Comparing words with the meaning of "taste" in an emotional image-scheme in Russian, Chinese and English

Tszya Junwen Postgraduate student, Department of Foreign Languages in Theory and Practice, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 6 verajourney01@163.com Other publications by this author

1. Introduction

 Taste-related vocabulary contains rich cultural characteristics and is an important subject of research in the field of cultural linguistics. In every language, words denoting taste carry not only a direct meaning associated with the perception of taste, but also many figurative meanings that go beyond their primary sensory function. The vocabulary of taste in a language reflects not only immediate sensations, but also complex cultural and conceptual associations that differ in different languages.

Cultural differences in food-related vocabulary require analysis at the cognitive level. Language, as a means of communication, plays a key role in this process, especially through aspects such as vocabulary reflecting human perception and cognitive processes. Metaphorical thinking ^[1] is one of the fundamental features of the human mind and plays an important role in the process of cognition of the world. It allows you to comprehend abstract concepts by projecting them onto more specific, familiar images, which makes them understandable and accessible to perception. In linguistics, this is manifested through the use of metaphors in language, which not only reflect the cultural characteristics of perception, but also form the way people think.

One of the key elements of metaphorical thinking is imagery ^[5], which includes visualization and perception of spatial relationships and objects ^[4]. This process is closely related to the concept of "image-schema" ^[3] – the basic cognitive structures that organize our perception, understanding and physical interaction with the world around us. Schema images are formed based on everyday experience of interacting with the physical world and serve as the basis for more complex cognitive operations such as reasoning and language coding.

One of the main schemes in this theory is the "CONTAINER" scheme ^[3], which represents the concept of including one object in another and helps to structure the concepts of spatial boundaries and internal/external relations. This scheme is often used in language to describe abstract relations and phenomena, which allows us to "fit" complex ideas into an understandable framework ^[3].

Another example of an image diagram is a "LINE", which represents one-dimensional relationships and is often used to understand sequences or degrees. Unlike two- and three-dimensional schemes, the "LINE" image scheme allows us to arrange the elements, forming a linear representation of the world.

In the context of taste words, the manifestation of the "LINE" image scheme allows you to visualize abstract relationships and emotions in a structured, spatially oriented form. For example, various words denoting taste can be arranged along a LINE depending on the nature of the sensations they cause. This distribution is due to the fact that taste vocabulary is often used to describe more complex and abstract concepts using metaphorical thinking mechanisms, which are one of the main tools of the human cognitive apparatus.

Research questions:

1)      How are the figurative meanings of words with the meaning "taste" displayed in the emotional-cognitive scheme "LINE"?

2)      What are the similarities and differences between the figurative meanings of words with the meaning of "taste" in Russian, Chinese and English?

Research objectives:

1) Determining the relationship between the cognitive image scheme "LINE" and the degree of emotional coloring;

2) Analysis of the relationship between the figurative meaning of words and location in the emotional and cognitive scheme of the "LINE";

3) Clarification of the similarities and differences of taste words in the emotional and cognitive scheme of the "LINE".

The significance of the study:

The research is important for the development of cultural and cognitive linguistics and can be used in textbooks and seminars on this discipline. Understanding the connection between the imagery of words, figurative meanings and their emotional coloring, as well as the ways of their cognitive display helps in a deep study of the mechanisms of linguistic perception and analysis of polysemic words.

2. Methods

 The following methodological approaches are used to achieve the objectives of this study:

1) Data collection

The main method of data collection is the use of various linguistic corpora and dictionaries for three languages: Russian, Chinese and English. This allows for a comprehensive and multi-level analysis of vocabulary related to taste sensations.

Russian Russian: dictionary data from the Great Chinese-Russian Dictionary (BKRS), available online on the website [kartaslov.ru ] (https://kartaslov.ru /) and corpus data from the National Corpus of the Russian Language (NCRR), available on the website [ruscorpora.ru ] (https://ruscorpora.ru ).

Chinese: Dictionary data from the Han Ci online dictionary, available on the website [hydcd.com ] (http://www.hydcd.com /) and corpus data from the BLCU Corpus Center (BCC), available on the website [bcc.blcu.edu.cn ] (http://bcc.blcu.edu.cn /).

English: Dictionary data from the Collins Online Dictionary, available on the website [collinsdictionary.com ](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us /), data from the Youdao electronic dictionary and corpus data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), available on the website [english-corpora.org/coca ](https://www.english-corpora.org/coca /).

2) Data analysis

A comparative method is used to analyze the collected data for each of the languages. Special attention is paid to how taste words are used to express emotions and how they are displayed within the framework of an emotional image-the "LINE" scheme. This includes studying the figurative meanings of words and their emotional coloring in various linguistic contexts.

3) Comparative analysis

The results of the analysis of each language are then compared to identify similarities and differences in the use of taste vocabulary and its emotional polarity.

3. Results and Discussion

This study allows us to deeply explore both cognitive and cultural aspects of the use of taste vocabulary in different language systems and provides a scientifically based understanding of the mechanisms of metaphorical thinking.

3.1 Expressions with words denoting "taste"

After collecting and analyzing the language corpora, the following frequently used expressions with taste words are highlighted:

1) sour/sour/acid/?:

1a: a situation turns sour; sour mood; a sour face; sb. said sourly.

1b: sour life; sour fat man; sour laugh; sour face; sour look; sour mood; sour words

1V: ??; ?; ??; ??; ??; ?

2) sweet/sweet/?:

2a: sweet spot; a sweet man; sweet tooth; sweet smile

2b: sweet life; sweet baby; sweet smile;

2B: ?; ?; ?; ?

