The problem of the linguistic integration impact on a country's cultural identity

Статья принята к публикации: 28.04.2023.

The problem of the linguistic integration impact on a country's cultural identity.

In recent years it has become evident that world civilization is evolving towards greater interconnection and interdependence within countries, peoples and cultures. This process involves all aspects of life in all countries of the world. The modern socio-cultural situation is characterized by a rapid growth of cultural exchanges and direct contacts between countries. The process of unification of cultures evokes different reactions from the desire to preserve identity to the permeability of one's own cultural boundaries. As might be said about the contemporary cultural space, it is being structured on the basis of intercultural links. New conditions are also affecting perceptions of identity in culture.

We are seeing a new type of personality emerge. It is characterized by sensitivity to the new realities of modernity, social demands, an adequate response to social influence and the ability to shape it. It is not only about multilingualism, but knowledge and understanding of the differences between one's own and another's culture.

In various fields of activity, success is largely determined by the ability to adapt quickly to different sociocultural environments. People of the modern type are presented as typical bearers of their national culture and adapted to intercultural environments.

At the same time, the question of the significance and functions of language in the formation of a personality, which is formed on the basis of information and communication culture, is actualized. Also, the language is understood not only in an instrumental way and might be understood as a special world of personality, which it is immersed in. More than one language also means mastering a world filled with ethnic and cultural specificity. It is not difficult to master a language, but it is always effortless.

The serious issues of language adaptation have forced us to address the problem of the interconnections between the language, personality and culture. Hence, successful adaptation is already the task of the new system of education and upbringing of the individual. This content of education is called communicative because it expresses an understanding of contemporary social and cultural reality. Reason does not relate only to learning processes, but descends to ordinary communication - the manifestation of a complex individual and socio-cultural reality. Therefore, the changed perceptions of the position of the individual in modern culture are relevant to the problem of the role of language in the formation of a new type of personality and the formation of a new, communicative inherently cultural paradigm.

The study of the interconnection between the individual and the culture through the prism of language began as early as the last century. Initially, the focus was on culture (customs, rituals, ways of economic management, upbringing and family). Meanwhile, since the nineteenth century, society has been researched and studied. Since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the term "world pattern" was introduced into scientific discourse, which means the values, norms and principles of activity and thinking of a certain type of culture. In linguistics this pattern of the world manifests itself in sign and symbolic systems, the most important of which is the language itself. In exploring how in the human mind the activity of language "symbolic form" creates the world into a coherent picture of the world, researchers have been particularly interested. [1]

At the end of the twentieth century, language becomes the main object of study for humanists, from philosophers to anthropologists. The influence shifts from linguistic aspects to the study of socio-psycholog-ical and socio-cultural characteristics of communication.

The scientists supposed that language is one of the main features of human society in the 21st century. Science has proven this is undeniable and absolutely true. Linguistic process manifests itself in its roles. All the questions about the language are raised by various scientists from psychologists to linguists.

All language process parts have their own functional, which results from their uniqueness as an element of the framework. Their essence is described as one component of the structure. The entire linguistic process is part of another system, that is, of social phenomena. Everything cannot be limited to its linguistic function, but is to be a part of another system.

The practical application of language is a function of the linguistic system. It is its practical application that manifests itself in speech. The speech is the individual human output. It is because a person is a social being, and because it is possible for language

to be used to communicate with other people, which implies that the language functions are of a social nature.

Language presents the culture. It is a cultural looking glass. Thus, it reflects not only the reality surrounding the individual, but also public awareness of the society, its mentality in general, way of life, customs of social behavior, and all other aspects of the world's value system It reflects the worldview, the vision of the world. This feature of the sociocultural nature of language is also expressed in its expressive and constructive function. [5]

It should be noted that lingual formulation can consider aspects outside of communication (internal dialogue) while communication is possible within the language. In the social world, by value in the cultural space, the communicative part predominates as well as the communicative function.

The capacity of language has been found not only to express and communicate thought, but also to form it. This function is generally constructive.

