This article is devoted to the problem of developing communicative competencies to create an emotional atmosphere of communication with Japanese people based on an understanding of mentality and socio-psychological intelligence that corresponds to specific goals and situations. The purpose of the article is to systematize the intra-communicative features of communication in Japanese society, the consideration and study of which are important from the point of view of regulating intercommunication at the intercultural level. The novelty of the study lies in determining the influence of the emotional and psychological aspects of the extralinguistic component of communicative competence on the overall effectiveness of business communication with Japanese people. Changes in the socio-economic situation inside and outside Japan have a direct impact on the transformation of the system of relationships between Japanese people and representatives of other cultures, which is reflected in the linguistic sphere. The relevance of the material lies in the need to expand the knowledge base in the field of the Japanese language and culture (hard skill) through the ability to build adequate relationships in dialogue with a partner (soft skills), based on an understanding of the peculiarities of his or her mentality and making it possible to increase the effectiveness of contacts with representatives of the Japanese side. When working on the article, general scientific methods were used − analysis and synthesis of scientific and educational literature, as well as media resources on this topic; and synthesis and classification of the results obtained. The main objectives of the article were to highlight the emotional and psychological components of extralinguistic competence that influence positive communication with Japanese people; determine which factors may be regarded negatively and slow down the communication process; find out what Japanese people understand by communicative distancing and how important it is to observe it in Japanese society. As a result of working with the material, the main emotional and psychological fields of interaction during intra-communicative communication of the Japanese were identified and analysed, and conclusions were drawn about the spread of these fields in the conditions of a changing socio-economic situation to the inter-communicative sphere. The article concludes that for effective communication in Japanese, in addition to language skills, speech skills, and knowledge of cultural traditions, it is necessary to take into account the features of emotional and psychological concepts that influence the creation of positive intentions for dialogue: 共感 stimulating communication, 違和感 making communication difficult, 距離 感 amenable to regulation for communicative purposes. The results and conclusions of this paper can be used as part of a classroom course, specifically, in the development of situation exercises and role-playing games based on textbooks and teaching aids on oral communication in Japanese.

English translation from the Russian text: Razdorskaya N. V. 2024. Emotional and psychological aspect of cross-cultural communication with the Japanese. Linguistics & Polyglot Studies. 10(2). P. 166–181. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24833/2410-24232024-2-39-166-181

Different theories of cross-cultural communication developed by researchers in the field of humanities including cultural anthropology, social psychology, cognitive science, etc., offer a variety of ways to classify national cultures. At the same time, many agree that there is a need to find clear and measurable fundamental parameters that underlie any national culture. This article substantiates the use of the parameter of “individualism versus collectivism,” which has already been tested in the framework of anthropology and philosophy of culture with regard to both Western and non-Western cultures, as an effective method of cultural comparison. In this paper, we aim to give an overview of various theories of cross-cultural interaction and their elements, examine where they overlap or diverge, look into the correlation between individualist/ collectivist value orientations and behaviour, and study how this parameter manifests itself in a number of cases. The study is based on philosophical, anthropological, and cultural psychological theories, including the theory of guilt and shame cultures by Ruth Benedict, the theory of self-presentation by Roy Baumeister and Debra Hutton, the theory of self-construal by Hazel Markus and Shinobu Kitayama, and the theory of cultural logics by Angela Leung and Dov Cohen. As empirical confirmation of the above theoretical approaches, this article provides real-life examples collected by the author. The relevant literature was subject to categorical analysis. Empirical data was collected and analysed using methods such as participant observation and discourse analysis. The comparative approach and hermeneutics techniques served as a general methodological prism. The study shows that, at least since the 1960s, specialists in the field of cultural studies have increasingly discovered limitations and inconsistencies in theories that previously claimed to be universal: many of the models which originated in the West do not adequately represent non-Western cultures. The study proves the workability of the parameter of individualism versus collectivism for the interpretation of behavioural inconsistencies between people of different cultures. This parameter is compatible with a wide range of frameworks and shows a clear correlation between behavioural characteristics in different cultures and allows us to interpret phenomena that were previously uninterpretable.

