Gender representations in associative meaning: The image of woman in Russian and Yakut language consciousnesses

Abstract

The study is focused on representations of the concept ‘woman’ existing in the language consciousnesses of representatives of the Russian and Yakut ethnic groups. The image of ‘woman’ was investigated by means of a free-associative experiment. The associative field, collected in the course of the experiment, is considered as the verbalization of language consciousness that reflects the image of the world, mediated by language. To identify the effect of the social environment as well as the role of native language in the preservation of traditional worldview elements, the associative experiment was conducted among Russians, Urban Yakuts (for whom Russian was the main or only language), and Rural Yakuts (who speak Yakut). The conclusions of our research are the following: the components of the associative meanings of the three experimental groups overlap due to commonalities in traditions and gender stereotypes existing in Russian and Yakut cultures. However, some responses of Rural Yakuts were specific for that group, showing that they preserved some elements of traditional perceptions of ‘woman’ in comparison with Urban Yakuts. Thus, we think that the usage of the ancestral language and the rural way of life contribute to the preservation and retention of traditional worldview elements.