LANGUAGE REALITIES AS A REFLECTION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY BRITISH LITERATURE

Abstract

The word, as the basic unit of language that reflects the connection between language, thought and extra-linguistic reality, possesses linguistic meaning and is at the same time a manifestation of the culture in question. The aim of this study is to examine linguistic realities from the perspective of functional linguistics, specifically the functioning of realities as a reflection of cultural identity in contemporary British literature. The article outlines the relationship between linguistic realities and closely related concepts such as localism, lacuna, barbarism, exoticism and non-equivalent vocabulary; using the method of component analysis, the semantic features of English linguistic realia in texts of contemporary British literature are identified, and a textual analysis of linguistic realia and their cultural significance in works of contemporary British literature is conducted, highlighting contemporary transformations of identity.
The article presents a view of cultural realia as a linguistic phenomenon, many of which fall into the category of non-equivalent, i.e. untranslatable, vocabulary. The study employs a mixed methodological approach, integrating corpus analysis with textual and linguistic research to determine the role of linguistic realities through which literature embodies and shapes cultural identity. It has been established that linguistic realities require a special approach to translation. Techniques of analogical translation include explanations or descriptions, which are used in cases where a concept that cannot be conveyed through transcription must be rendered descriptively. Hyponymic translation of a linguistic reality involves translating it using a linguistic unit with a broader meaning. Replacing a linguistic reality with another reality of the target language is a translation method used very rarely, as it leads to the replacement of the original’s flavour with that of the target language, which is highly undesirable.
The authors conclude that the most common linguistic realities in works of contemporary British literature are ethnographic realities, i.e. those associated with the everyday life of the English and closest to their way of life. These include aspects of leisure and pastimes, names of clothing, linguistic etiquette, names of food and drink, everyday life, customs and traditions, and festivals. The study highlights literature’s transformative capacity to preserve traditional values whilst simultaneously fostering innovative cultural narratives in the context of globalisation and digital communication.