home
Ayurveda
Cultural stereotype as a way of mastering reality. cultural stereotype

Cultural stereotype as a way of mastering reality. cultural stereotype

06.03.2019

What is a stereotype as a phenomenon public system? Representatives of various sciences study the stereotype as part of their tasks. Philosophers, sociologists, culturologists, ethnographers are interested in the ethnic aspects of stereotypes. Psychologists consider the influence of gender stereotypes. A single concept of "stereotype" covers all spheres of human life.

Stereotype - what is it?

At the end of the 17th century, the French publisher F. Didot invented a device that saves time, labor and price in printing business. Before the invention, the text for the book each time was typed anew, which led to a huge expenditure of resources. New creative solution Dido consisted in making casts from the typed text, then metal plates-stamps were cast, which made it possible to print books in large numbers. F.Dido called his invention - a stereotype: "στερεός" - solid "τύπος" - image.

What does a stereotype mean as a concept in modern world? In 1922, Walter Lippmann American publicist introduced the term "stereotype" in public environment and described its meanings as: the impossibility of the individual to know the whole picture real world without simplification. A person carries out his activities, relying not on obvious direct knowledge, but on ready-made cliché templates introduced by others: relatives, acquaintances, the system, the state.

Types of stereotypes

A child is born and with mother's milk absorbs lullabies, fairy tales, traditions and legends belonging to his ethnic group. Growing up, the baby learns the norms and regulations that are characteristic of his family and clan as a whole. Educational institutions are contributing. This is how stereotypical thinking is gradually formed. A person is literally “overgrown” with stereotypes. Common types of stereotypes identified by different experts:

stereotypes of thinking
stereotypes of behavior;
ethnocultural stereotypes;
response stereotypes;
communication stereotypes, etc.

The functions of stereotypes can be conditionally divided into "positive" and "negative". Main positive aspect stereotype is the economy of human mental activity. Man, for his short life cannot know everything about everything, but based on the experience of others, can have an idea of many things, even if they are not related to his reality. The negative aspect boils down to the fact that personal experience (even a single one) confirming the correctness of one or another stereotype is fixed in the subconscious and makes it difficult to perceive people, phenomena in a different way.

Gender stereotypes

Man performs different social roles, including gender. The gender role determines the norms of behavior of the recommended, based on belonging to a male or female gender and cultural characteristics of the country. What's happened ? The role of a man or woman in society is determined by many traditions and way of life that have been established over the centuries. So far, stereotypes have not become obsolete, the echo of which can be traced in proverbs and sayings different peoples:

woman - the keeper of the hearth;
a man is a provider;
women are fools;
a woman without children is like a tree without branches;
a lonely woman is a wingless bird;
a man without a wife is like a barn without a roof;
a man promises, a man fulfills;
the little man is not a flirt, but loves to fight.

ethnic stereotypes

Effective international communication today plays important role in achieving peace and cooperation among peoples. National stereotypes- these are the cultural representations of the people as a nation about themselves (autostereotypes) and about other peoples (heterostereotypes) developed over the centuries. The study of stereotypes of ethnic groups - helps to find out the features, habits, culture for useful interaction between different countries.

Social stereotypes

What is a social stereotype? Stable and simplified matrices of images of social objects (person, group, profession, gender, ethnic group). At the same time, stereotypes of thinking can turn out to be false and form erroneous knowledge. As a rule, the stereotype is based on observations based on real facts and personal experience, but sometimes the stereotype plays a destructive role when it is applied in a situation that falls out of the general template and “sticking” labels on a person occurs. Examples of social stereotypes:

without "blat" it is impossible to build a successful career;
the child must be obedient;
to be successful, you need to graduate from a prestigious university;
all men need only one thing from women...;
all accountants are bores, and lawyers are crooks;
money is evil;
Japanese cars are the highest quality;
Jews are the most cunning;
a man is a womanizer, a drunkard.

Cultural stereotypes

Cultural stereotypes of the society affect the emotions of a person, which are associated with physicality and are supported by gestures. Emotions and gestures are a universal language among similar ones in cultural practices peoples, but selected countries can take on the opposite meaning. Before you travel to other countries, it is useful to study the customs of these states. It combines Culture: stereotypes of goal-setting, communication, perception, worldview. Stereotypical behavior - milestone in the formation of rituals (religious) of different cultures.

