What do we have in common; what makes us different? The stereotype of home/house in Polish, Serbian, and Russian

Abstract

The artricle compares the concept of home/house in Polish, Serbian, and Russian. It is a continuation of research carried out by the authors within the EUROJOS project and the volume on home/house of the Axiological Lexicon of Slavs and their Neighbours. The analysis aims to identify the common conceptual base, as well as the culture-specific aspects that distinguish each of the languacultures under scrutiny. The relevant cultural concepts in the three languacultures share a common base image but are distinguished through their culture-specific characteristics. That base is universal: rather than being limited to the Slavic context, it can be found in other languages, sometimes very distant ones. In Polish, Serbian, and Russian, home is above all viewed as a non-material, social, and functional value, as a community of people that share it, one that provides the sense of security and unconditional acceptance. Common features are also found in the network of relationships triggered by each cultural concept in question, such as the notion of family. The culture-specific content, in turn, derives from different historical and cultural conditions: those contribute to the peculiarities of the Polish patriotic manor, the Serbian Kosovo, or the Russian communal apartments. These specific cultural concepts reflect changes in the culture, mentality, and worldview in each languaculture.