Issue 1

Sign Names in the Russian Deaf Culture: Origin and Functioning

This article gives a brief outline of sign names in Russian Deaf culture, their origin and functioning. We provide a definition of sign name and specify its functions within the Deaf community; in doing so we reveal the asymmetry between sign and spoken names. Apart from this, the article briefly describes the process of receiving a sign name when entering the Deaf community. We also list the most typical sources for sign names in Russian Deaf culture. Finally, we sketch a few directions of further research on this and related issues.

In Search of the Iconic Iconoclast: Reconstructing Figurative and Perceptual Components within the Cognitive Concepts БУНТАРЬ and REBEL

This article presents a modern day study of the cognitive concepts БУНТАРЬ and REBEL existing in Russian and American linguocultures, respectively. A focus on the concepts` figurative and perceptual components is made to ascertain inherent differences. The peripheral layers of both mentioned concepts are reconstructed by way of conducting a brief survey among representatives of both cultures. The interviewed subjects` responses have been analyzed statistically to quantify variances.

Creating a University-Wide Assessment Model

This article looks at assessment in the area of language teaching in higher education. The article provides a brief analysis of the present day situation and analyses key issues related to assessment model design, such as definition of educational goals and target proficiency levels for graduates. It also studies international, national and internal university-wide assessment mechanisms.

Intertextual Elements as a Problem of Translation Theory and Practice

The article presents the different ways of intertextual elements translation when the text is transferred from one culture to another. Different definitions of intertextuality as a specific textual category, its importance for the theory and practice of translation and factors that influence the comprehension of intertextual elements are analyzed. The author elaborates a classification of the ways of intertextual elements translation and examines each type in particular.

On Modern Quality Spanish Digital Press and the Headings in its Context

The 1st part of the article touches upon the adequacy of usage of the British term “quality” in relation to the Spanish digital press, shows its general characteristics and special features. The 2nd part is devoted to different classifications of the headings by their syntactical type, structure and semantics. The overall conclusion is made that all the modern headings comply with the main grammatical rules of La RAE.

Typology of Intertextual References of a Television Film as Text

The article considers a television film as a text and its verbal component as being of primary importance, which allows adopting a philological approach to studying the vertical context and intertextual references as the main objects. The article aims at researching the structure of the vertical context of a television film based on the typology of intertextual references and their referents.

On ‘Shrinking’ of Regions

In the scope of area studies as integrated science it seems possible to develop a number of ‘shrinking’ regions’ future development strategies considering their special characteristics. Herewith, it is important to allocate not only global patterns of the process, but also to highlight regional peculiarities.