Popular stereotypes

What is a stereotype - this question is mostly answered “correctly”, “stereotypically”. Society is accustomed to thinking in popular terms, the reason for this lies in the lack or shortage of information and the inability to confirm this information. The stereotype of thinking (mental attitude) - “I am like everyone else” means belonging to my family, group, people, state and has reverse side: drives into the framework of restrictions, impoverishes the personal experience of a person's experiences. Popular stereotypes accepted in society:

audacity second happiness;
figure standard - 90/60/90;
it is good there - where we are not;
beats - it means loves;
eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, give dinner to an enemy;
a woman on a ship - to be in trouble;
get married before 30;
girls should wear pink, boys blue;
women are the weaker sex;
expensive means high quality;

Stereotypes about Russians

Stereotypes about Russia can be traced in various tales and anecdotes, invented both by the Russians themselves and by other peoples. Stereotypically, Russians appear in jokes as “boys-shirts, extremely hardy, loving to drink and make a fuss.” Interest in Russia is great. This power remains a mysterious and majestic, and for some, a hostile country. What do representatives of other states think about the country, Russian women and men:

Russians are the most drinkers;
bears walk the streets;
Russian girls are the most beautiful;
men, walk with a stone face, do not smile;
Russia is a country of balalaikas, nesting dolls and blouses;
the most hospitable;
uneducated and illiterate;
girls dream;

Stereotypes about the French

The whole world follows the French catwalks with trepidation, buys French perfume, is touched by the most romantic films planets. "See Paris and die!" - a phrase said by the Soviet writer-photographer I. Ehrenburg - has long become winged and is said with an aspiration and a dreamy look. Stereotypes of France strongly associated with this beautiful country:

French women are the most sophisticated, elegant;
Paris - dictates fashion to everyone else;
the French are the best lovers in the world;
croissants, wine, foie gras, frogs, baguettes and oysters are the daily national food;
beret, vest, red scarf - standard clothing
the most smoking nation in the world;
strikes and demonstrations "for" and "without cause";
the most inveterate pessimists;
freedom of morals and frivolous behavior;
get annoyed if foreigners mispronounce words in French;
patriots of their homeland affectionately call the country "La dos France" ("France dear").

Stereotypes about Americans

America is a country of contrasts and unlimited possibilities, where the most cherished dreams- Americans think so about their state. The USA is a country largely incomprehensible to the Russian mentality, causing some rejection, and in the light of the existing tense relations between Russia and America, distrust of the most smiling American nation. Myths and stereotypes about Americans:

a nation of fast food and fat people;
like to organize surprises;
want to take over the whole world;
lack of style and taste in clothes;
the most patriotic nation;
every American has a gun;
not shy about expressing emotions.

Stereotypes about the British

What associations do people have who have never been to England, but have heard about this country? Those who studied English at school remember the famous clockwork Big Ben (Big Ben) and that England is a country of rain, fog and oatmeal for breakfast. There are legends about the stiffness of the English. English detective stories about Sherlock Holmes are loved to be read all over the world. Stereotypes about the British:

constantly talking about the weather;
they drink tea according to the schedule;
the English are the most polite;
arrogant snobs;
conservatives;
strange English humor;
everyone goes to the pub;
the most law-abiding citizens.

For the first time, the concept of a stereotype was used by W. Lippman back in 1922, who believed that these are ordered, schematic, culture-determined “pictures of the world” in a person’s head, which save his efforts when perceiving complex objects of the world. With this understanding of the stereotype, two of its important features are distinguished - being determined by culture and being a means of saving labor efforts, and, accordingly, language tools. If the solution algorithms math problems save a person’s thinking, then stereotypes “save” the personality itself.

