Linguistic and cultural specifics of the semantics of the word "happiness" in the Russian and Armenian languages

Hovsepyan Siranush Postgraduate student; Faculty of Philology; P. Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 6 Miklukho-Maklaya str., Moscow, 117198, Russia siran.hovsepyan.97@mail.ru

Introduction

"Modern linguistic research is characterized by pronounced anthropocentricity, that is, it focuses on a person as a native speaker of language and culture" ^{[25, p. 1219]}. Thanks to the Soviet and Russian linguist V.N. Telia, linguoculturology has become an independent discipline. The 90s of the XX century are considered the beginning of the formation of linguoculturology. The interest of scientists and young researchers in this field of linguistics is increasing every year.

The methodological basis of the article is the theory of the semantic field (V.P. Abramov, V.N. Denisenko, J. Trier, Yu.N. Karaulov, V.V. Morkovkin, S.G. Shafikov, G.S. Shchur) and linguoculturology (V.V. Vorobyov, V.V. Krasnykh, V.A. Maslova, V.V. Oschepkova, I.A. Sternin, V.N. Teliya, N.L. Chulkina, V.M. Shaklein).

The theoretical basis of this work was Russian and Armenian dictionaries: N. Abramov ^[1], V.I.Dahl ^[8], M. Fasmer ^[20], E.B. Agayan ^[25], G.B. Jaukyan ^[28], A.A. Sekoyan ^[29], A.M. Sukiasyan ^[30], as well as publications by Russian and Armenian authors in which contrastive analysis of various concepts was carried out, for example, Ts. Wang ^[2], G. Wan, N.K. Shabelskaya ^[3], N.K. Gasparyan ^[6], R. Grdzelian ^[7], A.A. Nikoghosyan ^[13], N.V. Nosenko, M.A. Savina ^[14], G. Oganesyan ^[15], L.A. Safaralieva, N.V. Perfilieva ^[16], O.N. Spalek ^[17], S. Sun, C. Zhang ^[18], A.M. Shatiryan ^[22].

We also reviewed the works in which the authors carried out a contrastive analysis of the concept of happiness in various languages: E.G. Dmitrieva, S.V. Kravtsov ^[9], U.I. Idzibagandova ^[10], Yu. Li ^[12].

Special attention was paid to the works devoted to the study of the Armenian language. It should be noted that we have not found any works in the RSCI devoted to the comparative analysis of the concept of happiness in Russian and Armenian. This fact shows the novelty and relevance of this work.

The theoretical significance of the work lies in the fact that the results obtained during the study are of great interest for further scientific research in linguoculturology.

The practical significance of the research is determined by the fact that its results can be used in teaching courses on lexicology, cultural linguistics, areal linguistics, sociolinguistics.

The concept of semantic content of words

Among the publications on linguoculturology, there are many works by scientists and young researchers devoted to the comparative analysis of various concepts with national specific content.

We also found works that carried out linguistic and cultural comparisons of various concepts in various languages, for example, in Russian, Chinese, Spanish, English, Polish, Kalmyk, Korean, etc. It should be noted that a large number of studies have been devoted to the Russian and Chinese languages. The contrast analysis was carried out with such concepts as family, soul, color, curiosity, religion, grief, youth, etc. The research was devoted to the linguistic and cultural description and disclosure of national-specific features.

When studying the relationship between language and culture, the field method is the most frequently used. Y.N. Karaulov emphasizes that "field theory reflects the connection of language with reality, its correlation with non-linguistic reality" ^{[11, p. 14]}. In linguistics, the term field was first mentioned in his speech by J. Trier. In his opinion, words have meaning because other, related words have meaning ^{[24, p. 417]}.

Different linguists have defined the concept of field in different ways, however, they have not come to a common definition. In order to understand what the concept of a field is, we need to identify its main features. Note that the field consists of a core, a center, and a periphery. Based on the work of S.G.Shafikov "The theory of the semantic field and the component semantics of its units", we can also note that the elements of the field are in interrelated relationships; the relationship between the elements of the field is regular; depending on the relationship with neighboring elements, the significance of the element may vary ^[23].

In his book "Understanding cultures through keywords" by A. Vezhbitskaya notes that language and society are interconnected ^{[4, p. 14]}. Language provides us with invaluable material for understanding culture. Words can convey more than just the meaning and meaning of objects or phenomena, they can show us the peculiarities of the worldview, thinking and mentality of the people.

