THE SOMATIC CODE OF NATIONAL CULTURE IN RUSSIAN PROVERBS AND CHASTUSHKAS

The aim of this study is to identify the features of the representation of the code meanings of lexical units as caused by discourse and genre on the material of somatisms functioning in the proverb and the chastushka as genres of Russian folklore discourse. The study involved Russian proverbs (1,431 texts) and chastushkas (593 texts) with somatisms taken from folklore collections by continuous sampling. The study showed that the features of the representation of the somatic code in the proverb and the chastushka as genres of Russian folklore discourse are determined by (1) the features of the organisation of the common cultural somatic code as one of the basic, primary codes in the cognition of the world by man, on the one hand, and as the code the least dependent on the external conditions of the existence of culture, on the other; (2) the nature of the national-cultural configuration of the code, caused by the logic of the development of the Russian national culture; (3) the specific organisation of folklore discourse aimed at communicating national cultural values; (4) genre principles for the selection and presentation of these values. As a result, the somatic code of the Russian national culture is most completely manifested in the proverb. This is consistent with its genre purpose: to allegorically present the most comprehensive palette of cultural values, to most directly express the folklore value-setting modus. The content, structure and principles of organisation of the national cultural somatic code correspond to the selection, frequency, code content and principles of the functioning of somatisms as code units. The chastushka is a genre that is also aimed at communicating the folklore value-setting modus, but indirectly, through an evaluation-oriented reflection of a typical behavior of characters in a typical chastushka plot. The content of the somatic culture code in the chastushka is narrow: it focuses on the participation in the presentation of the norms of love relationships based on relevant values. The selection and frequency of using somatisms in the chastushka is determined by the features of their general cultural and national cultural code content, which is most conducive to the implementation of these norms. At the same time, the code content of each somatism claimed by the chastushka is also limited (in comparison with the corresponding units in the proverb) and assigned to a certain typical chastushka plot.