BRAGGING AS ONE OF THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF HIP-HOP DISCOURSE

Abstract

Statement of the problem. The subculture of hip-hop was formed among the African-American population of the United States during a period of poor socio-economic situation. These conditions for the development of hip-hop build a system of values and knowledge, which acts as the foundation of the discursive space of hip-hop. Hip-hop discourse unfolds around the basic concepts of racism, violence and bragging. The concept of bragging is based on the consequences of living conditions in the segregated society of the United States, when African Americans did not have the opportunity to possess certain goods which are available to the white population. After the restrictions having been lifted, high-priced goods have become an element of hip-hop discourse participants’ system of values. The purpose of the article is to identify and systematize the linguistic means of representing the concept of bragging as one of the basic concepts of hip-hop discourse. The methodology of the research is the analysis and summary of works about the basic concepts on the basis of which the discourse is built. Research results. In the article the most common linguistic means of implementing the concept of bragging are identified. The analysis of the song texts of the hip-hop discourse shows that the studied concept is represented mainly through lexical means. Conclusions. The most common ways of representing the concept of bragging are the lexemes of the semantic fields “jewelry” and “financial well-being”. In addition, precedent names are important for the nomination of companies that produce high-value goods, which represent the attributes of success for the participants of the hip-hop discourse. The concept of bragging acts as a basic concept of hip-hop discourse and reflects the specifics of hip-hop discourse. It also determines the perception of the surrounding world by subculture participants.