of an understudied etching Alfabeto Figurato of a Florentine artist Giovanni Battista Bracelli. Chistova analyzes this memorial as part of visual culture along with other figure alphabets and combinative images and as part of written culture covering, in particular, development and peculiarities of different handwritings. Writings of this kind, from the one side, have numerous predecessors among medieval book initials and, from the other hand, were perceived by conditionally baroque aesthetics of surprise that welcomed the combination of remote objects for illustration with the help of metaphors showing the paradoxicality of existence. In her article Chistova has used iconological analysis that implies attraction of a great number of analogies similar to the memorial of prototypes such as Menschenalphabet of Peter Fletner and less obvious analogues such as texts and engravings from compositions of Geoffroy Tory and structural-semotic methods of analysis. In the course of the research the author has discovered peculiarities of the composition and program of Alfabeto Figurato that resemble Bracelli's more famous work Bizzarie di varie figure. She also reveals the meaning of the last symbols of the alphabet. These symbols are not letters and demonstrate specific features of the composition that is close to the genre of cariccio. 

Keywords: aesthetics of surpise, roman script, cursive, combinative images, figure alphabet, Giovanni Battista Bracelli, baroque, mannerism, etching, neoplatonism

Abstract: The object of this research is the linguistic invasion of the social discourse into the speech of a person which acts as a field of struggle for social practices that are not neutral to each other. The main idea of the article is based on the assumption that the existential subject as the subject of an event of its own existence, the subject of affect, acts at the moment of conflict of certain socially labeled elements of the structure of its conditional Self, the hidden participants of the subjection. The subject of research in the article is linguistic markers of the semantic structure of "kinship" in the context of statements of fictional subjects of speech, producing multiple meanings, some of which seem to be produced directly by the social itself, hiding itself from interpretation and reference. The analysis of linguistic units of fixed speech makes it possible to determine the nature of semantic structures with which these elements correlate and the peculiarities of the normative practices that they actualize. The material for analysis is the speech of the characters in the novel by Fedyor Dostoevsky "Idiot". The object of interpretation is the pragmatics and semantics of lexical and syntactic units of statements. The main conclusions of the study are the statements of subjects of speech, in the principles of use and semantics of linguistic units reflects the conflict of social matrices incorporated by speakers. The social meaning and the very existence of this conflict "eludes" the existential subject, the affect subject experiencing its actual present as an event of its own Self, and not as a process of subjection.

Keywords: Dostoevsky, linguistic representation, semantic structure, social structures, subjectification, subject of speech, discourse, narrative, social norm, language units

Abstract: The subject of this research is the language of architectural forms brought out in the process of a traditional festival. The author examines the most important architectural elements from the point of view of their symbolic interpretation and 'involvement' into the commnication space of a festival, and compares them to verbalized ideas and values that a festival communicates. This emphasizes the importance of the language of architecture for the modelling of a festival's communication synergy. To illustrate her research, Mostitskaya provides the examples of interpretation of the architectural festival symbols such as Acropolis, Hagia Sophia and Grand Opera in Paris. The methodological basis of the research is B. Wipper's definition of the 'language of architecture', G. Potseptsov's description of the communication space structure, and S. Khoruzhy's theory of synergy that allows to describe essential grounds of festive communication. Mostiskaya also bases her research    culture, emotional experience, festival, values, higher meanings, synergy, semiotics, communicative space, the language of architecture, ideal

Keywords: culture, emotional experience, higher meanings, values, festival, synergy, semiotics, communicative space, the language of architecture, ideal