The semantic content of a word in different languages may partially or almost completely coincide, or it may not coincide at all. There are words that have a specific national meaning. Such words can include, for example, homeland, love, family, etc. Without a doubt, we can say that the semantic content of these words in different languages will be different. In our work, we will determine the semantic content of the words happiness and երջանկություն [erjankutyun] in Russian and Armenian.

The semantic field makes it possible to reflect objective reality, thereby showing the researcher the elements of such a complex system. This system consists of various units. The units of the semantic field form a semantic environment, networks... They are in a hierarchical relationship with each other, correlate with certain and specific concepts. A semantic field is an association of various and numerous units. These units are united by common semantics.

In the modern world, human knowledge about the surrounding phenomena is constantly being replenished and developed. This undoubtedly affects the lexical structure of the language. New words appear, which are automatically included in the long-existing system. This system is in our minds.

Analysis of the words happiness and երջանկություն [erjankutyun] in Russian and Armenian

The semantic field of happiness is a complex of different meanings and associations associated with the concept of happiness. It can include various words, phrases, and concepts. Thanks to them, it becomes possible to understand more deeply what the concept of happiness is, how native speakers of different languages perceive it and what factors influence it. The analysis of the content of the concept of happiness in the national consciousness allows us to explore ethnic specificity ^{[10, p. 323]}.

Many great people from different cultures have defined the concept and essence of happiness in different ways. In each epoch, the content, that is, the semantics of this concept was different. Of course, it will be different for each individual. In ancient China, life itself was considered happiness. The Chinese believed that a person should live their life happily. In the Ancient In India, the meaning of happiness was contained in the essence of man. It was within oneself that one had to look for happiness. In the age of Enlightenment, many authors spread the idea that happiness should be sought on earth. Of course, we will not find such a definition of happiness in religious definitions. The picture is completely different there. For some peoples, the importance of collective happiness is much more important than personal happiness, while for other cultures, individual happiness is more important than collective happiness. All this shows that the perception of happiness is greatly influenced by the culture and society in which a person lives. In addition, you need to understand that each person's happiness is, in a sense, individual. It is this fact that allows us to consider the semantic field of happiness as extremely rich for research.

By the word happiness, we mean feelings that express joy, contentment with life, and the concept of happiness is also associated with emotions such as laughter, delight, calmness, etc.

In Russian, the word happiness is used to denote feelings of satisfaction with life. V.I. Dahl defines happiness as well-being, good fortune, share, fate. Prosperity, earthly bliss, a desired daily life without sorrow, troubles, anxiety; peace and contentment, everything desirable, everything that comforts and satisfies a person according to his beliefs, tastes and habits ^{[8, p. 339]}. A happy Russian person is a person who experiences joy like a bird during flight ^[9].

When studying the etymology of the word happiness in the Russian language, we saw that it has a proto-Slavic origin *sčęstje. Happiness is a general Slavic Suf.-pref. derivative (using the prefix u- in the sense of "good" (see muffin) and suf. (-ij-) from chast (through "yus" small). Literally – "the good part, the share" ^{[20, p. 816]}. As we can see, the lexical meaning of the word happiness in Russian is related to the etymological one.

1. well-being;
2. prosperity;
3. grace;
4. bliss;
5. victory;
6. luck;
7. success;
8. the case of ^{[1, p. 469]}.

In the Armenian language, the word երջանկություն [erjankutyun] is mainly used to convey feelings of satisfaction with life.Since the Armenian language belongs to the Indo-European language family, which is a separate language branch, most Armenian words have Indo-European roots. The word երջանկություն [erjankutyun] - happiness comes from the Indo-European root *pri (+ անկ)՝ *prāi-, *pri, which means to love, deign, favor. Words in many other languages originated from the same root. For example, in Greek, the word beloved is (πράως); in ancient Iranian, priyati means to favor, and so on ^{[28, p. 228]}. In the Armenian language, the etymology of the word երջանկություն [erjankutyun] is happiness is associated with love, benevolence.

In the Explanatory Dictionary of the Modern Armenian Language by E.B. Aghayan, happiness has three meanings:

1. երջանիկ լինելը [erjanik linele] – be happy;
2. երջանիկ վիճակ [erjanik vichak] - happy state;
3. [erjanik linelu zgacume] - a happy feeling ^{[25, p. 358]}.

