HOME THROUGH THE EYES OF RUSSIANS AND ENGLISHMEN

Abstract

The article is devoted to analyzing the concept of HOME as cross-perceived by Russians and Englishmen. A linguistic analysis, phenomenological synthesis and complex description add to the integrity of the phenomenon in question. The author maintains that issues treated by linguists, culture specialists and narrow experts should be regarded jointly. Ordinary consciousness of both Russians and Englishmen abounds in mythologems and stereotypes. So, English people tend to consider that Russian towns team with wild bears, rambling haphazardly; or the locals have money to burn. Conversely, the Russian folk are of the opinion that England is somewhat a fairy domain under the control of charming princes. The conducted research contributes to a greater awareness of the current reality and the importance of the autochthonous and non-autochthonous phenomenon representations. The object of the study is the Russian and English living space of an average citizen or a rural man, most often it is a house, cottage or apartment. The subject is the way of perceiving “home” by the residents of Russia and England. The contrasting analysis of proverbs induces the premise that Russian mental image is bigger and incorporates additional connotations “domesticity” and “regular housekeeping”. While comparing the physical parameters of the Russian and English homes, sets of features for indigenous and non-aboriginal images have been established, as well as popular materials, dimensions, and design. The data are presented in tables. The article reveals that Russian and English people share warm attitude towards their homes, delicate handling of national traditions, and creating snug and cosy family nests. The unveiled common and specifc features show that Russians and Englishmen see eye to eye on the daily grind, which can promote better understanding between the cultures and contribute to eliminating disagreement on the world arena.

Keywords

• cultural values
• russian home
• english home
• local cultures
• indigenous image
• nonaboriginal image
• stereotype
• proverb