Man, world, word in the book by T. I. Vendina ‘anthropology of the dialect word’

The remarkable monograph by T. I. Vendina Anthropology of the Dialect Word is a new one to join the ranks of numerous well-known works in linguistics that deal with the issues of anthropology and cultural linguistics. This publication is a comprehensive study that can determine the development of Russian and foreign linguistics in the field of reflection of a person, his worldview through a word for the next several decades. The essence of the book is the search for answers to the question of how a folk word, a dialect word represents a person, his system of values, reflects the main philosophical categories, the world around him. The monograph consists of chapters each of which covers a particular problem selected by the author. Each chapter is an independent and complete study, both in terms of goals and objectives defined and in terms of the selection of material and its analysis. Among the undoubted advantages of the monograph is the development of special research methods, including a ‘substrate approach’ to the analysis of a dialect word, which makes it possible to refer to the internal form and meaning of the word, as well as to reveal the spiritual principle, ethnocultural imperatives that made this internal form relevant. The monograph is distinguished by a huge amount of factual material, a large number of illustrations and examples of dialect speech, numerous classifications and internal gradations that seem valuable in themselves. Finally, the reviewed study offers a number of theoretical propositions, formulates a large number of theses that constitute its theoretical novelty and significance. It is impossible not to agree with T. I. Vendina in that dialectal vocabulary is associated with the history and culture of the people, special ways of ethical rationalization of the world are manifested in this vocabulary, it illustrates the principle of sociocentrism of language, preserves the unique philosophical worldview.