"Language Mosaic": key words in languages and cultures

On February 19th and 20th, 2026, the HSE Nizhny Novgorod hosted the "Language Mosaic" Festival. As part of the festival, students of the 2nd year of the Master's degree ALATA made presentations within the framework of the "Language and Culture" course under the guidance of Professor A.N. Gladkova.

In their presentations, the students talked about keywords in different languages and cultures. The following topics were presented:

• Elena Levina, "The cultural specificity of ahorita: how Mexicans avoid conflicts by delaying time";
• Anna Selezneva, "Dolce far niente: the Art of enjoying life in Italian";
• Okwarauba Kingsley Onyebuchi, "Cultural beliefs and traditional customs associated with ibeji (twins) among the Yoruba people of Nigeria."

Selezneva Anna

At the annual Language Mosaic festival, I made a presentation on the Italian expression "dolce far niente" - "sweet idleness". I've always been attracted to the idea that there are words in different languages that have a whole philosophy of life behind them, and I wanted to show how cultural attitudes towards time, rest, and oneself can be revealed through one expression.

In my research, I analyzed what meaning native speakers put into this expression and why "doing nothing" in Italian culture is not laziness, but an important and valuable part of life. It turned out that "dolce far niente" is associated with the ability to slow down, feel the moment and allow yourself to be out of constant productivity.

The performance itself was a very warm and inspiring experience for me. It was nice to see the lively interest of the audience, to share their work and to feel that the topic resonated with the listeners. It was especially valuable to become a part of the festival dedicated to languages and cultures, because it is at such moments that you understand most clearly why you are studying linguistics – in order to better understand people through their language.

The festival left a very positive impression and a desire to continue exploring such amazing words and share them with others.

Okwarauba Kingsley Onyebuchi

I presented a paper on the cultural beliefs and traditional practices surrounding Ibeji (twins) among the Yoruba people of Nigeria, exploring how this tradition serves as a rich intersection of language, spirituality, and identity. I worked on this topic as part of my course on Language and Culture, coordinated by Prof. Anna Nikolaevna Gladkova. While preparing the presentation, I immersed myself in ethnographic literature on the cultural practices of the Yoruba people. The research adopted the linguistic theory of Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM), developed by Anna Wierzbicka, to explicate the Yoruba twin names Taiwo and Kehinde using semantic primitives. The International Mother Language Day event was the perfect occasion to present this research, as it serves as both a medium and a reminder that languages are not just tools for communication but also living archives of people's deepest beliefs across different traditions and cultural practices around the world.

Levina Elena

As part of the annual Language Mosaic Festival, I attended a linguistic event where my colleagues, philologists and linguists, and I talked about our native language in the context of the memory of Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl. It was interesting to hear how nonresident students share the linguistic peculiarities of their regions. It reminded me that the Russian language is infinitely diverse and lives its own unique life in every corner of the country.

I especially remember the poem, which sounded in the Evenk language. The lines about the need to preserve this rare language touched me to the depths of my soul, because they felt a real pain for the disappearing cultural heritage.

In my own speech, I talked about how the whole Mexican worldview fits into one word ahorita, where harmony is more important than accuracy, and caring for another person is more important than any deadlines. We discussed how important the diminutives are in Mexican Spanish and how time flows differently there. We agreed that ahorita cannot be translated - you can only feel it.

Participating in this event was a great experience and a lively exchange of opinions. It's great when a conversation about language turns into a conversation about ourselves, our values, and our connection to the world.