Structural model of the concept of "education"

Makashova Victoria Postgraduate student, Department of General and Russian Linguistics, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, g. Moscow, ul. Miklukho-Maklaya, 10-2A Viktoria_m27@mail.ru

Introduction

Cognitive linguistics is a field of linguistics that studies the specifics of the assimilation and processing of information data, types and forms of mental representation of knowledge through language.

In modern cognitive linguistics, the key concept is considered to be "concept", which is increasingly used by researchers considering the problem of linguistic expression of cognition as a process of cognition. Mental in nature, the concept reflects the content of an individual's opinions and knowledge about reality, the experience of interacting with it.

Definition and structure of the concept

        In the works of modern researchers of various fields of cognitive linguistics, the content of the concept of "concept" varies significantly ^{[23, p. 452]}.

Representatives of the cultural direction (Stepanov, Telia) define concepts as elements of culture and distinguish three layers (layers) in their structure:

1. The main, active, up-to-date layer of the concept. The concept is relevant for native speakers of this culture and acts as a means of communication and mutual understanding.
2. An additional, passive layer of the concept. The concept is relevant only for individual social communities.
3. The etymological layer of the concept (the inner form of the concept) is available to researchers. Meanwhile, this layer of concept content exists in the mind of an ordinary native speaker, but only in an indirect form.

Within the framework of the linguoculturological direction (Karasik, Slyshkin, Vorkachev, Alefirenko, Voloshina, Maslova, Zimina, Radbil, Yevtushenko, Mizheguli), concepts are considered as elements of national linguoculture in their relationship with national values and attitudes of this cultural community. The structure of the linguocultural concept assumes the arrangement of cognitive features at the following levels: conceptual (factual), metaphorical (figurative) and meaningful (value). At the same time, the core of the concept is invariably the value component. 

Adherents of the logical direction (Arutyunova, Pavlenis, Peacock) concepts are analyzed by means of logical methods in isolation from their linguistic form. 

The specifics of the semantic-cognitive direction (Kubryakova, Boldyrev, Rakhilina, Lukashevich, Popova, Sternin, Babushkin, Pimenova, Manaenko, Johnson, Lakoff, Gentner, Goldin-Meadow) consists in studying the representation of the relationship between semantic and cognitive processes. The concept is recognized as a universal element of the thought process, access to the content of which opens the language. In the works of I. A. Sternin, Z. D. Popova, a field model of the concept is substantiated, including the sensory-figurative core of the concept, additional cognitive layers (the periphery of the concept), as well as an interpretive field (a system of value orientations). The structure of the concept is organized by cognitive classification features that organize the cognitive differential features that make up the content of the concept as a mental education. The field structure of the concept is confirmed by the research of E. V. Lukashevich: the structure of the concept, from the point of view of a linguist, is based on the hierarchical relationship "core-periphery", where the core is characterized by stability, a clear fixation in human consciousness, and the periphery is the openness of "meanings actualized in the activity of the subject" ^{[19, p. 65]}.  

         Representatives of the philosophical and semiotic direction (Kravchenko, Solomonik) study the cognitive basis of signedness. The concept is understood as an operational unit of consciousness, which contains all the cognitive processes and abilities of an individual: the concept combines both perceptual, sensorimotor, emotional, and linguistic components.

     Thus, the difference in the interpretation of the concept of "concept" is due to the difference in the choice of features underlying it and appearing essential for representatives of one or another direction of cognitive linguistics.

The concept of "education"

          The concept of "education" is the basic one in the Russian conceptual sphere ^[4]. We emphasize that this concept is primarily studied within the framework of linguoculturology.

       E. V. Alymova examines the concept (cultural concept) "education" in Russian and English linguistic cultures. The researcher offers a field model of the concept of "education", in which he identifies the sensory-figurative core of the concept, its universal and idioethnic cognitive features. 

    I. V. Romanova, L. A. Yushkova also rely on the field model of the concept, which includes conceptual (factual), metaphorical (figurative) and meaningful (value) components. At the same time, linguists focus on the value component of the concept. Considering the concept of "education" in the German and Russian language consciousness, L. A. Yushkova argues that the axiological content of this concept consists of identical semantic groups ("education", "status indicator", etc.), each of which is characterized by a number of conceptually significant features.

      Exploring the linguistic representation of the concept of "education" in the English-speaking linguoculture, V. V. Egorova puts forward a field structural model of the concept. The linguist believes that the structure of the concept of "education" consists of a core represented by basic cognitive features, collective semantic and interpretative fields.

      The problem of the functioning of the concept of "education" in autobiographical discourse is posed in the work of S. V. Voloshina. The linguist identifies two functions of this concept in autobiographical texts: genre-forming and discourse-forming. It should be noted that the methodology for analyzing the concept of "education" is based on a three-part field model, the components of which are conceptual, figurative and axiological levels.

      Ethnolinguistic works are also devoted to the study of the concept of "education". U. Mizheguli defines significant differences in the idea of education in the Russian and Chinese language picture of the world. For example, in the Chinese language picture of the world, the concepts of "education" and "knowledge" are exclusively positive values, while in the Russian language picture of the world they can be evaluated negatively.

   Thus, modern researchers adhere to the field organization of the concept of "education". The structural model proposed by us is called the segment-field model, which fixes not only the nuclear peripheral zone, but also the segments of this concept.

      Exploring the structure of the concept of "education", we first of all identified its basic layer (sensory-figurative core), additional cognitive layers (near, far and extreme periphery of the concept), as well as the interpretative field – individual and collective attitudes of consciousness that follow from the content of this concept in Russian culture.