3) bitter/bitter/?:

3a: a bitter pill (for sb) (to swallow); to/until the bitter end; bitter enemies; bitter tears

3b: bitter experience; bitter share; bitter fate; bitter orphan; bitter feeling; bitter laughter

3b: ?; ??; ???; ?; ??; ??; ??; ???

4) spicy/spicy/?:

4a: spicy gossip;

4b: a sharp moment; an acute situation; a sharp-minded person; a sharp mind; a sharp tongue; a sharp joke

4B: ?; ??; ?; ??; ???;

3.2 Comparative analysis of words in an emotional image-scheme

In this study, we analyze four words for taste (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy) in three languages (English, Russian and Chinese) to explore their emotional polarity and figurative meanings in different cultures. Based on the presented data, we project taste words into an emotional-figurative "LINE" scheme. The emotional polarity of these words in each language is reflected in the figurative scheme "LINE", which demonstrates the influence of culture on perception and emotions. In this scheme, the more to the right a word is located, the more positive emotional meaning it carries, and vice versa, the more to the left — the more negative. Based on the data obtained, the following schemes were created:

Fig.1. The degree of positive emotion of words denoting "taste" in the Russian language

Fig.2. The degree of positive emotion of words denoting "taste" in the Chinese language

Fig.3. The degree of positive emotion of words denoting "taste" in the English language

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the word "sour" (?/sour) is placed at the leftmost end of the emotional-shaped scheme "LINE", reflecting the negative emotional coloring. This is reflected in expressions such as "sour mood" in English, "sour life" in Russian and "? ? "" in Chinese. In contrast, the word "sweet" (?/sweet) is located at the far right end of the same scheme, expressing positive emotions, which is illustrated by phrases such as "sweet smile" in English, "sweet life" in Russian and "? "" in Chinese. Thus, in English, Russian and Chinese, the tastes "sour" and "sweet" are usually associated with negative and positive emotions, respectively. This similar meaning indicates that despite cultural differences, these basic tastes are universal in the expression of emotions. The use of the phrases "sweet life" and "sour life" in three languages demonstrates both positive and negative emotional polarity. Human associations of feelings and experiences related to taste sensations have both similarity and diversity.

Unlike the words "sweet" and "sour", the word "bitter" (?/bitter) occupies different positions in the emotional-figurative scheme of the "LINE" in Chinese and other two languages. The cultural specificity of "gorky" carries national cultural characteristics and experience: in Chinese, it is often associated with positive qualities, unlike English and Russian, where "gorky" usually has a negative meaning. This difference reflects the profound influence of Confucian and Taoist teachings in Chinese culture, in which hardship and suffering are seen as an opportunity to harden the will and character. Expressions like "enduring difficulties" (? ? ) and "heroic struggle" (? ? ) in Chinese have a clearly positive connotation, whereas in English and Russian the phrase "bitter experience" is often associated with problems and grief. The feeling of "bitter" as a basic feeling among different peoples does not have significant differences, however, historical experience promoting patience with unpleasant sensations leads to the fact that in Chinese this word is associated differently than in English and Russian.

It is also observed that the positioning of the word "acute" in the emotional-figurative scheme "LINE" differs, reflecting a unique cultural influence. In English, phrases associated with sharpness, for example, "spicy gossip" (sharp gossip), usually carry a negative connotation. Russian Russian and Chinese, however, the word "sharp" can be colored in positive tones, as can be seen in the expressions " ?" (fiery figure) in Chinese and "sharp mind" in Russian. However, in Chinese, "spicy" can traditionally express negative connotations, which contrasts with the moderate Chinese philosophical approach to healthy eating. However, under the influence of globalization, words that traditionally had a negative meaning begin to acquire more positive interpretations, which is a manifestation of the influence of globalization and cultural integration, as well as the process of enriching the lexical meaning of words.

The variety of figurative meanings of words related to taste adds complexity to their study, and here cognitive and visual methods can be the key to understanding. Using figurative schemes for analysis, we explore the variety of taste vocabulary of different languages. By considering these words in an emotional-figurative scheme, we can better understand the differences and similarities in the same semantic area in different linguistic and cultural contexts, which contributes to a deep understanding of intercultural relations and facilitates communication between cultures.

Conclusion

In the course of our research, we analyzed the metaphorical meaning and their differences and similarities in the emotional image-scheme in different languages. The emotional polarity of such words can be displayed in the cognitive scheme of the "LINE", where each word occupies a certain point reflecting the degree of its emotional coloring. This allows you to measure not only the basic meaning of words, but also their figurative, metaphorical meaning.

Comparing words with the meaning of "taste" with their emotional coloring shows how the metaphorical use of taste categories can convey emotional nuances in different languages. In Russian, Chinese, and English, there are significant similarities in cognitive schemas for the words "sour" and "sweet", which are often associated with opposite emotions and are located at different ends of the cognitive schema "LINE". However, in relation to the words "bitter" and "acute", there are differences in emotional perception. In English, both of these words most often have a negative meaning. In Russian, the word "bitter" is mainly associated with negative emotions, whereas "acute" can be perceived both in a positive and negative way. In Chinese, both "bitter" and "pungent" can have both positive and negative meanings, reflecting a wider range of emotional associations.

The connection between the location of taste words in an emotional-figurative scheme and their figurative meaning helps to identify how different cultures influence the figurative meaning of taste vocabulary. This opens up opportunities for analyzing cultural characteristics in the interpretation and use of these words.

However, the study has its limitations. For a more complete understanding of cross-cultural differences, it is necessary to expand the number of languages studied and compare how taste words are placed in emotional-figurative schemes in these languages. Such a comparison will allow us to explore more deeply how language and culture interact in the communication process.