For example, there couldn't exist any evolution of culture or society within the absence of thought: man ought to think and reflect on his personal activity. Language, as well as the idea of thinking, is a valuable instrument. When it comes to the relationship of language and thought, there is an association between man's ability to abstract or single out any qualities irrespective of specific object. A person states abstract principles by using a language.

It is clear and reasonable that to join the other country's culture, one must familiarize oneself with its tongue. Hence, the society's background expertise is expressed and reinforced in linguistic patterns, words, phrases, as well as verbal expressions. The existence of specific vernacular forms is evidence of the existence of baseline linguistic knowledge.

Basically, knowledge is derived from the compulsive feature of the language. They relate to general knowledge or to informational content available to everyone within a certain ethnolinguistic society. In interethnic communications, the principal barrier is the distinction of background information, which is typical for national cultures on the part of the communicants.

Participants in communication are to experience a kind of mutual social history, which should be interpreted as the social history of the individual, obtained in the context of his upbringing in a particular social group and linguistic community. It is what he does, his actions and reactions, the system of values of life perceptions or elaborated views on the current situation. In essence, it is all a person's background knowledge. Once background knowledge is in hidden mode, its reality is identified through the speaking of it. In other words, background knowledge is the socio-cultural background of communication. So, background knowledge is "self-evident", natural for communicators.

This knowledge has names that are linked to the national culture and is reflected in the nationally colored vocabulary. For example, in modern English today there is a word form, "gate". At least until 1972, the word Watergate was known as a nominal noun meaning "gate of the gateway", "the gate of the castle and town leading to the shore". The same hotel was named Watergate. At the end of the presidential election held in the United States in 1972, Watergate took on a grim new meaning. The word Watergate became the name of a major political scandal.

Other major frauds were uncovered similar to Watergate, and similar to the famous Watergate they were called Pizzagate, Russiagate, Partygate, etc. In the text of expressive and stylistic "gate" neologisms the necessary background knowledge must essentially be presented for without it the meaning of the new word is not fully understood. This knowledge is expressed in the vocabulary of the language. Not only words, but also norms of behavior, traditions and rituals might act as a form of a background knowledge fixation. [3]

Failure to understand and accept another culture can lead to one ignoring background knowledge. The function of language is to guide and shape the individual. As we know, culture is not only the process and products of material and spiritual production, but also the "principle of life" of an individual and society, a socially elaborated system of evaluation of human or social behavior. Perception of this part of culture, understanding of one's coexistence in it with other people takes place due to the directive function of language.

In fact, language is a reflection of people's world in their culture and language. The key role of language is to preserve the culture and pass it on from generation to generation. From this point of view, language

The problem of the linguistic integration impact on a country's cultural identity.

plays an essential, even determinant, part in shaping identity and national nature (national character), the ethnic society, the people, the nation.

The language appears to be the layer which by definition is nationally specific, it stores the system of values and public morals, feelings regarding both the world, individuals, or other ethnic groups. The proverbs, bywords and idioms most evidently depict the lifestyle, local geographical situation, historical background and traditional customs of a specified commonwealth, uniting local cultures into the global one. [5]

Essentially, the language reflects the culture of its people, its social structure and the human mentality. This layer is the most important tool for shaping the next generations in culture. It is an instrument of culture.

In more detail here it is essential to consider the relationship between linguistic and factual reality, language and culture as a whole. Cross-cultural problems are essential for the improvement of the modes and effectiveness of communication and of teaching foreign languages. Neglecting these issues would explain a great deal of the setbacks in educational activity.

As a rule, the path from reality to the word (through the concept) is usually complex, multi-step and zigzagging. By learning in a foreign language and assimilating a foreign, new world, one is simultaneously exploring an alien, unusual reality. [3] With a new foreign word, the learner transposes concepts from other worlds or cultures of the world into his/her consciousness. This is why learning foreign languages is accompanied by a kind of bifurcated personality.

