This article is devoted to the study of the so-called “Spanish theme” in Soviet porcelain. The author analyses the reflection of the stereotypical perception of Spain in small porcelain sculptures of the Soviet period produced by a variety of manufactures. Among the components of the Spanish theme, the author highlights the images of flamenco (Spanish dance), bullfighting, the most recognizable heroes of Cervantes (Don Quixote and Sancho Panza), and the fiery Carmen who was created by Prosper Mérimée and has become the stereotypical image of a nineteenth- century Spanish woman in the popular imagination thanks to the musical and dance pieces of the same name. These traditional components of the perception of Spain in the twentieth century were supplemented by the interpretation of a turning point in Spanish history – the Civil War of 1936–1939 – in propaganda porcelain. This article proposes another perspective on the Spanish theme in Soviet porcelain and considers the formation of the images of Spaniards, men and women. Such images are reflected in all the plots presented in this paper. Most of the sculptural works by different generations of Soviet porcelain masters are devoted to dance. The author concludes that dance scenes, including the ones that refer to Carmen, are fundamental for the Spanish theme in Soviet porcelain.

This article offers a project-based English lesson with university students, which is aimed at studying the way that stereotypes function in mass culture. Critical multiculturalism is currently gaining more and more attention among researchers. Its rise is reflected in English language study books, which stands in stark contrast with the inexhaustible popularity of stereotypes in popular culture. Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that stereotypes are viewed not only as clichéd images of ethnic and socio-cultural groups, but they also participate in categorizing the flow of incoming information and thus act as an essential tool of cognition. During the preparation for the project-based lesson, students studied and analysed the functioning of stereotypes in various samples of popular culture, including commercials and memes, and then presented the results of their research in class. With the help of the teacher, the students identified the following functions of stereotypes in popular culture: cognitive, persuasive, integrative, reflexive, entertaining (including sarcastic), therapeutic, and the function of compression. Further research may continue this list and describe the hierarchical relations between the functions.

This article is devoted to the life and various activities of the outstanding diplomat Prince Alexey B. Lobanov-Rostovsky (1824–1896). The name of Lobanov-Rostovsky was not mentioned in the academic literature until the first decade of the 21st century. Then Lobanov began to be remembered thanks to the efforts of his descendant Prince Nikita D. Lobanov-Rostovsky, who initiated a number of studies about the prominent diplomat. A fundamental monograph on Prince Lobanov-Rostovsky has now been prepared. His international activity as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary took place during some of the most difficult political periods of the time: in Constantinople (1859–1863 and 1878–1879), London (1879–1882) and Vienna (1882–1895). He always managed to solve the most pressing problems using skillful diplomatic tools. He was appointed Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs during the challenging period of restructuring of social and public institutions in Russia. It was the era of the so called Great Reforms of Emperor Alexander II. The position was offered to the Prince on account of his superior intellect, strategic foresight and tactical flexibility. During his 11 years in the post (1867–1878), Prince Lobanov-Rostovsky often performed the duties of a minister. During this time, the legal norms of the state and its relations with society significantly improved. In 1870, Alexey B. Lobanov-Rostovsky received the honorary position of State-Secretary of His Imperial Majesty, that is, the Emperor's personal speaker, a position he held until the end of his life. Both Emperor Alexander II and Nicholas II treated Lobanov-Rostovsky with a special warmth. Lobanov-Rostovsky managed to conclude the Russian-Turkish final Peace Treaty of 1879, which put an end to the war between the two countries. This agreement gave Russia significant moral and material results and marked the beginning of the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria, the first steps towards Bulgarian statehood. Lobanov-Rostovsky served as Foreign Minister for 18 months (1895–1896), during which time he brought Russia significant results on the world stage and was highly appreciated both in Russia and around the world. This article talks about the different sides of the prince’s extraordinary personality. A true polymath, proficient in the Russian antiquity, he became a bibliophile, collector, genealogist and historian. He wrote carefully considered commentaries on the historical documents he discovered, and for 14 years (1871–1885) he systematically published his work in history journals. This article examines memoir entries of Lobanov-Rostovsky’s contemporaries about the diplomat, as well as the latest research about him.

This article touches upon the problem of identifying and analysing speech manipulation in the texts of the German-speaking media. The media determines linguistic and cultural pictures of the world, so the analysis of media language will help to establish trends of influence on the cognitive consciousness of society. In today’s geopolitical environment, the basic functions of the media transform, as it uses specific techniques of speech manipulation to achieve informational and emotive effectiveness, allowing for the distortion of the cognitive perception of information by the audience. The material for this study was German-language media texts, selected by means of a total sampling and semantic-syntactic analysis. The relevance of the study lies in its linguistic and extralinguistic factors. The author states that in the conditions of information pollution all the participants of communication should be able to identify speech manipulation in a text, qualify information in terms of its significance or reliability, and to the risks of exposure to manipulative actions. Taking the peculiarities of speech manipulation methods used in the modern German-language media texts into account, the recipient must have sufficient interpretational competence to allow him or her to overcome the barriers that prevent the identification and mental comprehension of the means of speech manipulation in the texts of foreign-language publications. The main purpose of this study is to remove some difficulties in the perception of information in German-language media text by presenting signs of indirect pressure and speech manipulation in them. To this end, the article classifies the basic techniques of speech manipulation in terms of linguistic analysis, and also justifies the expediency of forming interpretative competence in the sphere of epistemic vigilance. We argue that this competence is effective when it comes to levelling the negative impact of the discourse of German-language media on the cognitive consciousness of the audience. 

. This article delves into the concept of sarcasm in confrontational American film discourse, examining its primary functions and characteristics. Specifically, the study focuses on how sarcastic statements are used in American television series to heighten emotional engagement and aesthetic appeal. The defining features of sarcasm, namely implicitness and double meaning, are also discussed. The analysis is conducted through a case study of the modern American drama series This Is Us, which highlights the key mechanisms utilized to achieve the pragmatic effect of sarcasm, including intonation, metaphors, and repetitions. Additionally, the article examines the work of translators, their professional challenges, and the methods and techniques employed to convey the semantic content of sarcastic messages in the target language. The findings suggest that translational means such as literal translation, ellipses, and equivalent translation are effective in transferring the intended sarcasm across languages. Overall, this study provides insight into the language techniques and translational strategies involved in the implementation of sarcasm in confrontational American film discourse. 

This paper offers an overview of an attempt to annotate a text in Japanese with the aim of pointing out all possible connections between elementary chunks of discourse, and the connective devices marking them. Being the first experience in Japanese, it asks for a certain adjustment of the annotation rules already used in the existing schools. This primarily touches upon what entities are connected and also upon the definition of a connective. Furthermore, semantic areas covered by connectives also need correction if reviewed through an in-depth analysis of the speaker’s intentions. The obstacles met while carrying out the annotation focus around two linguistic factors, as do the pervasive patterns revealed. On the one hand, the structural specifics of the Japanese language cause the speaker to forego multiple transformations that warp the surface structure in order to attain linear development of his or her line of discourse. On the other hand, the genre of the linguistic material (a lecture in tourism marketing) is largely accountable for dominating Causality and Discourse Deployment areas of connectives. It is through those that a higher level of pragmatic motivation is achieved in the explicit markers of the text structure – which turns out crucial in making the speech more persuasive.