In cognitive linguistics and ethnolinguistics, the term stereotype refers to the content side of language and culture, i.e. is understood as a mental (thinking) stereotype that correlates with the “naive picture of the world”. Such an understanding of the stereotype is found in the works of E. Bartminsky and his school; language picture of the world and the linguistic stereotype are related to him as part and whole, while the linguistic stereotype is understood as a judgment or several judgments relating to a certain object of the extralinguistic world, a subjectively determined representation of an object in which descriptive and evaluative features coexist and which is the result of an interpretation of reality within the framework of socially developed cognitive models. We consider as a linguistic stereotype not only a judgment or several judgments, but also any set expression, consisting of several words, for example, a stable comparison, a cliché, etc.: a person of Caucasian nationality, gray as a harrier, a new Russian. The use of such stereotypes facilitates and simplifies communication, saving the strength of communicants.

Yu. A. Sorokin defines a stereotype as a certain process and result of communication (behavior) according to certain semiotic models, the list of which is closed due to certain semiotic-technological principles adopted in a certain society. At the same time, the semiotic model is realized at the social, socio-psychological levels (standard) or at the linguistic, psychological levels (norm). The standard and the norm exist in two forms: as a stamp (excessively explicated complex sign) or as a cliché (insufficiently explicated complex sign).

VV Krasnykh divides stereotypes into two types - stereotypes-images and stereotypes-situations. Examples of stereotypes-images: a bee is a hard worker, a ram is stubborn, and stereotypes-situations: a ticket is a composter, a stork is a cabbage.

Stereotypes are always national, and if there are analogues in other cultures, then these are quasi-stereotypes, because, while coinciding in general, they differ in nuances, details that are of fundamental importance. For example, phenomena and the queue situation in different cultures ah are different, and consequently, stereotyped behavior will also be different: in Russia they ask “Who is the last one?” or just stand in line, in a row European countries they tear off a ticket in a special apparatus and then follow the numbers that light up above the window, for example, at the post office.

So a stereotype is some fragment conceptual painting of the world, a mental “picture”, a stable cultural and national idea (according to Yu. E. Prokhorov, “super stable” and “super fixed”) about an object or situation. It is a certain culturally determined idea of an object, phenomenon, situation. But this is not only a mental image, but also its verbal shell. Belonging to a particular culture is determined precisely by the presence of a basic stereotypical core of knowledge that is repeated in the process of socialization of an individual in a given society, therefore stereotypes are considered to be precedent (important, representative) names in culture. A stereotype is such a phenomenon of language and speech, such a stabilizing factor that allows, on the one hand, to store and transform some of the dominant components of a given culture, and on the other hand, to express oneself among "one's own" and at the same time recognize "one's own".

The mechanism for the formation of stereotypes are many cognitive processes, because stereotypes perform a number of cognitive functions - the function of schematization and simplification, the function of forming and storing group ideology, etc.

We live in a world of stereotypes imposed on us by culture. The set of mental stereotypes of an ethnic group is known to each of its representatives. Stereotypes are, for example, expressions in which a representative of a rural, peasant culture will say about a bright moonlit night: light so that you can sew, while a city dweller in this typical situation will say: light so that you can read. Similar stereotypes are used by native speakers in standard communication situations. Moreover, practically any, and not just the logically main feature, can become dominant in the stereotype.

The stability of culture, its viability are determined by how developed the structures that determine its unity, integrity. The integrity of culture involves the development of cultural stereotypes - stereotypes of goal setting, behavior, perception, understanding, communication, etc., i.e. stereotypes overall picture peace. An important role in the formation of stereotypes is played by the frequency of occurrence of certain objects, phenomena in people's lives, often expressed in longer human contacts with these objects in comparison with others, which leads to the stereotyping of such objects.

A stereotype of behavior is the most important among stereotypes; it can turn into a ritual. In general, stereotypes have much in common with traditions, customs, myths, rituals, but they differ from the latter in that traditions and customs are characterized by their objectified significance, openness to others, while stereotypes remain at the level of hidden mindsets that exist among “their own”.

So, the stereotype is characteristic of the consciousness and language of a representative of culture, it is a kind of core of culture, its bright representative, and therefore the support of the individual in the dialogue of cultures.

