Saviak N. Language manifestations of concept LOVE in Japanese language culture

The thesis focuses on the analysis of verbal manifestation of the Japanese cultural concept LOVE. For the first time in Ukrainian oriental studies this concept is analyzed in two veins - lexico-semantical and communicative. The thesis summarizes theoretical and methodological background of conceptual studies, as well as defines the status of the concept LOVE in general classification of concepts. It also provides the overview of fundamental religious and philosophical beliefs of Japanese society which in different times influenced the formation and development of this concept. Based on the analysis of lexicographic material, the basic names of concept LOVE in the Japanese culture have been defined. With the help of psycholinguistic experiment the semantic zones of these names have been identified. The correlation of concept LOVE with other notions of the Japanese culture - such as life and death, loneliness, suffering, happiness, health - has been studied. The correlation of the Japanese concept LOVE with notion of health presents a peculiar interest. Social and political situation in Japan in the first half of the 20th century led to the situation when the Japanese were forced to believe that romantic relations which might lead to marriage and child birth are only possible between physically and mentally healthy individuals. As our analysis demonstrates, the traces of this social policy still effect Japanese mentality. The thesis also deals with peculiarities of realization of concept LOVE in communication and discourse. The communicative situation "communication of those who are in love" has been studied on the basis of material of novels "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami and "Amrita" by Banana Yoshimoto. The repertoire of communicative strategies and communicative tactics representative for speakers in this communicative situation has been outlined. The correlation between the choice of certain strategy/tactic and social role (Adult, Father, Child) in which the speaker represents herself/himself has been researched.