Abstract: In Saint Augustine's 'Confessions' Rozin discovers two kinds of questions, questions asked to God and questions asked to oneself. To analyze these questions, Rozin reconstructs, on the one hand, the sphere of questioning (experience of Christian salvation and sharing this story with others) and communication of questioning, on the other hand. The latter implies the position of Augustine in the past and present, of Augustine when he only started his path to faith and when he already adopted the confession, Augustine when he was writing his 'Confessions' and asking questions. In addition, the author demonstrates that in 'Confessions' Augustine does not only share his own experience of becoming Christian but also presents the image of a Medieval personality. The author offers his own interpretation of Augustine's questions. In his research Rozin has used the special research methods including situation analysis, comparison, problem statement and discussion, culture-historical reconstruction of personality development, construction of new schemes, and typological constructs. As a result of the research, the author makes a statement that in his 'Confessions' Augustine asks his questions as an individual with a developing Medieval personality appealing to those who want to become Christian, including himself when he vacilated and seeked his own path to salvation. Augustine answers his own questions as an individual but counts on God's help, too. 

Keywords: thinking, discourse, communication, questioning, questions, experience, faith, salvation, man, God

Abstract: The object of the research is the decorative art, paintings, and installations that contain both phrases and words. Based on the analysis of the art work of an Ural artist Udmurt, American artist Barbara Kruger, and Chinese calligrapher Vand Gu, the author of the article describes stages in the evolution of the role of the word in the artwork of Russia, the USA and China. The subject of the research is the role of words in the overall canvas of an artwork in synchronic and diachronic aspects. The hypothesis of the research is that in terms of contemporary fine art, word plays an extremely important role which is not confined to the sphere of decorative arts but comporises the core element of the sense-making process in general. The methodology of the research implies the systems approach to cultural research. According to this approach, culture is a whole phenomenon that consists of individual mechanisms interacting with one another based on the general principle. In her research Zavyalova appeals to the studies of both Russian and foreign art experts, art critics and cultural researchers such as M. Vaymugina, M. Davydenko, V. Dyakonova, A.Zubareva, Vl. Lukov, V. Razakov, V. Woolf, Yu. Kharari, and R. Zajonc. The results of the research may be applied for cross-cultural description of contemporary art. The author's contribution is her statement that games with words, written symbols and phrases brings a new global meaning to contemporary fine arts. As a result of the research, the author has discovered important strategies of the Post Modernism such as citationality, collaging, and picturing objects as an artists sees them to the detriment of their realistic image, double actualization of meanings, mysteriousness, anonymity and deliberate play with the audience. 

Keywords: tradition, esthetics, culture, phrase, contemporary art, text, word, Russia, the USA, China

Abstract: The subject of the research is the symbolism of chrysanthemum in the world view of native speakers of the Japanese language. The goals and objectives of the research are determined by the point of view that flowers are a spiritual component of Japanese traditional culture and consist in describing the evolution of the symbolism of the chrysanthemum, determining the factors that influence its formation, the means of actualization in the national consciousness. Having examined the general mythological foundations of the image of chrysanthemum, the author explores the ways of the formation of heraldic symbols, determines the role and place of the flower in the festive and everyday culture of the Japanese. The methodological basis is linguoculturological analysis, related to the study of the interrelation between language and culture, interpretative and descriptive methods, axiological approach. The author comes to the conclusion about the special semiotic status of chrysanthemum in Japanese lingvoculture. Throughout the centuries, the image of the chrysanthemum, the sacred symbol of the sun and the goddess Amaterasu, longevity and imperial power was constantly enriched with new meanings. A definite contribution to the study of the topic is the identification and description of the ambivalent semantics of the chrysanthemum: during the Meiji era, the image of white chrysanthemum became an attribute of funeral ceremonies, during the Second World War contributed to the aestheticization of death.The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the author in his work operated with new sources and illustrative material, which have not been published anywhere in Russian.