In understanding the phenomena “linguistic picture of the world” and “value picture of the world”, the concept of “stereotype” plays an important role. Most dictionaries note that the word "stereotype" has a negative connotation. An example is the definition of a stereotype given by Mike Cordwell's Dictionary of Psychology: “A stereotype is a rigid, often simplified representation of specific group or categories of people. Since we are generally prone to simplifications, we form stereotypes to make other people's behavior more predictable. These stereotypes are often negative and based on prejudice and discrimination. Stereotypes are not necessarily false; they usually contain some grain of truth. They are shared by a significant number of people, which generally contributes to their rooting. Stereotypes can change over time, but it is often difficult for their bearers to shake off their internalized beliefs.” [Cordwell 2000: 46]

In the Concise Dictionary of Cognitive Terms we find the following definition: “A stereotype is a standard opinion about social groups or individuals as representatives of these groups. The stereotype has a logical form of judgment in a sharply simplifying and generalizing form, with emotional coloring, attributing certain properties or attitudes to a separate class of persons, or, conversely, denying them these properties or attitudes. Expressed as a sentence like: Italians are musical, southerners are quick-tempered, professors are absent-minded, etc.” [ Concise Dictionary cognitive terms 1997: 198]

The “stereotype” phenomenon is considered not only in the works of psychologists, but also in the works of linguists, sociologists, ethnographers, cognitologists, ethnopsycholinguists (W. Lippman, Yu.D. Apresyan, Yu.A. Sorokin, Yu.E. Prokhorov, E. Bartminsky and others .)

Representatives of each of these sciences highlight in the stereotype those properties that they notice from the standpoint of their field of study, and therefore stand out social stereotypes, communication stereotypes, mental stereotypes, cultural stereotypes, ethno-cultural stereotypes, etc. For example, social stereotypes manifest themselves as stereotypes of thinking and behavior of an individual. Ethnocultural stereotypes are a generalized idea of typical features characterizing a people.

The term "stereotype" (Greek stereos - solid, typos - imprint) was introduced into scientific circulation by the American sociologist W. Lippman. By stereotype, Lippmann meant special form perception of the surrounding world, which has a certain influence on the data of our senses before these data reach our consciousness. . According to Lippman, a person, trying to comprehend the world around him in all its inconsistency, creates a “picture in his head” regarding those phenomena that he did not directly observe. A person has a clear idea of most things even before he directly encountered them in life. Such stereotypes are formed under the influence of the cultural environment of a given individual. “In most cases, we do not first see and then give a definition, we first define a particular phenomenon for ourselves, and then we observe it. “.

V.V. Krasnykh understands a stereotype as “the structure of a mental-lingual complex formed by an invariant set of valence bonds attributed to a given unit and representing the concept of the phenomenon behind this unit” [Krasnykh 2001: 78].

According to Yu.A. Sorokin, a stereotype is “a certain process and result of communication according to certain semiotic models, the list of which is closed due to certain semiotic-technical principles adopted in a certain society. At the same time, the semiotic model is realized at the social, socio-psychological levels (standard) or at the linguistic, socio-psychological levels (norm). The standard and the norm exist in two forms: as a cliché (an overly explicated complex sign) or as a cliché (an insufficiently explicated complex sign) [Sorokin 1998: 56].

Maslova V.A. distinguishes between a stereotype of behavior - the most important among stereotypes, which can turn into a ritual. In her opinion, “stereotypes have much in common with traditions, myths, rituals, but they differ from the latter in that traditions and customs are characterized by their objectified significance, openness to others, and stereotypes remain at the level of hidden mindsets that exist among “their own” [Maslova 2001: 208].

V.A. Maslova also emphasizes that “the basis of the formation of ethnic consciousness and culture as regulators of human behavior are both innate and acquired in the process of socialization factors - cultural stereotypes that are assimilated from the moment a person begins to identify himself with a certain ethnic group, a certain culture and be aware of oneself as an element of it” [ibid: 59].

Thus, the formation of stereotypes is based on cognitive processes, and stereotypes perform a number of cognitive functions: the function of schematization and simplification, the function of forming and storing group ideology, and other mental functions.

In our study the greatest interest represent ethnic stereotypes that embody ideas inherent in everyday consciousness about their own and other peoples.