In the Explanatory Dictionary of Synonyms of the Armenian Language (Հայոց լեզվի հոմանիշների բացատրական բառարան) by A.M. Sukiasyan, the word երջանկություն [erjankutyun] - happiness has the following synonyms:

1. երանություն [eranutyun] – bliss;
2. բախտավորություն [bakhtavorutyun] - happiness, luck;
3. բարեբախտություն [barebakhtutyun] - the word consists of two parts: բար [bar] dobro and բախտ [bakht] fate;
4. բարo րություն [barorutyun] - well-being;
5. երջանկավետություն [erjankavetutyun] – great happiness;
6. երանելիություն [eraneliutyun] – bliss;
7. գերերջանկություն [gererjankutyun] - the word consists of two parts: գեր [ger] supreme and երջանկություն [erjankutyun] happiness;
8. բազմերջանկություն [bazmerjankutyun] – the word consists of two parts: բազմ [bazm] - diverse and երջանկություն [erjankutyun] – happiness ^{[30, p. 290]}. This means that happiness can be diverse for native Armenian speakers. S.G. Vorkachev in his work "The concept of happiness in the Russian linguistic consciousness: the experience of linguistic and cultural analysis" noted that "happiness is the sum of diverse and transient pleasures that bring joy and differ from each other only in intensity. They oppose misfortune as grief and suffering" ^{[5, p. 129]}.

Figuratively, the word երջանկություն [erjankutyun] - happiness in the Armenian language has the following meanings:

1. արեւ [arev] – the sun;
2. առավոտ [aravot] - morning;
3. բարի աստղ [bari astgh] is a good star ^{[30, p. 290]}.

Based on the examples given figuratively, we can conclude that happiness for the Armenian people is associated with the sun, the new day, and the stars. The word արեւ [arev], in addition to its main meanings, also has figurative ones – life, being, joy, happiness, day, sun-like.

The above examples show that the words բար [bar] – good and բախտ [bakht] – happiness are often used in the Armenian language.

In the Explanatory Dictionary of the Modern Armenian Language (Ժամանակակից հայոց լեզվի բացատրական բառարան) edited by A.S. Gharibyan, we found the following root words for the word երջանկություն [erjankutyun] – happiness:

1. երջանիկ [erjanik] - happy;
2. երջանկաբաշխ [erjankabashkh] - giver of happiness;
3. երջանկաբար [erjankabar] - how happy;
4. երջանկաբեր [erjankaber] - bringing happiness;
5. երջանկագուշակ [erjankagushak] – fortune teller;
6. երջանկադեմ [erjankadem] - with a happy face;
7. երջանկալի [erjankali] - full of happiness;
8. երջանկահար [erjankahar] - exhausted by happiness;
9. [erjankahishatak] - a happy person who was honored with a mention, a person who left good memories (that's how they say about the dead);
10. երջանկահորդ [erjankahord] - breath of happiness;
11. երջանկահուշ [erjankahush] - 1. the man who left good memories 2. promising happiness;
12. երջանկանալ [erjankana] – become happy;
13. [erjankashagh] - a man who exudes happiness, a man who spreads happiness;
14. երջանկաշող [erjankashagh] - beaming with happiness;
15. երջանկապես [erjankapes] - how happy;
16. երջանկասփյուռ [erjankaspyur] – spreading happiness;
17. երջանկավայել [erjankavayel] - adj. enjoying happiness;
18. երջանկավայր [erjankavayr] is a happy place;
19. երջանկավետ [erkankavet ] - great happiness;
20. երջանկացնել [erjankacnel] - make you happy;
21. երջանկացում [erjankacum] – make yourself happy;
22. երջանկափայլ [erjankapayl] - beaming with happiness;
23. երջանկափառ [erjankapar] - famous for happiness;
24. երջանկաորեն [erjankoren] - how lucky ^{[27, p. 358]}.

Analysis of the word բախտ [bakht] in the Armenian language

The word բախտ [bakht] was translated into Armenian from the Persian language from the word بت, which means happiness, luck, luck.

In the "Russian-Armenian Educational Dictionary" A.A. Sekoyan's translation of the word happiness into Armenian is presented as follows:

Happiness – երջանկություն [erjankutyun], բախտավորություն [bakhtavorutyun], բախտ [bakht] – happiness. For example, fortunately for me – [im bakhtic] ^{[29, p. 295]}.