Keywords: art, aesthetics, spiritual life, sun, emperor, symbolism, chrysanthemum, Japan, nature, traditional culture

Abstract: The focal point of the paper are numerous manifestations of the principle of “receptive aesthetics” in the culture of Japan which has reworked Chinese aesthetic patterns in the own way. The main concern of the paper is the idea to demonstrate the grounds for comparing cultures, to describe the typological features of Japanese and Chinese cultures. There are three main types of study design used to identify cultural features: the objects of fine arts, language expressions and films. There is much evidence of the possibility to draw the lines of similarity between Japan and China on religious, semantic, aesthetic and gender grounds. The main method is a systematic approach to a culture that allows one to trace the genesis of individual components of the cultural system, which subsequently influence the entire system as a whole. At the heart of the work there are 2 principles of the description of culture: the principle of “receptive aesthetics”, formulated by V.A. Lukov and Vl. A. Lukov, as well as the “universal return principle” of M.Yu. Lotman. The main findings of the research are culture-study interpretation of the motifs that served as the basis for Japanese artifacts. This is of much practical value, as the proposed interpretations can be applied to any area of cultural production. The interpretations, if necessary, will contribute to the creation of a unique color of the Far Eastern cultures, penetration into their ideological content, decoding of ethno specific meanings. The most important conclusions of the work are a list of typological features of Japanese culture, which are the results of Chinese influence. These features are as follows: religious syncretism, binary perception, seasonality, gender asymmetry, displacement of the animation focus.

Keywords: China, Japan, sense, conscience, gender, syncretism, Shinto, Buddhism, aesthetics, artifact

Abstract: Names of Kazakh kuis (onyms) are viewed by the author as the signs of culture that reflect typical mental views and values represented by a certain ethnic group. Kanatova offers her own classification of kui onyms consisting of the following three main groups: 1) anthroponyms, 2) zoonyms, and 3) toponyms. The author also defines the priority of anthroponyms which, in their turn, have the following classification: 1) nominative kuis, i.e. kuis related to names; 2) kuis that are used to describe emotions and feelings; and 3) kuis with possessive names that describe their creators. Zoonyms can be divided into two subgroups: 1) names of cloven-hoofed animals, and 2) names of birds. The third group (toponyms) can be also divided into two subgroups: 1) nature, and 2) landscape. The results of analyzing kui onyms prove that the latter is embedded into the cultural and language models of not only Kazakh traditon but also Turkic culture in general. The author of the article has used the interdisciplinary approach which involves application of philological terms and the method of constructing a classification model of kui onyms based on their homogeneous feature, i.e. the music actor (hero). The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author applies the interdisciplinary approach to analyzing the content of Kazakh kuis as well as recent discoveries of philology and philological terms to define and create a classification of kui onyms. The author develops a classification model of kui onyms consisting of teh main three groups, anthroponyms, zoonyms and toponyms. The author defines her model as traditional. She also states that the names of kuis of the 20th centuries were built on the traditional model that had developed in the culture of preceding epochs. Changes that are quite evident relate to kui devotions aimed at historical events. 

Keywords: toponyms, zoonyms, anthroponyms, kui onyms, tradition of Arka, shertpe, dombyra, kazakh kui, turkic culture, mentality