N.V. Ufimtseva differentiates ethnic stereotypes and cultural stereotypes: “ethnic stereotypes are inaccessible to self-reflection of a “naive” member of an ethnic group and are facts of behavior and the collective unconscious, they cannot be specially taught, and cultural stereotypes are accessible to self-reflection and are facts of behavior, individual unconscious consciousness, they can already be taught” [Ufimtseva 1996: 140].

Ethnic stereotypes not only summarize certain information, but also express an emotional attitude towards the object. What in relation to one's own people is called reasonable economy, in relation to others may be called avarice. What is characterized as perseverance in “oneself”, the firmness of character in a “stranger” is called stubbornness. One and the same psychological complex, depending on the relationship to its carrier, can be called spontaneity, and carelessness, and irresponsibility [Dictionary of cognitive terms 1997: 189].

The concept of N.A. Erofeev, which is based on historical material. “Ethnic ideas are, as it were, the result of acquired information, the result of its processing and a generalized conclusion from it, they often affect relations between nations, ethnic groups and states." [Erofeev 1982: 11].

The main reason for the development of stereotypes is related to the protection of group values as a purely social function, which is realized in the form of a statement of its dissimilarity, specificity. “Stereotypes are a fortress that protects the traditions, views, beliefs, values of the individual, he is comfortable behind the walls of this fortress, because he feels safe there. Therefore, any encroachment on stereotypes is an attack on the safety of the individual, he regards such actions as an attack on the foundations of his worldview” [Platonov 2001: 139].

One of central issues arising from the study of stereotypes - this is how objective they are and reflect reality. There is no consensus on this issue. If the stereotype is based on reality, then it should be relatively stable, but if it is completely and completely false, then it should change depending on the historical, international and even domestic political situation in a particular country.

There are autostereotypes that reflect what people think about themselves, and heterostereotypes that refer to another people, to another people, and they are just more critical. For example, what is considered a manifestation of prudence among one's own people, a manifestation of greed among another people. People perceive ethno-cultural stereotypes as patterns that must be met. Therefore, stereotypes have a rather strong influence on people, stimulating in them the formation of such character traits that are reflected in the stereotype.

“Specialists in ethnic psychology who study ethnocultural stereotypes note that nations located on high level economic development, emphasize in themselves such qualities as intelligence, efficiency, enterprise, and nations with a more backward economy - kindness, cordiality, hospitality” [Maslova 2001: 58]. The above can be confirmed by the study by S. G. Ter-Minasova, according to the results of which professionalism, diligence, responsibility, etc. are more valued in English society, and hospitality, sociability, justice in Russian [Ter-Minasova 2000: 255].

According to E.Yu. Prokhorov, a stereotype is a superfixed phenomenon that does not change even in the face of real experience that refutes its truth. [Prokhorov 1997: 124].

According to Maslova V.A. an important role in the formation of stereotypes is played by the frequency of occurrence of certain objects, phenomena in people's lives, often expressed in longer human contacts with these objects in comparison with others, which leads to the stereotyping of such objects [Maslova 2001: 109].

With all its schematism and generalization, stereotypical ideas about other peoples and other cultures prepare for a collision with a foreign culture, reduce culture shock. “Stereotypes allow a person to form an idea of the world as a whole, to go beyond his narrow social and geographical world” [Pavlovskaya 1998: 139].

Yu. P. Platonov defines a stereotype as “a stable mental formation, in which some sufficiently hard fact reality, first of all, the image of some social group or community, easily extended to all its representatives. Stereotypes are sensually colored images that accumulate social and psychological experience communication and relationships between individuals” [Platonov 2001: 131].

The most popular source of stereotyped ideas about national characters are the so-called interethnic jokes, that is, jokes built on a template plot: representatives of different nations, once in the same situation, react to it differently, in accordance with those features of their national character which are attributed to them in the homeland of the anecdote.

An anecdote, being a text created by the people and for the people, is a reflection of the stereotypes that have developed in a particular linguistic and cultural environment.

