“Concept” in Modern Cognitive Linguistics and Lingvocultural Studies: Definition and Structure.

Abstract

The relevance of this article lies in the increased interest in the cognitive aspect of the modern linguistics. Despite the large number of studies on this phenomenon, a number of questions remains open regarding the interpretation and structure of the concept.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the approaches to the definition of the concept and structure of the concept in cognitive linguistics and linguocultural studies.

During the conducted research the following conclusions have been made:
1. According to the analyzed approaches in the modern linguistics the concept is interpreted as a mental unity, the synthesis of language and non-language means that exist in the cognition of both an individual and a society, that are preserved in the national memory of native speakers reflecting national and cultural peculiarities of peoples and representing units of knowledge and informational structure of the accumulated human experience.
2. The difference between the "notion" and the "concept" lies in the fact that the "concept" is a more extensional element of the human consciousness in comparison with the "notion", as it includes the notion, that is considered as a nuclear component, and the cultural-ethnic component that reflects a linguistic picture of the world of its native speakers.
3. In linguistics, there are two approaches to the structure of a concept: the dyadic structure of the concept consisting of the core and the periphery, and the triad structure, which is represented by the notional, figurative and value components. 
4. Concept contains three basic components, namely image, informational content and interpretation field, which, in its turn, is divided into several zones (encyclopedic, utilitarian, regulatory, social-cultural paremiological and others).