Abstract: The subject of the research is the attitude of married couples living in the cities of the Mari El Republic towards the Mari language, the place of the Mari language in the communication and values system of an urban family. The problem set by the authors is viewed taking into account the ethnofactor opposition between a mononational Mari family when both spouces identify themselves as Mari and multicultural family when one of the spouces of Mari and the other is Russian. The rationale of the research is caused by the need to study the modern sociolinguistic situation in polyethnic Russian Federation constituents and to define the role of national (regional) dialects. The research is based on the sociolinguistic data obtained in 2012 by the sociological department of Vasiliev Mari Research Institute of Language, Literature and History as a result of the survey dedicated to the topic 'The Language Situation in the Mari El Republic'. The research methods include statistical analysis, systematisation, analysis and generalisation. The author has also used the sociological tools such as random non-repetition quote sample, standard inteview, etc. The scientific novelty of the research is caused, first of all, by the empirical material that is introduced to the academic community for the first tijme, and, secondly, by the problems raised by the authors (communicative and values role of the Mari language in the minds of a modern urban family) that is viewed from the point of view of regional ethnosocial and sociolinguistic studies. The authors focus on the following questions that allow to define the attitude of spouces in the aforesaid two types of married urban couples towards the Mari language: recognition/denial of Mari as a native language, competence in Mari, concerns about the future of the Mari language, attitude to the status of the Mari language and its functions in the society, and prospects for developing Mari as a state language. The authors of the article prove the fact that mononational and multinational families have very different attitudes to the Mari language. Multicultural families tend to deny the ethnic importance of Mari which creates opportunities for their further language assimilation.

Keywords: multicultural family, mononational family, spouses, family, Mari language, sociolinguistic situation, modern period, city, Republic of Mari El, sociolinguistics

Abstract: The object of the present research is the morphological analyzer of an autodocumental text with the subsequent profiling of the author's gender identity. It is an applied computer program written on the basis of Yandex MyStem v3.0, CentOS Linux, Apache v2.2, PHP v5.3, MySQL v5.5. This program allows to make morphological and syntactic markup, and also on the basis of linear discriminant analysis of Fisher diagnose the sex of the author of the text by the ratio of a number of morphological and syntactic parameters that are informative for this personal characteristic. The program is based on the results of the experiment conducted by the team of authors on the identification of the relationship between the formal and grammatical quantifiable parameters of the text and the author's sex on the material of the special body of autodocumentary texts created using statistical methods of data processing. The methods of text analysis used are statistical and descriptive. The methods of automatic text processing using the specially developed on the basis of the morphological analyzer "Mystem" from Yandex were extracted numerical values of the formal grammatical parameters of the text, the list of which was compiled from the materials of the Russian-language and English-language scientific literature and summarized by a number of works of this profile. The main conclusions of the study are as follows: 1) the possibilities of using morphological-syntactic markup in the stylistic analysis of the text are described; 2) on the basis of the analysis of data in L. Brik and V. Mayakovsky's autodocuments and comparison of the results obtained from the gender perspective, it is revealed that female speech is less subject and less qualitative.

Keywords: automatic processing, gender, correlation analysis, linguistic statistics, formal-grammatical characteristics, morphological analyzer, text, coefficients of objectivity, quality, sex

Abstract: The article is devoted to the historical component of the epic poem "Vladimir" by Mikhail Kheraskov. The poem on the theme of Russian history presupposes references to historical sources and processing of historical material. At the same time, the poem did not have to be authentic, the author was free to interpret historical events in accordance with the idea of the work. It is also necessary to consider the genre features of the epic poem which requires the author to emphasize the scope and significance of the events described. A few works are devoted to "Vladimir", the historical basis of the work is not studied, which determines the relevance of this research. The author of the article attempts to reveal the correlation of history and fiction in the poem by Kheraskov. Comparison of the poem by Kheraskov with historical sources allows to determine in which cases the poet more or less freely interprets the historical material or contributes fictional details to the work. Kheraskov in "Vladimir" stands heroic pathos, and creates the image of a strong enemy, accentuates the exploits of the protagonist, thickens the paint creating a full battle canvas, and fills in the gaps in the testimonies of historians with bright details. Historicity in the poem recedes into the background, but it remains the foundation on which the plot of the poem is built.

Keywords: history and fiction, paganism, Christianity, christianization of Russia, Knyaz Vladimir, Mikhail Kheraskov, epic poem, historical sources, The Tale of Past Years, Russian history

Abstract: The author of the article analyzes the syntactic functions of phraseological units. The object of the research is phraseological units that begin to perform syntactic functions typical of official words, and at the same time retain their original properties to a greater or lesser degree. The aim of this research is the analysis of functioning of one of such phraseological unit, "any way". The "any way" phrase may play different roles in a text structure such as the role of absolute beginning or absolute end of the sentence, or internal position. Within the framework of this research the author tries to answer the question whether there a correlation between syntactic position and scope of this phraseological unit. The author of the article describes the semantic structure of the text, in which there the 'any way' phrase, and the scope of application of this unit. Based on the analysis of facts the author has concluded that in the initial position this phraseological unit performs the textual function that always goes beyond one statement. This unit indicates an uncontested situation which unfolds against the background of two and more variables. The author has also analyzes the means of explication of the text semantic structure which consists of actual lexical tools (based on the antonymy of meanings), and function markers (conjunctions, and introductory modal words).

