THE CONCEPTOSPHERE OF COUNTRY HOUSE IN ENGLISH LINGUOCULTURE
THE CONCEPTOSPHERE OF COUNTRY HOUSE IN ENGLISH LINGUOCULTURE
Abstract
The concept "COUNTRY HOUSE" expresses the characteristics of life associated with village, agriculture, nature and solitude. The study of this concept may help to understand its cultural heritage, changes in its perception and use over time, as well as the impact on modern public views on comfort and home organization. By means of lexicographic analysis, content analysis, comparative analysis we concluded the following:
1) to represent the country houses of the aristocracy in English linguistic culture, it is customary to use the lexeme country house;
2) the semantics of this lexical unit shows the functions, history, and social meaning of country house, and estates;
3) in-depth analysis shows also that in English linguistic culture, country house has a connection with the superconcepts HOME/HOUSE, which is associated with the concept of privacy, isolation, and also reflects a connection with nature.
1. Introduction
The conceptual approach to the study of language structures as a source of information about the mental essence of a particular people is of particular importance at the present time.
This study was conducted within the framework of the linguocultural direction of concept analysis, which involves the study and description of the relationship between culture, language and the mentality of its speakers . Within the framework of the chosen approach, three main components of the concept are traditionally distinguished: conceptual, figurative, value-based , , , which we will consider in the context of the concept under study.
Country houses and estates have played and continue to play a significant role in representing Englishness. Country houses are a reflection of the architectural achievements of their era, socio-cultural norms and values of society, the specifics of social and gender stratification, and the class structure of society.
In this regard, it seems interesting to consider the language concepts that name one or another type of country house and trace how they reflect the historical, cultural, and social background of the bearers of the linguoculture.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the conceptual, figurative, and value-based components of the "COUNTRY HOUSE" concept in the context of English linguoculture.
The article is written on the basis of publications in periodicals on linguistics, history, cultural studies, political science, and literature. Dictionary entries were used to define some key categories. The main research methods were the following: lexicographic analysis, content analysis; comparative analysis of cultural and linguistic contexts.
2. Discussion
The concept of the COUNTRY HOUSE has deep roots, which begin in the so-called country-house novel back in the 18th century in the letter novels of S. Richardson, H. Fielding, F. Burney and further – to the "estate" memoirs of B. Jonson, A. Marvell, etc., and then in J. Austen "Mansfield Park" (1809)
.Since the 19th century, the noble house becomes not just a place of action, but "the quintessence of Englishness" and "the embodiment of the English love for <...> hierarchy" .
For many years, the estate remains a historical icon of English national identity
, a symbol of stability and inviolability against the backdrop of wars and crises, this is the image of the ideal family home .In the Edwardian era (1901–1910), in the novels of H.G. Wells “Tono-Bungay” (1909), E.M. Forster “Howards End” (1910) and others, the country house acts as a spiritual heritage left to descendants
.In the postmodern tradition, the country house is associated with the question of self-identification, finding not so much a home as oneself; decaying country house functions as a talisman of repressed trauma, aligning the setting with historical guilt
.The term country house in English culture was used to refer to “middling” country estates. The phenomenon of the country house in British culture was formed in the Victorian era. However, the first mentions of the country house are found earlier – in the Tudor era in England. Large houses belonging to feudal lords were the first residential buildings of this type, built without fortifications from external enemies . As many modern researchers note, Victorian English estates are distinguished by their bulkiness and give the impression of “a certain excess of volume of such living space”
. A country house acts as a symbol of high social status, a symbol of the wealth and ambitions of its owner, a reflection of his taste and upbringing .The COUNTRY HOUSE concept, along with the MANOR and STATELY HOUSE concepts, have become recognizable symbols of British culture and mentality – largely due to the interest of popular culture in past eras. As an example illustrating this thesis, we can cite the worldwide popular TV series "Brides Head Revisited", "Downton Abbey", films based on the novels of J. Austin, and other works of visual art, where country houses became the main location and social platform for interaction between characters.
2.1. The structure of the conceptosphere of COUNTRY HOUSE
If we proceed from the assumption that there are conceptospheres in the linguoculture that express the specifics of the country life of representatives of the nobility, we can conclude that the lexical and semantic core of this conceptosphere will be the concept of COUNTRY HOUSE.
According to the dictionary of synonyms, the closest, practically identical words to the concept of country house are the following: chalet, cottage, villa, manor, lodge, stately home, dwelling
. More distant synonyms for the word country house can be considered the lexemes hut, inn, shelter, gatehouse, home, hostelry, house, stopover, villa .The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines the concept of a country house as follows: "a large traditional house in the countryside, especially one that has belonged to the same family for many years"
. A more detailed definition is offered by the Oxford Dictionary: "a house in the country; esp. (in Britain) a large one with extensive grounds or surrounding land, typically the residence of wealthy people in Britain" . Power Thesaurus defines a country house as "a weekend and holiday residence, located outside of urban areas, used as a retreat from city life" .According to experts, the key features of the British mentality can be defined through three concepts: goodness, home and countryside
. It can be assumed that at least two of these three fundamental axiological attitudes are reflected in the concept COUNTRY HOUSE, which allows us to consider it very significant for British linguistic culture.In our opinion, the semantics and connotations of the concept COUNTRY HOUSE are associated, first of all, with the value-based attitude of the British to the house (superconcepts HОME and HOUSE) and the special love of the people for nature, gardening, rural life, tranquillity. The British have always appreciated the beauty of nature and sought to create a harmonious combination between architecture, landscape and gardening. The house, as we know, has always been the center of the universe for the Englishman. All these features, of course, are transferred to the concept of COUNTRY HOUSE. The superconcepts HOUSE/HOME, in the semantic spectrum of which the concept of COUNTRY HOUSE is included, also reflect the desire of the English to isolate themselves from the outside, foreign world, to maintain the necessary level of privacy (the Englishman’s home is his castle)
.In the English linguoculture there are lexemes that are opposed to the lexeme COUNTRY HOUSE according to the criterion of the class affiliation of the owners. Thus, in English there are the words hut, cottage – they also denote rural dwellings, but are associated with the peasant class
.It should also be noted that the concept of COUNTRY HOUSE carries the semantics of the dichotomy "village – city" and is associated only with village life
. At the same time, the English country house describes rural life as a life in solitude, like parks, gardens, but not as agricultural activity. Each of the lexemes representing the concept COUNTRY HOUSE can evoke a number of subjective ideas and associations in representatives of the linguoculture and can be used in phrases that have a direct and figurative meaning. Each of these uses specifies a separate area of meaning .3. Conclusion
The conducted research allows us to draw the following conclusions. To designate country houses of representatives of the aristocracy in English linguoculture, it is customary to use the lexeme country house. The semantics of this lexical unit is associated with its functions, history, and social meaning of the concept COUNTRY HOUSE. This concept reflects the specifics of noble life. In English culture, country houses are associated with wealth, status, and influence. In English linguoculture, the concept COUNTRY HOUSE is connected with the superconcepts HOME/HOUSE, is associated with the notions of privacy, isolation, and also reflects the connection with nature.