Intraspecific valence of existential values in Russian paremics

The article examines proverbs refl ecting the relationships between different existential values (good, time, life, will, happiness, luck, fate, youth) in Russian linguistic culture. The relevance of the research is determined by the scientifi c value of exploring the specifi cs of ethnic axiosphere and its structural and semantic features. The theoretical signifi cance of the work lies in the development of the concept of axiological valence, which is understood as the ability of lexemes naming specifi c values to enter into semantic and syntactic relations with other axiolexemes in statements. The signifi cance of each particular value in linguoculture is determined both by the number of precedent units that include the corresponding axiological lexeme and by the number and variety of its associative-verbal links. The research fi ndings prove that the axiological space of existential values refl ects the deep attitudes of Russian linguistic culture, and that the majority of existential axiolexemes have wide valence, combining with each other via relations of similarity, likeness, difference, and contrast, as well as paradoxical and causal links.