Conceptual Component, Figurative-metaphorical and Value Characteristics of the Concept FREEDOM/LIBERTY in the Ossetian and English Languages

Abstract

Freedom is a concept with an extremely complex structure. Most of its components are concepts themselves with their own complex hierarchical structure. The authors discusse the components of the concept of “freedom” in the Ossetian and English languages, establishes its main conceptual, figurative-metaphorical and value characteristics in both languages and the specific meanings in each of these linguistic cultures separately. In the context of intensive intercultural communication, a comparative analysis of global languages and languages of small peoples makes it possible to establish the universal and national features of linguistic pictures of the world and contributes to the dialogue of cultures. The aim of the study is to identify the universal and unique components of the concept of freedom , represented in the Ossetian and English-language sociopolitical discourse. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the definition of the essential features of the concept of freedom in the Ossetian language on the example of the South Ossetian discourse, in which freedom plays a fundamental role in the formation of statehood, in the mentality of the people. Moreover, the given concept was for the first time compared in Ossetian and English, which allowed the authors to highlight the peculiarities of national self-identity of the speakers of both languages. The research was conducted on the basis of printed and electronic media of the Republic of South Ossetia, English press (both British and American), as well as Ossetian and English Dictionaries. A significant part of the material comes from the official bulletins and news from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Ossetia, which is in Russian, Ossetian and English languages. The following research methods were used in the work: the method of conceptual analysis; method of contextual analysis; comparative method, the method of continuous sampling of material from the South Ossetian, British and American media. The results obtained indicate the similarity of a number of components of the concept of freedom in the minds of the American, British and Ossetian peoples, however, they emphasize that in the English language the concept of “freedom” has a binary character - the opposition of freedom - not freedom, while in the Ossetian linguistic culture, in addition to the main general meanings, saeribardzinad - freedom has a broader meaning and implies law, struggle, national freedom.