У статті розглянуто особливості мовної репрезентації понять війни і миру в лексиці слов’янських мов. Через застосування ретроспективного підходу (від фактів сучасних мов до етимологічних реконструкцій первісних значень досліджуваних лексем) визначено основні моделі семантичних мотивацій у формуванні семантики війни і миру на матеріалі споріднених слов’янських мов. Виявлено роль перформативного компонента в семантиці досліджених концептів.
The article’s subject matter is specific features of linguistic representation
of the concepts of WAR and PEACE in the lexis of the Slavic languages. The semantics
of lexemes referring to social reality as well as physical and mental spheres belongs
to the basic dimensions of human existence. Social concepts present peculiar difficulties
for cognitive analysis since they combine features of both mental and physical reality.
The relationship between WAR and PEACE concepts, antonymous in many modern
languages, is not symmetrical: it is a privative opposition with «war» the unmarked
member. However, at the conceptual level the asymmetry of war and peace is different,
WAR being a civilizational concept and PEACE an axiological one referring to ideas
of positive values. Due to its positive significance, the notion of peace is extra sensitive
to ideological discourse influence.
In historical-typological description, the synchronous state is considered initial and
a projection of diachronic development. The authors use the retrospective approach,
proceeding from modern languages data to the etymological reconstruction of the original
meaning of Slavic lexemes denoting war and peace (Common Slavic *vojь, *ortь,
*mirъ,*pokoj etc.) They establish motivation models of the forming of semantics
of war («warrior», «pursui», «wild animal», «to strike») and peace («calm», «pleasant»)
in closely related languages, using examples of typological parallelism to demonstrate
the projection of their conceptual expansion and giving particular attention to crosslinguistic
variation in representation of these concepts.
Among the semantic typological parallels discovered by them, the most illustrative
and reliably evidenced as well as the most widespread and constant in time is the relation
of war and peace semantics to performatives. Being a set of events occurring in physical
space, war is intrinsically linked with verbal actions. Similarly, peace both as a physical and
social phenomenon comes into effect by using linguistic means. The role of performatives
merits further study in the framework of the semantics and pragmatics of the WAR and
PEACE concepts.