Abstract: The conversation with Abraham Solomonik has been recorded within the framework of the editorial project 'Who creates philosophy in Russia today' and devoted to the philosophical aspects of semiotics that expand the linguistic turn of the humanities. Abraham Solomonick (born in 1927) is a doctor of pedagogy, expert in teaching foreign languages, lexicographer, philosopher and founder of the original 'general semiotics' (the theory of signs, sign systems and semiotic reality). In 1974 Solomonik moved Israel with his family where he taught Hebrew to repatriates from other countries. After working for the Ministry of Education of Israel for 18 years, he got retired and started to work on semiotics. Since then, he has published over a dozen of articles devoted to semotics both in Russian and English. He lives in Jerusalem. He is the Professor Honoris Causa and a member of the Russian Academy of Information Sciences (Moscow). The following books written by him are published in Russian: 'Language as a Sign System' (Moscow, 1992), 'Philosophy of Sign Systems and the Language' (Minsk, 2002), 'Positive Semiotics' (Minsk, 2004), 'Paradigm of Semiotics' (Minsk, 2006), 'Syntax in Sign Systems' (Minsk 2007), 'Essay on General Semiotics' (Minsk, 2009), 'Semiotics and Knowledge Theory' (Moscow, 2012), 'A Theory of General Semiotics' (Cambridge, 2015). In his conversation Nilogov has used semiotic, hermeneutic, linguistic, comparative historical reserach methods and the method of interview/conversation. Already at the beginning of the last century a Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure stated that language was a system of signs and linguistics should be regarded as other semiotic disciplines, or even seen as the leading branch of semiotics. Ever since then there have been ongoing discussions on the place of language among other sign systems. The theory of general semiotics presented by Abraham Solomonick claims to explain the laws of functioning of all sign systems, from the most primitive (semaphores, for instance) to the most complex systems (language, mathematics, mustic language, etc.). Therefore Solomonick's approach to the place and role of languages in the universe of semiotics is seen by Nilogov as very important, all the more so as Solomonick's approach plays a specific role in a range of never-ending and constantly changing views on this problem. 

Keywords: Solomonick, ontological reality, sign reality, anti-language, philosophy of semiotics, sign system, philosophy of anti-language, semiotics, philosophy of language, general semiotics

Abstract: the article is devoted to creative work and times of Andrey Voznesensky, a Russian poet, author, artist and a winner of many titles and rewards including the USSR State Prize, from the point of view of his ‘Uzzah’ poem (written in 1964). This poem about human living in the age of robots is interesting not only because it has many images but also because it has a unique structure and reflects the present times as a drop of water. This is a unique dictionary of ‘hyper-text’. Hyper-text means text that has hyperlinks (references) to other text that the reader can immediately access (definition offered by T. Nelson in 1963). It is unique because the author has managed to find an adequate research method for his text. His text is related to hermeneutics and logistic semantics combined with parasemantics (when one word is associated with another). As a result, a ‘hypertext’ dictionary devoted to Andrey Voznesensky’s creative work was created. This dictionary can really help the reader and researcher to understand the famous poet and his world much better.

Keywords: cultural studies, poetry, hermeneutics, semantics, possible-world semantic, Voznesensky, Uzzah, poetics, text, context, hyper-text, innovation, language.

Abstract: the article explores one of the possibilities of textual presence in a genre new for the second half of XXth century – the instrumental composition with the word. Distinguishing types of polytext interaction in instrumental music, the author offers the following principles: 1) alternating conduct (the texts go one after another within the composition, in its different parts), 2) arching (a single text, or text by a single writer is repeated several times, performing a function of reminiscence), 3) free compilation (the texts by several authors, or text chaotically arranged across the composition as part of a literature reference). As an example, avant-garde compositions of F. Karaev, B. Fernihou, F. Rzhevski.

Keywords: history of art, intertextuality, music, text, word, typology, methodology, F. Karaev, B. Fernihou, F. Rzhevski.

Abstract: The article describes development of language studies and philosophy of language in India as well as their close relation and mutual usage of advantages. India is famous for its language diversity and development of language technology, especially in the sphere of education. The author focuses on how grammatical formalism and meta-language allowed Ancient Indian linguist Panini to explain a great number of linguistic phenomena. The author of the article also touches upon the topic of philosophical discussions that reflect the development of language studies.

Keywords: cultural studies, language studies, philosophy, Indian culture, linguistic variety, educational environment, standardization, Panini’s grammatical formalism, metalanguage, cognitive aspects.

