Aim. To analyze the role of cognitive text attractors within the process of text world constructing. To determine the role of the author and the reader in the process of text world creating. Methodology. The article discusses the process of constructing a text world by means of textual cognitive attractors. The author of the article defines the concept of a textual cognitive attractors, gives their classification and determines the role of a reader-addressee and a reader-recipient in the process of creating a text world. In the process of identifying author’s textual cognitive attractors the method of continuous sampling from a literary text was used, as well as the method of cognitive-hermeneutic analysis to identify "author's" nominees. An idea is put forward that some of the nominees included in the nominative field of the dominant concept can be considered as text attractors. Results. The study demostrates that text cognitive attractors are one of the key elements that determine the variability of the construction of textual worlds depending on the linguistic identity of the reader. Research implications. The results obtained can be used in subsequent studies within the framework of the text worlds theory and the theory of cognitive text attractors.

Aim of this article is to identify the significance of the category of information content for the integrity of a philosophical text in the development of algorithms for its adequate interpretation. Methodology. Using the structural-functional, descriptive, contextual methods and the method of segment analysis, the article comments on an excerpt from an academic philosophical text (in German and Russian versions) from the standpoint of one of its leading text-forming categories - the category of information. Results. The article proves that the established types of information (objective, subjective, semantic and aesthetic) should serve as the basis for modeling a philosophical text. Research implications consist in identifying various types of information in the original text and comparing the results obtained to the translated text, as well as in determining the author's subjective assessment in a philosophical work, the general intentionality of which, as a rule, is postulated as objective. The results of the study are of use both for German studies and the theory of language, and for the comparative study of languages, and are of interest to linguists, philologists, journalists, as well as philosophers involved in the generation of a philosophical text.

Aim. The purpose of this work is to describe the myth about miraculous healing as a culturally determined phenomenon, which is the fragment of the everyday picture of the world, and which fills in the gaps in the existing knowledge. Methodology. The definitions of the notions “myth” and “healing” are given. Linguistic theories of the study of myth are described. The connection between the notions “personality”, “story”, “miracle” and “word” is traced, which allows to explore the semantic meaning of the myth as “a miraculous personal story given in words”. In this study the cultural analysis, the descriptive-analytical method and the continuous sampling method are used. Results. The phenomenon of “miraculous” healing is shown in the structure of the internal picture of the disease from the semiotics point of view. It is noted that myths about miraculous healing acquire semantic and linguocultural significance. It is demonstrated that people tend to attach additional connotations to supernatural sociocultural phenomena (the phenomenon of “miraculous” healing is among them). It is concluded that the phenomenon of “miraculous” healing is based on the elements of everyday consciousness (medical narratives, religious beliefs, values of representatives of the linguocultural society), which is reflected in the typology of the myth about miraculous healing. Research implications. The research results contribute to the study of the phenomenon of “miraculous” healing as an axiogenic situation, represented in the medical myth and presupposing value-marked comprehension.

Aim. To consider and describe the features of idiomatic expressions in the speech of characters in the screen adaptations of A. Christie's novels, the correct understanding of which is necessary for the interpretation of various cultural associations and implications. Methodology. The material was collected by continuous sampling. Within the framework of the research, a descriptive method was employed, the techniques of observation, generalization and classification of empirical material were used alongside with the method of contextual analysis of empirical material. Results. We have studied a number of speech units of phraseological nature, which are not included in the fixed phraseological fund of the language. These speech elements are easily understood in a certain society, but lose their relevance over time, and present significant difficulties for the perception and interpretation of authentic film material. Research implications. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the fact that for the first time it interprets a wide range of idiomatic means of expression, presented simultaneously from the viewpoints of reproducing and perceiving linguistic personalities. Such means of language are designated by our proposed term “phraseology of social stratum”. The practical results of the research can be used to create a set of exercises, comments and manuals for foreign language learners with the use of feature films.

Aim. The paper compares translations of Google and PROMT neural machine translation systems with translations obtained 5 years ago, when statistical machine translation and rule-based machine translation algorithms were used, respectively, as the main translation algorithms of these systems (see Bulletin of Moscow Region State University. Series: Linguistics. 2016. no. 4. pp. 174-182). Methodology. Use is made of such modern metrics for automatic quality evaluation of machine translation as BLEU, F-measure and TER to compare the quality of translations of modern neural machine translation systems using the example of Google and PROMPT online systems. Results. The evaluation of the translation quality of candidate texts generated by Google and PROMT in comparison with the reference translation using an automatic translation evaluation program reveals significant qualitative changes as compared with the results obtained 5 years ago, which indicates a dramatic improvement in the work of the above-mentioned online translation systems. Research implications. The described three methods for evaluating the quality of machine translation allow one to analyze several automatic methods for evaluating machine translation quality, i.e. methods based on string matching and n-gram models. Ways to improve the quality of machine translation are discussed. It is shown that modern systems of automatic translation quality evaluation allow errors made by machine translation systems to be identified and systematized, which will make it possible to improve the quality of translation by these systems in the future.

Aim. The objective of the study is to analyze the process of structuring the sense system of English discourse as a multimodal unity based on the usage of the integrative functional methodology. Methodology. The article describes transformation of meanings into discursive sense under the influence of pragmatic and extralinguistic factors. It also studies ways of representing non-verbal means that affect meanings and sense formation and influence the result of communication. The main methods used in the research are the method of functional shift and discourse analysis. Results. The study systematizes the ideas about integration of different angles of functional analysis (semantic, pragmatic, and cognitive) and adequate interpretation of multimodality of the English discourse sense space. Research implications. The integrative analytical approach contributes to a deeper understanding of the starting point for meanings and sense formation, the reasons for discourse sense shifts, and ways of representing the extralinguistic background of communication in discourse.