In order to build a structural model of the concept of "education", we conducted a free associative experiment in which 79 respondents of three age categories (14-18 years old; 20-28 years old and 30-54 years old) took part.  The subjects worked in the mode of unprepared oral speech: they were asked to respond to the presented word-stimulus "education" with the first word-reaction that came to mind (phrase-reaction).

As a result of a free associative experiment, we received 84 reaction words:

School, University, Teacher, Student, Knowledge, Training, Education, Perspective, Books, Diploma, Teach, Complex, Interesting, Accessible, Continuous, Free, Process, Career, Communication, Science, Research, Study, Exam, Intelligence, Cognition, Work, Traditional, Higher, Distance, Work, Disappointment, Benefit, Discovery, Lecture, Synopsis, Team, Audience, Additional, Necessity, Enlightenment, Information, Red Diploma, Virtue, Development, Self-Development, Erudition, Literacy, Creativity, Technology, Student, Session, Youth, Grades, Scores, Rating, Experience, Office, Classes, Lesson, Change, Tutor, Punishment, Discipline, Attention, Graduation, Desk, Library, Self-education, Nervous, Roman, Digital, Musical, Technical, Universal, Comprehensive, Academic, Stupid, Granite of Science, Boring, Proud, Long, Useless.

The sensory-figurative core of the associative field of the concept "education" consists of the most frequent reactions: training – 6, education – 6, school – 6, university – 6, teacher – 6, student – 6, knowledge – 5, perspective – 4, books – 4, diploma – 4, teach – 4, complex – 4, interesting – 4, accessible – 4, continuous – 4, free – 4.

In the periphery of the associative field of the concept "education" includes reactions, characterized by a lower frequency: process – 3, a career – 3, communication – 3, science – 3, study – 3, - study – 3, exam – 3, intelligence – 3, cognition – 3, labor – 3, traditional – 3, high – 3, remote – 3, work – 2, disappointment – 2, use – 2, open – 2, lecture – 2, abstract – 2, command – 2, audience – 2, additional – 2, the need – 1, education – 1, info – 1, red diploma – 1, virtue – 1, development, 1, self-development – 1, erudition – 1, literacy, 1, the creativity – 1, technology – 1, student – 1, session – 1, youth – 1, assessment 1, the points – 1, rating – 1, experience – 1, office – 1, class – 1, lesson – 1, change 1, the tutor – 1, punishment – 1, discipline – 1, note a – 1, a prom – 1, row – 1, library -1, self – 1, nervous – 1, Roman – 1, digital – to 1 music – 1, technical – 1, universal – 1, full – 1, academic – 1, stupid – 1, the granite of science – 1, bored – 1, proudly – 1, long 1, the useless – 1.

         The near periphery is based on reactions: process – 3, career – 3, communication – 3, science – 3, research – 3, study – 3, exam – 3, intelligence – 3, cognition – 3, labor – 3, traditional – 3, higher – 3, distance - 3.

        The far periphery is formed by reactions: to work – 2, disappointment – 2, benefit – 2, discovery – 2, lecture – 2, synopsis – 2, team – 2, audience – 2, additional – 2.

        The extreme periphery is represented by reactions: necessity – 1, enlightenment – 1, information – 1, red diploma – 1, virtue – 1, development – 1, self–development – 1, erudition – 1, literacy – 1, creativity – 1, technology – 1, student – 1, session - 1, youth – 1, grades – 1, points – 1, rating – 1, experience – 1, office – 1, classes – 1, lesson - 1, recess – 1, tutor - 1, punishment – 1, discipline – 1, attention – 1, graduation – 1, desk - 1, library -1, self–education – 1, nervous - 1, roman – 1, digital – 1, musical – 1, technical – 1, universal – 1, comprehensive – 1, academic – 1, stupid – 1, granite of science – 1, boring – 1, proud – 1, long – 1, useless – 1.

The analysis of the stimulus word "education" showed: from the point of view of partial affiliation, 68% of reaction words refer to nouns; 3.7% - to verbs; 21% – to adjectives, 4.9% – to adverbs. Phrases-reactions make up 2.4%. It should be noted that in the answers of informants, there is a dominance of words-reactions belonging to nouns. In our opinion, this is explained by the morphological features of the stimulus word "education" - a noun in the form of the nominative singular.

The interpretative field of the concept of "education" contains the following settings: an ignorant person – that an axe is inaccurate; you can't weave without knowledge; live for a century – learn for a century; the world is illuminated by the sun, and a person is knowledge; education is a guest, and the mind is the host; learning without skill is not a benefit, but a misfortune; an evil scientist it is not worth a good fool; to go into science is to suffer torment. Thus, on the one hand, the Russian consciousness highly values education, and on the other, it levels its value (education brings suffering both to the individual himself and to the people around him).

           In addition to the nuclear peripheral zone, the concept of "education" includes a number of segments, which indicates the segmental nature of this concept:

1. General education is the process of education and upbringing carried out within the framework of a school or preschool institution.  
2. Vocational education is a process of education and upbringing carried out within the framework of higher or secondary educational institutions.
3. Additional education is the process of education and upbringing carried out in educational organizations that provide additional education services.
4. Vocational training is a lifelong learning and education process.

       We propose a segment-field model of the concept of "education": the sensory-shaped core, periphery and segments of this concept are inscribed in the axiological system of Russian consciousness (see diagram 1).

Scheme 1. Segment-field model of the concept "education".

Conclusion

      Thus, we have developed a segment-field model of the concept of "education". In order to build a structural model of this concept, we conducted a free associative experiment, the results of which allowed us to identify the sensory-figurative core, the periphery (near, far and extreme), as well as the interpretative field of this concept.

      We have established that around the sensory-figurative core and the periphery of the concept of "education" there are several segments equal in degree of abstraction. This allows us to consider this concept from a more concrete cognitive layer to a more abstract one.