In the Explanatory Dictionary of Synonyms of the Armenian Language by A.M. Sukiasyan, the word [bakht] – happiness is presented in 4 articles:

1. ճակատագիր [chakatagir] fate <…>;
2. վիճակ [vichak] - condition, 2– դիպված [dipvatc], պատահար [patahar] - case;
3. հաջողություն [hajoghutyun] - luck, բախտավորություն [bakhtavorutyun] - happiness, երջանկություն [erjankutyun] - happiness, երանություն [yeranutyun] - bliss, բ արեբախտություն [barebakhtutyun] - the word consists of two parts: բար [bar] good and բախտ [bakht] fate;հաջողակություն [hajoghakutyun] – good luck, երջանկավետություն [erjankavetutyun] is a great happiness and dialect.: նասիբ [nasib] – fate/happiness, status, share, ղսմաթ [ghsmat] – luck;
4. բաժուկ [bazhuk] - hairline [30– p. 110].

We have identified 3 main meanings of the word բախտ [bakht] in the Armenian language։ fate, happiness, luck:

• The word բախտ [bakht] in the Armenian language means fate.

Initially, Bakht was a spirit in Armenian mythology. He is popularly represented as a young man or an old man with a white beard and a white coat. Bakht determines a person's fate and happiness, which, in turn, is recorded on each person's forehead at birth by Groh. Thunder is the spirit of death. In popular beliefs, Bakht is also called the spirit of happiness. It is believed that Bakht brings happiness and luck to a person, however, Bakht can leave a person if he is offended. Then luck and fortune leave a person, then failures occur. Therefore, girls often performed certain rituals before the New Year to bring their bakht, their happiness back. Hence the meaning of fate in the Armenian language. For example:

1. ^[26] "Fate is what is written on a person's forehead, when he is born, there is no escape from him," someone else intervened.
2. Ա՜խ, արտասվելի վախճան, ողբալի բախտ ^[26] - Oh, a deplorable end, a deplorable fate.
3. բախտի խաղ [Bakhti Khagh] – the game of fate;
4. բախտի ծաղր [bakhti tcaghr] - the irony of fate;
5. բախտի վրա հուսալով [Bakhti vra Husalov] – hoping for fate;
6. բախտը փորձել [bakhte pordzel] – try your luck;

• The word բախտ [bakht] in Armenian means happiness.

1. Փայփայանքները բախտ համարեցի իմ մենության մեջ ^[26] – I considered caring to be happiness alone.
2. [326 - Uncle Ovakim continued to seek happiness and never reached it.
3. Բախտը ժպտաց [bakhte jptac] - happiness smiled.

• The word բախտ [bakht] in the Armenian language means luck, luck.

1. Թե մի գուցե բախտը բանի, կորուստն էլ ետ ջրից հանի ^[26] – Or maybe luck will somehow bring the loss back from the water.
2. բախտ ունենալ [bakht unenal] - have good luck;
3. բախտի անիվ [bakhte aniv] - wheel of fortune;
4. բախտի անիվը շուռ է եկել՝ թեքվել է [bakhti anive shur e ekel՝ teqvel e] – the wheel of fortune has turned

In the Explanatory Dictionary of the Modern Armenian Language, edited by A.S. Gharibyan, we also found the root words for the word [bakht].:

• Root words for the word բախտ [bakht] with the meaning of fate:

1. բախտագրություն [bakhtagrutyun] – what is written by fate;
2. բախտակից [bakhtakic] - to have the same fate, to be in the same condition;
3. բախտահույս [bakhtahuys] - hoping for fate;
4. բախտահուսորեն[ bakhtahusoren] - hoping for fate;
5. բախտընկեր [bakhtenker] - a friend of fate;
6. բախտորոշ [bakhtorosh] - deciding fate;
7. բախտահալած [bakhtahalac] - tormented by fate;
8. բախտանշան [bakhtanshan] - a sign of fate, meaning happiness;

• Root words for the word բախտ [bakht] with the meaning state:

1. բախտակոծել [bakhtakotcel] – mourn your miserable condition;
2. [ [bakhtadzernarkum] – in a desperate state to do something;

• Root words for the word բախտ [bakht] with the meaning of happiness:

1. բախտաբաշխ [bakhtabashkh] – giver of happiness;
2. բախտաբեր [bakhtaber] - bringing happiness;
3. բախտագյուտ [bakhtagyut] – finding happiness, fortune teller;
4. բախտազուրկ [bakhtazurk] - 1. adj. depriving of happiness; 2. essence. The unfortunate man;
5. բախտամեծ [bakhtametc] – very happy;
6. բախտավորվել [bakhtavorvel] - 1. get married/get married 2. Become happy;
7. բախտաշեն [bakhtashen] -building happiness;
8. բախտապարգեվ [bakhtapargev] - giving happiness;

