Language and culture

2025/2026

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

6

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

School of Fundamental and Applied Linguistics

Course type:

Compulsory course

When:

2 year, 2, 3 module

Instructor

Gladkova, Anna

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Central to this course are the issues of universality and specificity in language. It introduces linguistic approaches which propose models of linguistic universality and specifics drawing on diverse linguistic data. The course discusses in detail how cultural knowledge and specificity is embedded at different linguistic levels – morphological, lexical, syntactical, structural and discourse. The approach of contrastive rhetoric helps to understand cultural specificity in text structures. The course develops deep analytical skills of linguistic and cultural analysis and has applications in diverse ways of linguistic analysis, language teaching and learning.

Learning Objectives

• After successfully completing this course, you will be able to • demonstrate understating of universality and specificity in linguistic structure • demonstrate understanding and ability to explain and apply concepts of semantic universals, semantic molecules, cultural scripts and Minimal Language • demonstrate ability to analyse cultural specificity in a selected language • apply corpus and data analysis techniques in cultural analysis • demonstrate ability to analyse and interpret texts from the point of view of their cultural specificity Doing this course will also help develop various so-called generic skills and attributes, especially your problem solving ability, analytical skills and cross-cultural perspective.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• - develop understanding about the existance of universal and language- and culture-specific elements in language
• - develop knowledge about semantic universals in language and their universal syntactic properties
• - applies the notion of cultural keywords, explains connections between cultural keywords and broader cultural themes and underdstandings
• applies semantic universals in the analysis of cultural keywords
• identifies cultural scripts in a language
• applies semantic universals when formulating cultural scripts
• applies Minimal Language based on semantic universals and semantic molecules to fomulate messages and ideas in language teaching, cross-cultural communication, or other areas
• understands cultural specificity of emotions
• identifies universal and culture-specific elements in emotions
• infers cultural information from conceptualisation of social relations and communication
• identifies cultural elements in text structures

Course Contents

• Universality and specificity in linguistic structures
• Cultural keywords
• Cultural scripts
• Minimal Language
• Emotions as cultural constructs
• Sociality (relations and attitudes)
• Cultural information at text level

Assessment Elements

• Посещение и учатие
  Посещение лекций и семинаров, выполнение заданий в рамках семинаров
• Проект
  презентация исследовательского проекта
• Творческий проект
  подготовить письменный проект по заданной теме
• Экзамен
  ответ на экзаменационные вопросы

Interim Assessment

• 2025/2026 3rd module
  0.3 * Посещение и учатие + 0.2 * Проект + 0.3 * Творческий проект + 0.2 * Экзамен

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• 9781462525386 - Lisa Feldman Barrett, Michael Lewis, Jeannette M. Haviland-Jones - Handbook of Emotions, 4th еd. - 2018 - Guilford Perss - http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1267129 - nlebk - 1267129
• Andy Kirkpatrick, & Zhichang Xu. (2012). Chinese Rhetoric and Writing : An Introduction for Language Teachers. [N.p.]: Parlor Press, LLC. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2103627
• Edelman, M. (1998). Language, Myths and Rhetoric. Society, 35(2), 131–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02838136
• Experience, evidence, and sence : the hidden cultural legacy of English, Wierzbicka, A., 2010
• Greco, M., & Stenner, P. (2013). Emotions : A Social Science Reader. Hoboken: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=658311
• Haspelmath, M. (2001). Language Typology and Language Universals / Sprachtypologie Und Sprachliche Universalien / La Typologie Des Langues Et Les Universaux Linguistiques. 2. Halbband. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=186405
• Wierzbicka, A. (2003). Cross-Cultural Pragmatics : The Semantics of Human Interaction (Vol. 2nd ed). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=390986
• Wierzbicka, A. (2015). A semantic basis for linguistic typology. Australia, Australia/Oceania: Languages of Russian Culture. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.E640DE7
• Wierzbicka, A. (2015). Russian cultural scripts: The theory of cultural scripts and its applications. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.12DC4E52
• Wierzbicka, A. (2015). Semantic Primes and Linguistic Typology. Australia, Australia/Oceania: John Benjamins Publishing Company. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.44EC524F
• Понимание культур через посредство ключевых слов, Вежбицкая, А., 2001
• Сопоставление культур через посредство лексики и прагматики, Вежбицкая, А., 2002

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Andersen, T. S., & Törnquist Plewa, B. (2016). Disputed Memory : Emotions and Memory Politics in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Berlin: De Gruyter. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1259582
• Boddice, R. (2018). The History of Emotions. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.D932805D
• Emotions as agents of social influence: insights from Emotions as Social Information (EASI) theory. (2017). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199859870.013.19
• Haber, R. J., & Lingard, L. A. (2001). Learning Oral Presentation Skills: A Rhetorical Analysis with Pedagogical and Professional Implications. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.E3B18106
• Illouz, E. (2018). Emotions As Commodities : Capitalism, Consumption and Authenticity. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1606502
• Jeff Good. (2008). Linguistic Universals and Language Change. OUP Oxford.
• Key words in religion, media and culture, , 2008
• Kopelman, S., & Rosette, A. S. (2008). Cultural variation in response to strategic emotions in negotiations. Group Decision & Negotiation, 17(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-007-9087-5
• Wink, K. A. (2016). Rhetorical Strategies for Composition : Cracking an Academic Code. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1149719
• Wortman, R. (2017). The Power of Language and Rhetoric in Russian Political History : Charismatic Words From the 18th to the 21st Centuries. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1602513
• Ларина, Т. В. Англичане и русские: Язык, культура, коммуникация / Т. В. Ларина. — Москва : Языки славянских культур, 2013. — 360 с. — ISBN 978-5-9551-0465-2. — Текст : электронный // Лань : электронно-библиотечная система. — URL: https://e.lanbook.com/book/137042 (дата обращения: 00.00.0000). — Режим доступа: для авториз. пользователей.

Authors

• Gladkova Anna Nikolaevna