Abstract: The author of the article provides the analysis of a fundamental book ‘Death in Maharashtra. Imagination, Perception, Embodiment’ (published in Moscow in 2012). The book includes texts of different kind and content and all these texts have the same two topics in common: Maharashtra, one of the major states of India, and death. The author describes differences and similarities between Indian culture and Russian and Western cultures as well as between Indian culture and globalization culture. These differences and similarities show themselves in people’s attitude to death and associated rituals. Particular attention is paid at three main themes discussed in the book: caste (including the ones still exisiting in modern India), women’s position (India has the worst living conditions for women)and terrorism (different opinions on Mohandas Gandhi death is a bright example of Indian alternative to non-violence). It is noted that Russians’ interest for Indian culture (and India in general) experienced its ups (in early XX when orientalism was in fashion and in 1950 when relations between Soviet Union and India were promoted and Indian cinema and literature became popular) and downs (including the present times).

Keywords: cultural research, Oriental studies, Indian studies, Indian culture, Maharashtra, mahratti language, death, ritual, cultural differences and similarities, globalization culture.

Abstract: The author bases his article on the Internet discussion about Marina Tsvetaeva. Some people involved in the discussion accused her of her bad treatment and attitude towards her daughters while others tried to defend her by saying that she was a great poet. The author of the article summarizes the main ‘pro and contra’ arguments and forms his own hypothesis based on which Tsvetaeva was a diversiÞ ed personality: on one part, she was an esoteric poet and on the other part she was a usual yet marginal person. Such hypothesis allows to explain Tsvetaeva’s strange behavior as well as her maniac passion for diaries. At the end of the article the author raises the question about interpretation of creative work from the point of view of an author’s life reconstructions and personality.

Keywords: cultural studies, personality, poetry, choice, piece of work, tragedy, disintegration, duality, consciousness.

Abstract: The article is devoted to causes and consequences of I. V. Stalin’s speech regarding language issues made in the summer of 1950. Many Russian and foreign researchers wrote and talked about that speech. Many points of views were revealed. Over the last decade language studies have demonstrated interest in Stalin’s personality just as other humanities do (publication of his language studies is a great example to it). In such a situation, it seems quite necessary and topical to analyze Stalin’s speech regarding language studies.

Keywords: cultural studies, language studies, researchers’ points of views, conjuncture, personal caprice, ‘language genocide’, ‘common sense reaction’, changes in personnel and structure, the end of Marrism, international resonance of the speech.

Abstract: The article is devoted to I. V. Stalin’s replies to letters of the readers of his «Regarding Marxism in Linguistics» («On some problems of linguistics: reply to E. Krasheninnikova’ and ‘Reply to Comrades»). The article shows that the Soviet leader evidently wanted to use his own example as a demonstration of ‘struggle of opinions, freedom of criticism’. Stalin’s social and governmental policy did not give a chance to such a struggle, but he found the way to reconcile the contraries, different ways represented by different letters, as the matter of fact.

Keywords: cultural studies, linguistics, textological analysis, relation between the formal and semantic interpretations, formalism in linguistics, the role of dialects information of national languages, Mongolian dialects, sound language and sign language, language of the future, the beginning of the ‘Stalin’s period’ in the Soviet linguistics.

Abstract: Being the Þ rst article devoted to I. V. Stalin’s famous works in the science of language published in the Pravda Newspaper in 1950, this article views the Þ rst and the most voluminous text with the title ‘Regarding Marxism in the Science of Language’ published in the 20 June issue of the newspaper. The author shows that Stalin set the tree tasks of the Soviet science of language: liquidation of the Arakcheev regime, waiving Nicolas Marr’s mistakes and introduction of Marxism into the science of language.

Keywords: discussion of the science of language issues, criticism of a ‘new teaching about the language’, environment of the 1920th, introduction of Marxism into the study of language, relation between the language and the superstructure, class nature of the language, the national languages issue, dialects and talks, evolutional nature of the language development.

Abstract: The article is built on the concept of ‘scheme’ and analyzes the functions of schemes (based on the author, schemes create a new reality, direct activities and describe objects). The author also discusses relations between schemes and signs. In particular, it is shown that schemes are a necessary condition for formation of signs and different types of knowledge.

Keywords: cultural studies, sign, scheme, reality, meaning, knowledge, object, activity, understanding, work.