Keywords: scope, semantic structure, unity function, functional word, text function, text connector, text, phraseological units, syntax, functional-semantic method

Abstract: The authors of the present article offer a possible model to describe passage (initiation) rites in traditional (folklore) culture. The article is focused on the Vyatka maternity rite. The research is based on the materials that have been collected in the territory of the Kirov Region and north-eastern part of the Mari El Republic by folklore expeditions of Lomonosov Moscow State University and Mari State University during the past decades of the 20th century and present a chronological cut of the maternity rite of the 20 - 30s of the 20th century. According to the authors, the summary model of the Vyatka maternity rite should include three description types: ethnographic, structural-semiotic and hypertextual (hypermedia). The description algorithm offered by the authors of the article allows to get an insight into the maternity rite as a rite of 'double passage' (during the labour both a child and a mother attain a new essence; both of them become new members of the society and raise their social status), to clarify the regional features of such rites (main cycles, order and frequency of actions, chronotope organisation kinds, character selection patterns, 'thematic' kinds of 'hoodoo' texts, productive types of their structures, particularities of lexical-morphological, syntax-oriented, rhythmic and artistic levels). In its turn, the multimedia model allows to describe a multidimensional nature of a rite: the main text is illustrated with graphical and/or digital materials, images, music notes and voice records oif speech and music, photo and video fragments.

Keywords: description model, hoodoo texts, status, society, child, mother, maternity rite, passage rite, folklore, Vyatka

Abstract: The subject of the present research is the advertising discourse texts that can be found in the novel of a German writer Alfred Doblin 'Berlin Alexanderplatz'. The author of the article gives a definition of advertising text and defines particular features of a text of this type. Keeping these features in mind, the author also analyzes texts of unartistic communication found in the novel and whether they have the features of an advertising discourse or not. The author pays special attention to the ways of inclusion of textual fragments into the narrative structure of the novel as well as functions performed by advertising inserts in a literary work. The methodological basis of the research consists of the method of contextual-interpretative analysis as well as the description method that combines a set of methods such as observation, comparison and theoretical summary of the language material analysis results. The scientific novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author defines a corpus of advertising texts in the structure of a literary text and describes functions of 'other style' inserts and ways of their integration into a text. Texts analyzed in the research have been either ignored by researchers in relation to the aspects discussed in this article or left at the periphery. The main conclusion of this research is the extension of the framework and basis of understanding literary communication based on the analysis of German prose. 

Keywords: ways of inclusion, integration, polycode text, editing technique, artistic chronotope, advertising discourse, advertising text, factual material, city as a phenomenon, image of the city

Abstract: The subject of the research is the issues related to perceiving scientific texts taking into account gender particularities of their authors and readers. The author of the article demonstrates an opportunity of various gender-related personality types to interact in the process of creating scientific texts. The author of the article analyzes particularities of male and female perception of scientific texts, describes essential verbal stereotypes, defines significant gender differences in perception and interpretation of such terms as 'masculunity', 'femininity', and androgyny, which is often associated with the factor of subjectivity in the process of scientific information evaluation. This research is based on a number of research methods including historical-genetic, linguistic, formalisation, socio- and psycholinguistics methods. The novelty of this research is caused by the fact that the matter viewed by the author creates a new understanding of the gender component in modern texts. The author's special contribution to the topic is her argumented conclusion that perception of scientific information is based on professional knowledge and skills of an individual, i.e. presupposition. Consequently, gender is not a dominating factor in the process of writing scientific texts because individuals of both sexes may demonstrate the entire range of gender particularities.   

Keywords: masculinity, femininity, recipient, scientific text, suprasituational activity, formalization, perception, gender, androgyny, gender status

Abstract: The object of this research article is the conceptual ideas and images in the novel by Pelevin's "Love Three Zuckerbrins". The subject of the research is the philosophical allusions from the point of view of their influence on the author's construction of reality. The article deals with such aspects of the topic as the influence on the philosophical content of the novel of Buddhist and monotheistic traditions, modern cosmology and some fantastic ideas. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the author's interpretations of such spiritual phenomena as transcendence, solipsism, monotheism, theodicy, and dualism. Methodological tools used by the author included typification, comparison, analysis and construction, elements of philosophical reflection and social perception. As a result, historical-philosophical and modern scientific and literary novel's allusions united by common cosmological and anthropological vectors are analyzed. A special contribution of the author to the study of the topic is the analysis of historical and philosophical motives contained in the novel. The novelty of the research is the modeling and identification of the basic philosophical grounds of the Pelevin world-building concept presented in the novel "Love for Three Zuckerbrines". 