The necessity of rearranging their familiar and natural pattern of the world in accordance with a foreign, unfamiliar model is one of the main problems of studying the foreign language. It is an implicit, unreasonable issue, which is often not even acknowledged by the participants of the educational process. For instance, one and the same notion or the same segment of reality may have varying linguistic forms of its presentation in each language, whether it's more or less complete. In the same linguistic system, a single word may have different semantic content, embracing diverse features of life. The dimensions of the elements of the mosaic depicting the world may differ in different languages. This is based on the amount of perceptual information that has been retrieved out of the individual's mind as part of the comprehension of the world by the individual.

As well as the ways of reflection, the formation of concepts is conditioned by the specific socio-cultural or natural features of the life of a given speech community. Linguistic thinking convergence appears in the perception of excess or inadequacy of the expression form given to the same notion in the comparison of the mother tongue of the foreign languages’ learner. [2]

It is essential to include the linguo-cultural worldview concept in the study of foreign languages. Actually, the native culture is as difficult to communicate interference as the native language. An individual learning a foreign language imbues the culture of the bearers of that foreign language and is subjected to the impact of the culture incorporated. The language learner imposes a secondary picture of the world of the mother tongue and the native culture. The second version of the world picture that emerges when learning foreign languages and culture is not so much the picture reflected by the language or culture.

The joint perception of primary and secondary worldviews is a complex psychological process that requires a certain abandonment of one's own self in order to adapt to the new world. With the help of a secondary worldview, the personality is reshaped. The diversity of languages reflects the diversity of the world, the new picture shows new facets and shadows old ones. [4]

The necessity for the most profound understanding of cross-lingual relevance and its pertinence for the optimization of intercultural dialogue and the improvement of foreign language teaching methodology is apparent. In the case of linguistic insufficiency, an ultimate instance is the lack of an equivalence for the language expressing a concept, often due to the fact that the concept itself does not exist. Such vocabulary is referred to as inequivalent terms, i.e. words with a content plan incomparable of any foreign-language lexical notions. In this case, the notions or entities of thought explained therein remain original and unique to the context of the language and the world.

Sometimes it is necessary for the language itself to adopt terms from other languages, alien linguistic environments, in order to reflect ideas in a different linguistic context. Words that can denote objects of national culture (balalaika-matryoshka; whisky and vodka) as well as economic or scientific terms (Bolshevik, perestroika, sputnik, nomenklatura).

When a person comes into contact with another culture, they develop a certain attitude towards it. It follows that perceptions depend on socio-cultural specificity and culture in general. For the most part, bearers of an unfamiliar culture are perceived as strangers. In this case, the concept can be linked to the bearers of certain cultures contacted intensively and meaningfully.

There are several stages in the process of cultural or linguistic reality adaptation.

• 1.    Intromission. This does not yet appear to be adaptation. That said, the less the new concept is related to the socio-cultural reality of the recipient of information, the more time it will take for the concept to adapt to the new environment. The gradual assimilation of new forms leads to stabilization.

• 2.    Adaptation. In the transition to the new stage, the scope of usage of the concept in relation to the new reality expands and at the same time different interpretations are observed in dictionaries. Bilinguals, the people who speak two or more languages, play a special role in the process of adapting to the new linguistic reality.

• 3.    Implantation. At this stage, the concepts fully conform to the norms of social and linguistic reality, taking advantage of opportunities for internal evolution. Historical contacts, bilingualism and innovation in certain spheres can be cited as reinforcing the new linguistic culture. The high status of the host culture is also essential. [5]

Nowadays, with today's intensive contacts, the factor of bilingualism plays a special role. The ideal bilingual will switch to another language as soon as the situation changes, but will not resort to changing languages within the same group. The linguistic situation dictates the language, the social status of the language determines the choice of language. English became an international language due to the emergence and development of industrial society, for which the formation of a common economic space was a determining factor.

Bilingualism as an element of the contemporary social situation is characterized by the following:

• -    The manifestation of communicative relevance;

• -    Emotional impact when subconsciously a person is attached to language to assimilate iconic behaviors;

• -    The function of promotion in society. Bilingual compared to monolingual person tends to have a higher social status. As a rule, the success in society shows its dependency on language skills adequate to the current language case.

