Cultural Code Units and Their Role in Formation of the National Cultural Space of the Indigenous Peoples of Russia: Based on Cosmonyms

Abstract

In modern linguistic science the study of nominative units is not limited to their consideration within the lexicological direction. Nowadays the research of secondary language nominations is becoming increasingly relevant as mental operations through which cognition, structuring and evaluation of knowledge about the world is carried out. Since cosmonyms can be correlated with similar units, then accordingly they have not only a certain cultural, value-semantic content and have a special type of connotative meaning, which is commonly called mythological, but they are also fully correlated with the units of cultural codes. In the paper, based on the consideration and comparison of numerous cosmonyms, as well as myths, legends and tales related to cosmonyms’ origin, which are recorded in the cultural traditions of the indigenous peoples of Russia. On the one hand an attempt was made to identify their national and cultural specifics and on the other to correlate these cosmonyms with the basic cultural codes, as well as to trace their connection with the deep layers of cultural space, which are correlated with the oldest human ideas about the world.