Multilingualism in L.Tolstoy's novel “War and peace”

The article deals with theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of multilingualism in L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”. The difference between multilingualism and related phenomena is explained. It is shown how elements of different semiotic systems, namely, verbal and non-verbal communication, interact within the framework of a literary text. The functioning of the forms of manifestation of multilingualism in L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is discussed. It is reported that forms of manifestation of multilingualism in L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” are foreign inclusions, elements of non-verbal communication. Based on the analysis of foreign inclusions, conclusions are drawn about the most common types of code switching. It is supposed that contaminated foreign inclusions are a means of a personage’s characteristic. Using an example of a facial expression description, elements of nonverbal communication are analyzed. It is reported that facial expression plays an extremely important role in L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”. The examples show that the verbal representations of facial expressions allow us describing a wide range of diverse emotional states. It is found that verbal representations of facial expressions are used to accompany or replace speech.