• -    Bilingualism also has deep cultural origin, especially when obtaining a language equals embracing the masterpieces of the greatest cultural masterpieces.

Basically, bilingualism becomes a symbol of culture. This is because society, for the most part, determines the order of language acquisition, age and degree of language proficiency. Culture can be defined as defining a particular way of behaving, which may also include a preference for certain types of personality.

At the same time, contact between cultures leads to a diffusion of elements of the material and spiritual spheres. This, in turn, causes anxiety or even resistance to diffusion processes.

Meanwhile, linguistic changes are reflected in the changing conditions of society. Major communicative systems are the source of change and development. The dynamics of the processes are ensured by the fact that among the diffusion participants there are languages that have a clear prospect of further development. The languages that have been relegated to a narrower sphere of application (for example, Latin as a means of communication in the Middle Ages of European history was a highly specialized language of communication for humanities scholars, specialists in medieval studies) play a communicative role. The main process is the borrowing of linguistic including its extra-linguistic elements. Linguistic borrowing is about appropriation in some measure. At the same time, the borrowed element never returns to the original system. [9]

The problem of the linguistic integration impact on a country's cultural identity.

Thus, bilingualism can be defined as a communication bridge between two multilingual collectives due to a societal need for economic, political and cultural interaction.

Today's bilingualism is one of the most striking characteristics of the socio-cultural situation and implies a transition to a new level of relationship - the emergence of a language of universal communication. The notion of universal language is multidimensional, including the creation and adoption of a universal set of rules (or cultural code) and language construction.

Today, as in the past, English is a strong contender for the role of 'universal language'. For this reason, not only the geopolitical situation but also the structural simplicity of modern English has a direct impact on the speed of its acquisition. However, it is not possible to achieve total bilingualism everywhere with the potential to erase intercultural boundaries without overcoming the cultural barrier.

When it comes to the cultural barrier in general, it is much more hazardous and troublesome than the linguistic barrier. For this reason, mistakes in the cultural sphere tend to be much more hurtful than those in the linguistic field. As a rule, grammatical and lexical mistakes are perceived with a certain degree of leniency, cultural mistakes are not forgiven so easily and make the most negative impression.

Furthermore, all the nuances and profundity of the inter-lingual communication issue are particularly obvious once one considers the foreign languages in comparison with their native languages or international cultures in comparison to the native, accustomed kind.

However, the widespread learning of a foreign language and the less widespread learning of the culture of a language may have certain implications for the culture of one's own country. Assimilation takes place in the language; culture is secondary here.

So, when studying a new foreign equivalent of a native word, one has to be extremely cautious in its use: the word is followed by a conception, the conception stands for an item or world reality occurrence, and it is the other country's world, foreign, extraneous, alien. Consider the use of vocabulary: precisely when it comes to the generation of language (speaking, writing) and also when it comes to the implementation of proactive linguistic skills (speaking and writing) there is a particular challenge of dealing with cultural obstacles or cultural background awareness of the target language's world.

It is indeed necessary to know the meaning of a certain language not only in a text produced by others, but in order to write that text oneself. Which means that it is essential to understand almost as far as one can about each word or its role and purpose within the world where the spoken language is actually used as a communication resource. [10]

The process of borrowing from foreign languages, mainly English, is ongoing. Against the backdrop of its scale and the degree of concern of public opinion, as well as the danger to the Russian language and Russian culture, this trend should be the first to be questioned.

Russia's discovery of the world back in 90s was accompanied by an avalanche of foreign words, almost exclusively English. They have entered our language and our lives along with the realities of Western life (sometimes before them), the business connections, computers or the Internet, movies, songs and music for video productions.

This effect could be the cause of the infiltration of slang, vulgarity and swear words into speech. Specifically, this tendency is consistent to the post-1917 transformation of the Russian language. During those times, crude and profane language on the street functioned to affirm the proper, "revolutionary" identity of the class, whereas the correct literature version delivered up to the " corrupt intellectuals" with "the bloody ruling class".