English translation from the Russian text: Khalil M. A. 2024. The Impact of the Parameter Individualism Versus Collectivism on the Formation of Behavioural Characteristics in People of Various National Cultures. Concept: Philosophy, Religion, Culture. 8(1). P. 71–90. (In Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.24833/2541-8831-2024-1-29-71-90

This article addresses the challenge of acquiring professional economic discourse among students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics. This type of institutional economic discourse is not merely a collection of terminological units, but a complex and evolving system that exhibits a broad spectrum of genre, stylistic, and pragmatic relevance. Discourse in the economic field represents the interconnections of knowledge, various language units, and their meanings. In an effort to comprehend and elucidate economic phenomena, its practitioners employ diverse forms through which economic concepts are transformed into knowledge within an educational context. The present study aims to identify effective methods for studying English language economic discourse for students who have chosen economics as their future career. The authors utilize examples of non-codified language units from economic discourse and compared online machine-translated examples with translations produced by learners as empirical material for this research. Translating economic texts from English to Russian, editing texts translated by online translators, summarizing in English, and engaging in follow-up discussions emerged as the most effective strategies for learners to establish themselves as agents of economic discourse. These techniques ensure the comprehensive establishment, maintenance, and advancement of discourse practices. The study employs observation and analysis, logical juxtaposition, and the component analysis method. The authors conclude that the aforementioned methods for acquiring economic discourse should be given priority. This approach significantly enhances the effectiveness of converting acquired knowledge into communicative practices, transforming the discourse of the economic sphere into a dynamic tool for recreating professional expertise, with a high level of involvement from potential discourse agents in the acquisition process.

English translation from the Russian text: Andreeva O.B., Pronina E.V. 2024. Mastering English Economic Discourse: Strategies for Russian-Speaking Economics Students. Professional Discourse & Communication. 6(2). P. 139–154. (In Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.24833/2687-0126-2024-6-2-139-154

Recent studies are revealing new aspects of courtroom discourse, examining the specifics of its production and applying novel analytical methods. Yet, despite their significance and complexity, the use of metadiscursive tools remains scarce. These tools offer substantial promise for analysing discursive practices, which increasingly seen not only as informative, but also interactive and impactful. The inherently interactive and persuasive nature of courtroom discourse underscores the need for metadiscourse as a potent analytical instrument. Such an instrument encompasses mechanisms for expressing attitudes towards the propositional content and for drawing the recipient into a dialogue with the speaker. This article addresses the metadiscursive dimension of defense speeches as a distinct genre within courtroom discourse. The study uses quantitative analysis on a corpus of Russian-language courtroom texts, innovatively applying metadiscursive analysis to identify linguistic elements that enhance the persuasiveness of defence speeches, with a focus on the technique of boosting. Throughout the study, five types of boosters were identified – markers of certainty, evidentiality, intensity, solidarity, and superiority – each serving one of five pragmatic functions: to show the speaker’s confidence in the truth of their assertions, to point to the credibility and reliability of the source, to amplify the emotional impact of the statement, to denote the upper bounds of a continuum, and to reference commonly known facts or shared experiences of events or situations. The study reveals that boosting at the lexical level is predominantly achieved through the use of evidential verbs and nouns, adverbs of measure, degree, and time, as well as superlative adjectives. Additionally, the frequent use of first-person plural pronouns was observed. The findings suggest that adept use of boosters in courtroom discourse is indicative of a lawyer’s pragmatic competence and is crucial for effective communication with the court and the jury.