• Root words for the word բախտ [bakht] with the meaning luck:

1. բախտանիվ [bakhtaniv] - the wheel of luck;
2. բախտավոր [bakhtavor] – 1. lucky; 2. happy; 3. bringing good luck; 4. showing happiness;

• Root words for the word բախտ [bakht] with the meaning of fortune-telling and deception:

1. [bakhtakgndir] - adventurer, conman;
2. [ bakhtahuyz] - adventurer, conman;
3. բախտախնդրություն [bakhtakhndrutyun] – being a conman;
4. բախտախաղ [bakhtakhagh] is a game in which the player's winnings depend only on luck, not on skills;
5. , [bakhtatoms] - lottery ticket;
6. բախտագուշակ [bakgtagushak] – fortune teller, fortune teller;
7. բախտահմա [bakgtahma] – fortune teller, fortune teller;
8. բախտահմայություն [bakhtahmayutyun] – fortune telling;
9. բախտացույց [bakhtacuyc] - a board for building stars, which astrologers used to guess fate;
10. բախտանման [bakhtanman] - 1. charming; 2. similar to fate ^{[27, p. 272]}.

The above examples (30 units) show that the word բախտ [bakht] in the Armenian language has mainly 5 meanings: fate, luck, fortune, happiness, fortune-telling and deception. In this paper, we are interested in words with the meaning of happiness. We can conclude that happiness can be distributed, given, found, guessed at, built upon, and possibly lost. Getting married is also associated with this concept.

Conclusion

Giving an accurate definition of the concept of happiness is quite a difficult task. In Russian, the word happiness is used to describe a feeling of contentment with life. Sociologists, for example, have a different opinion. Happiness is a constant striving for new heights. Representatives of different cultures and times had different ideas about the concept of happiness – in Ancient China, India, etc. The concept of happiness is quite abstract and contradictory. Happiness is built and formed from various and diverse elements.

In the Armenian language, the word երջանկություն [erjankutyun] is mainly used to denote the state of happiness, as well as in some cases բախտ [bakht]. The word բախտ [bakht] happiness is not its main meaning. The etymology of the words happiness and երջանկություն [erjankutyun] in Russian and Armenian languages is different. In the Russian language, happiness is associated with the share that a person has. In the Armenian language, the etymology of the word is երջանկություն [erjankutyun] – happiness is associated with love, benevolence.

Happiness in the Armenian language is associated with the morning, the sun, and the stars, but we have not found such synonyms in Russian. When searching for synonyms in the Armenian language, we did not find a synonym for victory for the word երջանկություն [erjankutyun], and the case is synonymous only with the word բախտ [bakht]. For a more accurate analysis, it is necessary to conduct additional research on phraseological units with the word component happiness, conduct a free associative experiment, etc.

For the Armenian people, happiness can be distributed; happiness can be speculated about; happiness can be enjoyed and celebrated, but it can also cause suffering; people shine with happiness; a face can be happy; happiness can be big and full; a place can be happy; you can become happy or make another person happy; a person is also considered happy if he is well remembered during his lifetime and after his death.

An analysis of the semantic content of the words happiness, երջանկություն [erjankutyun], and բախտ [bakht] has shown the diversity of this concept. In the course of the research, we came to the conclusion that the formation of the semantic field is influenced by many factors, especially culture. When comparing two or more languages, the most effective way is to match semantic fields. The semantic field most vividly and reliably reflects the connection of language with reality. After analyzing the semantic content of the words happiness, երջանկություն[erjankutyun], and բախտ [bakht] in Russian and Armenian, we found many similar features, as well as distinctive ones. Similar features indicate similarities in mentality and culture, and the difference highlights the specific and national structure of the language.

In this paper, we have paid more attention to the semantic content of the word happiness in the Armenian language, since this concept is quite well-researched in Russian. After analyzing the definitions of dictionary entries, we can conclude that for native speakers of Russian and Armenian, happiness means a state of life satisfaction, as well as the accompaniment of luck and success. Dictionary definitions poorly reflect what is perceived by the linguistic consciousness, however, this work provides significant material for further contrasting analysis of the concept of happiness in Russian and Armenian, including on the basis of dictionary definitions, phraseological units, data from associative dictionaries to identify similarities and distinctive features in these languages.