The flood of slang, abusive language and nastiness that fills newspapers, TV shows and the Internet today has become increasingly complicated to interpret. However, it is undoubtedly seen as a reaction to the socio-cultural shifts in Russia. Yet a misunderstanding of freedom in general, and freedom of speech in particular, could be an explanation. It also might be explained by the idea of the Internet globalization processes and its yet anonymous nature.

At the same time, scientific and technological progress and the efforts of an intelligent and peace-loving part of humanity are using the Internet as a tool for opening up ever new possibilities, types and forms of communication. The main condition for the effectiveness of such

communications is mutual understanding in a dialogue of cultures with communication partners.

Appealing to cultural contexts means rejecting the origins, cultural and social reasons for the emergence of words. The use of such meaningless, i.e. alien words leads to the abandonment of the original integrity, the system of values, i.e. that core of ethnicity.

The word is usually cited as a virtue of precision: the freedom of the word from evaluative value purportedly removes the emotional content of the definition. Probably, the word understood by all in the same way is an important cultural attribute of a society with a rational basis. It is a civil society and it seeks to present itself to the outside world, to show the readiness of the society for globalization (universal integration), including the adoption of a "common language" of its culture.

This premise underlies the creation of artificial languages of science. If in consciousness of the Russian person the words ‘stockbroker’ or ‘killer’ sound, they rely exactly on these words in the attitude to the phenomena designated by the verbal notion. Nevertheless, if he is told "cringe", "margin" or "siesta", they perceive only very scanty and senseless meaning. The meaning will be perceived passively, indifferently.

Thus, the essence of linguo-cultural studies is to study the changes that take place within the concept of "language is primary, culture is secondary". Therefore, in this case, language, with all the richness of its embedded meanings, should be seen as an archetype of discourse. This archetype is constantly reproduced by a particular society.

Any social discourse as a set of superstructure mechanisms that shape the vision of reality and through this reality itself. At its core is a linguistic potential, all dependent on the social characteristics of its possessor.

Language policy takes different forms in different countries. Some countries have strong national tendencies and the contamination of the mother tongue with foreign elements is considered anti-patriotic and persecuted. On the other hand, other countries are more tolerant in this regard. But in any case, the process of borrowing is an objective phenomenon that is constantly under the scrutiny of linguists.

It should be considered that states, in order to influence world politics, have to determine their position with regard to language: whether they consider it possible to open up the freedom to use English for their own communication or choose to support linguistic diversity.

In this sense, English is particularly interesting in terms of its extraordinary receptivity to foreign words. Over the centuries, English has absorbed a huge number of lexical units from a wide variety of languages, from Latin to Chinese. Today it is the most generous "donor", the main language of international communication.

Thus, English has become one of the contenders for the role of a "common language", a language broadly spoken in almost every country in the world. At the same time, as mentioned above, learning a foreign language might damage the integrity of a country's ethnic and national culture.

Presumably, a fundamental resolution on the issue of foreign language teaching as a medium of inter-cultural dialogue lies within the idea of a language being inseparable within its own world and within the culture of its speakers.

Teaching people to communicate (verbally and in writing), the practice of teaching them how to produce or understand a foreign language has been considered as a difficult one. The process of communication is not just a verbal process. Moreover, although the cognition of language is significant, its potency depends on many components: circumstances and culture in communicating, patterns of behavior, nonverbal elements and much more.

It is not enough to overcome the language barrier in order to communicate effectively between different cultures. It is followed by overcoming the cultural barrier.

Also, overcoming the cultural barrier when learning a foreign language will help prevent the widespread borrowing of foreign words. By understanding the language and explaining the culture of the country of the target language, there is an opportunity for structural analysis and comparison of national cultural features within two countries: the motherland and the country of a target language.

Therefore, by studying the culture of a foreignspeaking country, language learners might deepen their own culture, which allows them to form not only such important characteristics as patriotism, but also to preserve cultural uniqueness, leaving only those borrowings missing inside their own language or actually needed within

The problem of the linguistic integration impact on a country's cultural identity.

their own cultural traditions. This might lead to the enrich-   XXI centuries through language exchange between Rus- ment of Russia's cultural heritage at the turn of the XX-   sia and other countries of the world.