Lexical and symbolic representation of the image of modern Mordovia by the population of the republic

Introduction. The article presents the results of the analysis of the lexical and symbolic representation of the image of the Republic of Mordovia by the population of the region. Such study of the components of the ethno-cultural image of the Republic is based on the results of a sociological survey which was conducted for the first time. Materials and Methods. The research material was compiled from the data of the sociological survey “'Identification of brands of the Republic of Mordovia”, conducted in March - April 2022 among the residents of the Republic, as well as among the representatives of the target group, which included the employees of cultural institutions. The method of collecting information was an online survey (CAWI) carried out on the Google Forms platform. The cluster analysis by the k-means method was used to analyze the obtained data. Results and Discussion. Based on the cluster analysis, two groups of respondents were identified: those who perceive the region positively and those who evaluate it negatively. The reference points of the positive perception of the Republic were the lexemes friendly, own, hospitable, and the negative - poor. To define modern Mordovia, the respondents most often chose such evaluation lexemes as hospitable, friendly, own, conflict-free, cultural, sunny, open. The symbolic image of the region for the majority of the respondents is associated with the coat of arms of the region, the fox, the self-designation region 13, the birch and Mastorava, the goddess of the Earth. Conclusion. The results of the sociological survey revealed the predominance of positively colored lexemes of the respondentsʼ responses, which serve to characterize the region and its inhabitants. Mordovia is most often correlated with officially approved symbols of the territory and its self-designation, as well as with the images personifying such parameters of Mordovian mythology as fertility and the femininity.