Ageism-the potential of language and the linguistic representation of the image of old age in multi-system languages

The article is devoted to the reflection of the image of old age in the linguistic consciousness of Russians, Chinese and Albanians using examples extracted from folklore (fairy tales, proverbs, sayings) and modern media discourse, which record the peculiarities of mentality and folk traditions in relation to old age. For the first time, the authors introduce the term «ageism-the potential of language» to define ethnopsycholinguistic strategies inherent in a particular language in relation to age. The authors emphasize the existing stigmatization of the concept of «old age» existing in the Albanian and Russian worldviews due to the influence of Western stereotypes of ageism, while ignoring the experience of older generations, which destroys the integrity of the spiritual world of the ethnos. At the same time, the authors show the peculiarities of the cognitive confrontation between East and West in their attitude to the age generation, determining that the preservation of the continuity of generations and respect for old age, which is one of the bonds of vitality and stability of Eastern civilization.