Aim. The research is an attempt to identify knowledge of various types and peculiarities and features of the interpretive nature of the lexical category “speech influence” on the material of the Russian and English languages. Methodology. The systematization of the empirical base was conducted by the descriptive method; the method of conceptual and categorical analysis was applied within a cognitive approach, which allows us to consider the conceptual basis, structure and principles of the language category formation, precisely, the lexical category “speech influence”; in order to identify common and distinctive features in Russian and English, comparative analysis was conducted. Results. An evaluative language model of knowledge “speech influence” is developed on the base of the evaluation “good / bad”. The basis for the model formation was the principle of evaluative categorization, characterized by an interpretive and anthropocentric orientation. It is proved that the lexical category “speech influence” possesses the interpretive nature of lexical units based on the material of the two languages. Research implications. The main results of the research contribute to the further improvement of the theory of linguistic interpretation and modeling of the lexical language system, and can also be useful in practical study in general and comparative lexicology.

Aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis of the tendency of simplification at the lexical and syntactic levels in the translation of children's literature from Chinese into Russian. Methodology. The author examines the trend of simplification of the translated text in four aspects: lexical diversity, lexical density, average length of sentences and logical relations with the help of quantitative, qualitative and comparative analysis. Results. The obtained results clearly indicate that the translated into Russian version of “Bronze and Sunflower” embodies comparable and interlingual simplification. The second finding is that in the translation process, the most commonly used methods for simplifying are the omission of repetitive information, interpretation of cultural information and the replacement of long sentences with short ones. Research implications. The research results contribute to improving the quality of translation through the use of the corpus approach to solving traditional translation problems.

Aim. The article is aimed at substantiating the methods of highlighting semantic blocks in the original text and the possibility of using them as a basis and tool for investigation the texts of translations. Methodology. The main stages of work with texts to identify cognitive-pragmatic, structural-semantic and ideological-aesthetic features of the artwork and their translations are indicated in the article. The subdivision of translations in accordance with the semantic blocks of the original text is produced, moreover the special features of their interpretation by each translator are dedicated. Contextual, conceptual-representative, comparative, stylistic and linguo-cultural methods are used here. Results. The excretion of semantic blocks is demonstrated on the material of the story by O. Henry “The Cop and the Anthem”. On the basis of a set of features, 9 semantic blocks were revealed; the participation of each of them in the representation of two conceptual spheres marked with title keywords is established; their place and role in the text are determined. Specific features inherent in semantic blocks are described; the general and various features of the first and eighth semantic blocks, a single scheme of the structure of the six event structures together with the specificity of the ninth one is discussed. On the basis of individual options, the methods of semantic blocks comparison are confirmed, the features of their interpretation by different translators are identified. Research implications. In the conclusion, the development of ways to compare the original texts and their translations through their structuring is seen in account of linguo-cognitive principles and speech-thinking processes. The presented materials can be useful in the teaching practice.

Aim. The paper focuses on rendering of the key lexical items of animal similes in the 19th century French translations of Mikhail Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of our time” which enjoyed considerable popularity at the time and significantly influenced the development of Russian literature. Methodology. An empirical corpus built for this research contains five French translations of the novel made by: A. A. Stolypin (1843), J.-M. Chopin (1853), E. Scheffter (1855), X. Marmier (1856), A. de Villamarie (1884). The main source of original text is Academic Edition of Lermontov’s Works issued in 1954-1957. A comparative semantic and functional approach forms the framework for this descriptive study. The reverse translation serves for a more detailed and contrasted illustration of the collected data. Results. The analysis reveals the principal features of interpretation of the key lexical items of animalistic similes in the five translations of Lermontov’s novel and demonstrates some factors likely to influence the translator’s choice of lexical equivalent. Research implications. This research helps to systematize the animalistic similes which are present in the Russian text and its French translations. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of retrospective approach for a complex study of translator’s individual style.

Aim of this research is to define ellipsis as one of the main means of implementing linguistic economy, to analyze its types in French oral media discourse and the cases of ellipsis which contradict the language norm. Methodology. The article outlines theories related to the problems of ellipsis and considers the examples of its implementation in discourse. During the study, the methods of observation, generalization, and interpretation of results were used, and the method of continuous sampling was used for material selection. Results. In the research, the types of ellipsis, contributing to the implementation of economy in media discourse, were identified and some patterns of ellipsis of significant parts of speech were established. Research implications. The results obtained can be used in further studies of syntactic means of economy, and the conclusions can be used in theoretical and practical disciplines, such as theoretical grammar, stylistics, text analysis, etc.

Aim. To reveal the patterns of development of the functional properties of the item or in the early period of the French language history (XI-XVI centuries). Methodology. As a result of comparing the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the item оr based on the data of the Old and Middle French subcorpuses of the French National Corpus Frantext, taking into account the lexicographic description of the item and previous scientific research in the field of its functioning, as well as using the distributive, functional-semantic, logical-semantic and contextual analysis, the dynamics of the use of the polyfunctional item оr is revealed. Results. The syntagmatic conditions for the implementation of the item or as a conjunction, adverb or particle have been determined, and quantitative indicators of its use in the corresponding functions in the indicated periods have been established. Research implications. The author has ordered and clarified information about the functioning of the item or during the early development of the language using corpus research procedures. The results of the study are significant for French romance and can be used in the theory and practice of teaching French at the bachelor's, master's and postgraduate levels in such discipline as history of the French language and theoretical grammar.