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Issayev S.I.
L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian
National University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Muratov N.I.
Abai
Humanities College, Taraz, Kazakhstan
Theoretical studies of
the term “concept”
For several centuries, linguistics and its branches
have been investigated only on the basis of the structure of linguistics. Although
since the late 20th and early 21st, all the linguistic phenomena: the meaning
of certain concepts developed in the human mind, its functions, psychological
and cognitive researches in the process of learning the concept and its methods
began to be perceived by scientists through the knowledge of a person as a national
cognitive information that is transmitted from generation to generation.
After considering all
the results of the current study, the cognitive linguistics can be attributed
to the anthropocentric directions in the field of linguistics. One of the most important elements in the cognitive structure is a concept. Nowadays,
the term concept has caused much debate in linguistics and therefore it is
known that there were developed several scientific directions.
The theoretical bases of term “concept” in Russian linguistics are
widely discussed by D.S.Likhachev, N.D.Arutyunova,
V.A.Maslova, E.S.Kubryakova, A.N.Morohovsky, V.V.Kolesov, A.Ya.Gurevich, A.Vezhbitskaya. The content of concept, semantic
structure of linguistic sign, the sphere of concept and its structural types in
Kazakh linguistics are investigated and
developed by N.Uali, J.Mankeyeva, G.Smagulova,
K.Zhamanbayeva, A.Islam, G.Sagidolda,
E.Orazalyeva, B.Nurdauletova, G.Snasapova, M.Kyushtaeva, G.Zaysanbaeva,
K.Kyurkebaev, A.B.Amirbekova, A.J.Aytpaeva, A.K.Seyilhan, S.Zhapakov,
B.Akberdieva, B.Tyleuberdiyev, Sh.Nyatova, Sh.Elemesova, G.Imasheva,
Ph.Kozhahmetov.
And now dwell in detail at
the questions: what is the concept? What definitions are given in different
dictionaries? What are the different opinions among scientist - linguists?
There are various definitions of the term “concept”. Definitions given in different vocabularies:
1. "content of the notion; an idea, a notion" -
"Interpreting Explanatory Dictionary" by L.L.Nelyubin [1.320].
2. "A
connection; a collection system; a sentence etc." - "Latin-Russian
Dictionary" [1.222].
It
has the same definition in logics as in "Interpreting
Explanatory Dictionary". The term "concept" is basically
defined as linking notion between a word and its meaning in the works of
D.S.Likhachev, V.V.Kolesova.
The term ‘concept’ is given the following definition in “Brief
dictionary of cognitive terms” by E.S.Kubryakova, E.Z. Demyankova, Yu.G.Pankrac,
L.G. Luschina: “Concept - a term explaining such a thing as our mind, the
mind of man, his experience, as well as its function, which is to explain the unit
of psychological and mental resources; human memory,
mental vocabulary, language and conceptual system of the brain, a picture of
the world perceived by a human psyche” [2.290]. According to these authors the
most important concepts are encoded in the language. To create a conceptual
system one must be able to accurately predict whether a word to become all
encompassing term for many words. Only after that
the concepts can be a word to define,
clarify and modify many of the words.
It is mainly used international terms similar to
English and Latin words in the scope of works
to linguistics and logics, where the language is considered from a
logical point of view. The term "concept" means "a notion, an
idea, a general meaning" in the dictionary "English-Russian
Dictionary", in Latin the etymology of the word "conceptium"
means "an idea, a notion" in the dictionary "Dictionary of
foreign words." The development of the concept is determined and
specified as much as it possible.
According to V.V.Kolesov “Conceptus is a linking notion and a word combining
all the unclear syncretic signs”.
The definition by D.S.Likhachev “Concepts are created in the human mind
as a reference for a certain meaning and as a
poetic, sociological, prosaic, scientific, historic instructor to the
language experience of humanity» [3.6].
"Concept - a unit of collective knowledge (consciousness goes to
the highest spiritual values), which has marked the language expression and
ethno-cultural characteristics", as S.G.Vorkachev shows this term
encompasses the knowledge based on many years experience of a nation [4.48].
According to V.A.Maslova: "There are three basic methods in
modern linguistic literature to understand what is the concept: concept —
«a synonym of meaning, a content of notion”; the first method (representative -
Yu.S.Stepanov), in consideration of the concept a lot of attention is paid to the
cultural aspect, the collection of all cultural concepts are understood as a
linker among them. And so, concept is a nest of culture in the mental world of
human [ 5.225].
The earliest works devoted to the concept consider the term as a
cultural, spiritual and cognitive notion. According to A.V.Vezhbitskaya:
concept — object of an ideal world, knowledge of the picture, which is visible
only through the subject's worldview. If A.V.Vezhbitskaya writes:
"Language conceptualization is varied in different cultures ... The
language reflects what is happening in the mind, not in the brain, our
consciousness is formed, in particular, under the influence of the surrounding
culture. Conceptual universals do exist, but I think they can be detected only
through a conceptual analysis based on data from many languages of the world
... " [6.239],
according to M.V.Nikitin "concept is a perceived knowledge by means of
signs. [7.224]"
And so, the concept – a coded cultural and cognitive mark (sign) in the
mind of community. To identify the cognitive basis of a national cultural
concept is as much important as the linguacultural and linguacognitive
features. In general, there can be a system of concepts for all mankind, and
for a separate nation (even for the individual according to his consciousness).
Every society, every nation, every linguistic identity perceives the picture of the world according to its
national features, an individual psyche, and of course according to the degree
of cultural worldview. When a person fully understands and is permeated by the truth and the meaning of the picture
of the world in cognitive aspect, only then manifests all the power and strength
of the concept. It comes to the aid. To understand
and solve current issues of the concept requires a great deal of knowledge.
In conclusion, the
reason for the lack of a single definition of the term concept is its multicriteria structure. Because the concept is connected not
only with the language and personality, but also its
culture, emotions, world view, national figures, different connotations as well.
References:
1. Nelyubin L.L. Tolqovyi perevodovedcheskiy
slovar. M., Flinta: Nauka, 2003. – B.320., 222
2. Stepanov Y.S. Konstanty. Slovar russkoy kultury. M., Akademicheskiy proekt. 2001. –
B.290
3. Likhachev
D.S. Kultura qaq tselostnaya dynamicheskaya systema // Vestnik RAN, 1994
4. Vorkachev S.G. Koncept «schastya»: ponyatiynyi i obraznyi komponenty // «Izvestiya», 2001,
B. 48
5. Maslova V.A.
Kognitivnaya lingvistika. Minsk. 2004. –
B.225
6. Vezhbitskaya A.V. Iyazik. Kultura. Poznaniye. M., Russkyie slovary,
1196. B.239
7. Nikitin M.V. Leksicheskoye znacheniye v
slove i slovosochetaniyi. Vladimir, VPI, 1974, B.224