Keywords: monotheism, dualism, Buddhism, solipsism, transcendence, historical and philosophical allusions, reality, theodicy, philosophical fiction, postmodernism

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the problem of the interrelation between the phenomenon of creativity and the Nietzschean idea of eternal return. The subject of the study is the poem of Lermontov "From under the mysterious cold half-mask ...". Through the analysis of the antithesis of the mask and voice, the author of the article realizes the problem of time. Disclosure of the connection between imagination and memory and creativity makes it possible to identify Lermontov's idea of eternal return. An analysis of the poetic text is supported by the author referring to the conceptual developments of Hegel and Nietzsche as well as M. Bakhtin, N. Berdyayev, E. Husserl, J. Sartre, K. Jung, J. Derrida and J. Deleuze. The author of the article applies the methodology of intertextual and motivational analysis. The main method can be defined as a philosophical analysis of a literary text. The main conclusion of the study is the position of the creative nature of memory and its connection with the phenomenon of imagination and the idea of eternal return. Memory is seen as the will to perpetuate being created by imagining the perspectives of existence and values. The author of the article shows that memory, imagination and creation constitute the main motives for the idea of eternal return, which is revealed in poetic creativity.

Keywords: Will to power, Eternal return, poetry, Nietzsche, Lermontov, memory, imagination, creation, mask, vote

Abstract: The subject of the research is the status of the phoneme /b/ in Mari dialects. There is a traditional belief that, firstly, the phoneme /b/ does not have an independent status in Mari dialects because it is a borrowing from the Russian language; 2) Mari people do not distinguish between bilabial stop consonant /b/ and bilabial fricative consonant /ß/; 3) in Mari dialects  /b/ is substituted with /р/ or /ß/. The purpose of the research is to prove the status of the phoneme /b/ as the original individual unit. The research is based on the theoretical material related to functioning of labial consonants /p, b, m, ф, ß/ as well as field records of highland and meadow living speech. The authors analyze records using aural and statistical methods in order to get a clear picture of practical implementations of labial consonants in Mari dialects. The results of the research prove that: 1) the phoneme /b/ has an independent status in Mari dialects and is not borrowed from the Russian language, however, it has certain restrictions in distribution: it is always combined with the labial consonant /m/ and always stands after it. Modern Mari-Russian bilingualism which is so wide-spread today, has practially eliminated all limitations in the distribution of the phoneme /b/ in Mari dialects. 2) Aural and statistical anaylsis has demonstrated that Mari people clearly differentiate between bilabial stop consonant /b/ and bilabial fricative consonant /ß/. 3) At the initial stage of Mari-Russian relations the Russian language (in this case, the Northern Russian dialect) had an unclear differentiation between phonemes /p, b, ф, ß/. For example, such words as Poris (Boris) and pagor (bagor) and others appeared in Mari dialects exactly the same as they were in the Russian language. Thus, it was the Russian language itself but not Mari dialects that created the basis for substituting /b/ with /р/. 

Keywords: sound combination, sonorant, bilabial consonants, consonant vocalization, distribution, borrowing, status of the phoneme, Mari dialects, phonetic systems, phoneme

Abstract: The object of the research is the phraseological units with an ethnonym component. The subject of the research is the lexical and semantic particularities of the aforesaid units. The present article is devoted to particular features of the symbolic nature of phraseological units which is conditioned by the fact that there is a certain symbolic connection between the form and content. Analysis of phraseological units' semantic structure particularities allows to view the process of phraseological meaning formation in terms of the reflection of stereotyped images of various nations in the sphere of French phraseology. The authors of the article analyze the three-level organisation of the phraseological unit semantic complex that consists of various kinds of information structures creating the cognitive environment, however, the main and the leading element that participates in the development of the phraseological meaning is the semantics of a culturally marked enthonym that reflects the sphere of social relations and points out at certain features of ethnic communities. The research methods used by the authors in their research include the method of semantic analysis, partial selection method, description, cultural-historical method and comparison. The scientific novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the authors describe the phraseological fund of stereotyped images reflected in the structure of studied phraseological units that are some kind of a condensate of cultural memory allowing to trace back the process of phraseological semiosis.     

Keywords: significate, connotate, ethnonym , denotative meaning, significative meaning, connotative meaning, connotation, denotate, designator, phraseological semiosis

Abstract: The article aims at examining the concept of immigration in the American and English linguistic consciousness, conceptual immigration metaphors and their manifistation in the English and American press. The subject of the work is linguistic means which verbalize the above mentioned concept in the English and American linguistic consciousness. The object of the work is the concept of immigration. The analysis of the concept has been carried out in the framework of the conceptual metaphor theory. By analyzing the language material and describing metaphoric models the author has defined attitudes to immigration at the modern state of society's development. The research is based on the continuous sampling method applied to English and American press examples. Kirichenko has also used the definition analysis method. Immigration is a key concept of a modern political discourse. The content analysis of the lexeme immigration, which verbalizes the discussed concept, has been made. Three models representing the concept of immigration have been described in the article, namely anthropomorphic model, the model of nature and artifactural model. The analysis reveals that these models have negative connotation.

Keywords: immigrant, artifactural model, the model of nature, anthropomorphic model, metaphorical model, conceptual metaphor, immigration, definitional analysis, concept, lexeme immigration