Evaluative Dichotomy in the Russian Language and its Reflection in Fiction Texts (Based on Alexander T. Tvardovsky’s Collection of Poems «Motherland and Foreign Lands»)

Abstract

The article discusses the evaluative dichotomy in the Russian language and its realization in the fiction text. It determines the possibility of using the term «dichotomy» as regards linguistic assessment. The paper links dichotomy of assessment to the binary perception of the world by humans. The writer points out differences between the category of evaluation and modality, expressiveness and emotiveness. The article focuses on the main parameters of assessment, they are attachment to the subject of assessment, reliance on the norms of estimation of the world and conventional rules of conduct, a possibility of The writer states the asymmetry of evaluative resources of the Russian language and the broad presence of vocabulary with a pejorative component of assessment. In addition, the text highlights the correlation between assessment and the var- ious types of paradigmatic relations of words, mainly, antonymy. The writer states that antonymic oppositions largely determine the evaluative coloring of linguistic units in the literary text (words, thematic groups and semantic fields) and, on top of that, A. Tvardovsky’s emotions. It illustrates this postulation by examples from «Motherland and Foreign Lands». The essays that A. Tvardovsky wrote during World War II reveal the antonymic and evaluative opposition of images, which he unveils right in the title. These are peaceful life and war, Russia and foreign countries, Soviet power and «Germanity», the Russians and the Germans, the specific features of their conduct and everyday hab- its, and perception of beauty. The poet’s antagonism of images and emotional sensations are revealed through units with evaluative components. He uses the general evaluative words, antonymy (including the contextual one), and evaluative oxymorons.intensification and de-intensification of eval- uative markers, and the implementation of assessment as a type of pragmatic meaning.