Scholarly record

STEREOTYPIC IDEA OF A SUCCESSFUL PERSON IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE CONSCIOUSNESS AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE CHINESE

E. Zinovieva, A. Khrunenkova

Abstract

Stereotypic ideas about social characteristics of a person have universal and nationally specific features. The research objective was in revealing stereotypic ideas of the one who is considered В‘a successful personВ’, В‘a successful manВ’ and В‘a successful womanВ’ in the Russian linguistic culture against the background of the Chinese one. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire was submitted to young and middle-aged people, speakers of Russian and Chinese languages with higher education. The survey involved 76 Russian and 76 Chinese respondents. The composition of informants consisted of an equal number of men and women. The questionnaire included a cognitive test designed to determine the analyzed concepts, identification of subjective definitions that exist in the linguistic consciousness of native speakers of both languages. In addition, respondents were asked to nominate personality traits and behavioral features that, in their opinion, characterize a successful person as a whole and separately a man and a woman. Most of characteristics of a successful woman and a successful man in stereotypical Russian view coincide. But, highlighting features inherent exclusively to a successful woman, male informants note the lack of her private life. The image of a successful man is formed in minds of Chinese native speakers however the image of a successful woman is in the process of formation. Common features in the stereotypic idea of a successful person in the two linguistic cultures should be a realization of a person in his/her profession, financial security and well-being in their personal life. Distinctions concern a more differentiated idea of personal qualities of a successful man and a successful woman in the Chinese language consciousness in comparison with the Russian. Besides, Chinese men are willing to admit to a lesser extent gender equality than Russians.

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