English translation from the Russian text: Boginskaya O.A. 2024. Boosteri kak metadiskursivnoe sredstvo persuazivnosti v zashchititel'noi rechi. Diskurs professional'noi kommunikatsii. 6(1). P. 26-43. (In Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.24833/26870126-2024-6-1-26-43

The cognitive and pragmatic potential of derivational metaphorical nominations, actively used in Spanish media discourse, represent a relevant direction of Discursive and Cognitive research that requires scientific comprehension. This article is devoted to the study of the linguo-cognitive specificity of derivational metaphors that verbalize new meanings, name new realities and frequently function as nomination neologisms or occasionalisms. Derivational metaphors perform a pragmatic function, broadcasting an intentionally conditioned vision of the world in modern Spanish media discourse, and implement intentional and evaluative discourse pragmatics. The objective of this study is to consider the morphosemantics of derivational metaphors and analyse the most frequent word-forming productive models of metaphorical nominations in Spanish media discourse. An integral methodological approach is used to the study of word-formation discursive metaphors, which combines contextual, semantic, interpretive and stylistic analysis, methodologically opening up the possibility of a systemic study of the linguo-pragmatics of derivative metaphorical nominations that function in Spanish media discourse. The most productive morphosemantic models of word formation for creating metaphorical concepts in the Spanish media space are affixation (prefixation and suffixation as well as their combination) and word compounding.The cognitive approach to the study of derivational metaphors through the prism of onomasiological theory allows us to interpret the process of word formation as a way of translating cognitive attitudes and meanings. The metaphorical meaning is generated by a derivational act. The morphological structure of a word change is not identical to the sum of the meanings of the derivational components involved in the creation of a new metaphor. In the discursive space, the associative potential of the basic meaning of affixes or root morphemes in compound words allows for a wide range of interpretations that vary the metaphorical rethinking of their semantics and integrate axiological evaluation. The discursive role of word-formation metaphors, which have an evaluative potential, lies in the implementation of the pragmatic function of updating meanings, aimed at influencing the consciousness and behaviour of the target audience.

English translation from the Russian text: Larionova M. V., Romanova G. S. 2024. Morphology and semantics of derivational metaphors in Spanish media discourse. Linguistics & Polyglot Studies. 10(1). P. 47–59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24833/24102423-2024-1-38-47-59

This article proposes an optimised starter’s set of basic Python and NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) methods that are essential to the analysis of massive textual corpora conducted as part of research investigating linguistic images of the world. The need to specify and detail these applied techniques stems from the nature and scope of the inexorable challenges confronted by contemporary cognitive linguistics and lexicology in the realm of unstructured big data analysis. Their viability and practical value are demonstrated in a series of illustrative examples where they are applied to the processing of continuous parallel diachronic corpora of Hansard that capture the discourse of both chambers of the British Parliament produced in the years 2006–2023 and jointly amounting to over a third of a billion tokens. The article suggests that the methods it outlines and classifies can be seen as forming an indispensable minimum of IT competences that is capable of delivering a substantial boost to the level of research both as regards its overall quality and its competitive edge. The proposed toolkit includes an essential set of instruments for target vocabulary processing as well as for the assessment and visualization of word and phrase frequency and collocation. The author presumes that, urged by the need to keep abreast of prevailing trends, the contemporary Russian researcher of linguistic images of the world is highly likely to find themselves compelled at some point to embrace the quantitative analysis methods made possible by combining Python and NLTK. As part of its substantial and varied range of benefits, the latter would arguably help them design and customize research protocols, adapting them with ease and versatility. Lastly and most importantly, the author suggests that Python and NLTK skills may serve as a comfortable gateway towards eventually upgrading one’s linguistic research to cutting-edge global standards of technological sophistication and marketability.

English translation from the Russian text: Gagarin S. N. 2024. Getting a handle on a Hansard with Python and NLTK, or how to tame the linguistic picture of British politics with NLP. Linguistics & Polyglot Studies. 10(2). P. 125–140. DOI: https:// doi.org/10.24833/2410-2423-2024-2-39-125-140