After analyzing the concept of “stereotype” in various sciences, it can be noted that each person has an individual personal experience, a special form of perception of the world around him, on the basis of which the so-called “picture of the world” is created in his head, which includes the objective (invariant) part and the subjective assessment of reality by the individual. The stereotype is an integral part of this picture.

The main feature of stereotypes is their determinism by culture - a person's ideas about the world are formed under the influence of the cultural environment in which he lives. Stereotypes are shared by most people, but they can change depending on the historical, international, and domestic political situation in a particular country;

The phenomenon of “stereotype” itself is considered not only in the works of linguists, but also in the works of sociologists, ethnographers, cognitive scientists, psychologists, ethnopsycholinguists (W. Lippman, I. S. Kohn, J. Collen, Yu. D. Apresyan, Yu. A. Sorokin, V.A.Ryzhkov, Yu.E.Prokhorov, V.V. Krasnykh, P.N. Shikhirev, A.V. Mikheev, S.M. S. Batygin, S.V. Silinsky and others).

Representatives of each of these sciences highlight in the stereotype those properties that they notice from the standpoint of their field of study, and therefore social stereotypes, communication stereotypes, mental stereotypes, cultural stereotypes, ethno-cultural stereotypes, etc. are distinguished. For example, social stereotypes manifest themselves as stereotypes of thinking and behavior of an individual. Ethnocultural stereotypes are a generalized idea of the typical features that characterize a nation. German accuracy, Russian "maybe", Chinese ceremonies, African temperament, Italian temperament, Finns' stubbornness, Estonians' slowness, Polish gallantry - stereotyped ideas about a whole people that apply to each of its representatives. Most of the jokes about the national character are based on taking into account stereotypical ideas. Here is an example: “We sent a film to representatives of different nationalities with the following content: a hot desert and a scorching sun. A man and a woman walk with difficulty. And suddenly the man takes out a juicy orange and gives it to the woman. Viewers are asked the question: what nationality is he?

The French spectator replies: “Only a Frenchman could treat a lady so gallantly!” Russian: “No. This is Russian: you must be such a fool! I would eat it myself." Jew: "No, it's a Jew: who else could get an orange in the desert?" Here the stereotypes are the gallantry of the French, the recklessness of the Russians, the resourcefulness of the Jews.

There are autostereotypes that reflect what people think about themselves, and heterostereotypes that refer to another people, and they are just more critical. For example, what is considered a manifestation of prudence among one's own people, a manifestation of greed among another people. People perceive ethno-cultural stereotypes as patterns that must be met so that "people do not laugh." Therefore, stereotypes have a rather strong influence on people, stimulating in them the formation of such character traits that are reflected in the stereotype.

Ethnic psychologists who study ethnocultural stereotypes note that nations with a high level of economic development emphasize such qualities as intelligence, efficiency, and enterprise, while nations with a more backward economy emphasize kindness, cordiality, and hospitality. This can be confirmed by the study by S.G. Ter-Minasova, according to its results, in English society, professionalism, diligence, responsibility, etc. are more valued, and in Russian - hospitality, sociability, justice (Ter-Minasova, 2000, p. 255).

N. V. Ufimtseva differentiates ethnic stereotypes and cultural stereotypes: ethnic stereotypes are inaccessible to self-reflection of a “naive” member of an ethnic group and are facts of behavior and the collective unconscious, they cannot be specially trained, and cultural stereotypes are accessible to self-reflection and are facts of behavior, individual unconscious and consciousness, they can already be taught.

For the first time, the concept of a stereotype was used by W. Lippman back in 1922, who believed that these are ordered, schematic, culture-determined “pictures of the world” in a person’s head, which save his efforts when perceiving complex objects of the world. With this understanding of the stereotype, two of its important features stand out - being determined by culture and being a means of saving labor efforts, and, accordingly, language means. If the algorithms for solving mathematical problems save a person's thinking, then stereotypes "save" the personality itself.

In cognitive linguistics and ethnolinguistics, the term stereotype refers to the content side of language and culture, i.e. is understood as a mental (thinking) stereotype that correlates with the “naive picture of the world”. Such an understanding of the stereotype is found in the works of E. Bartminsky and his school; the linguistic picture of the world and the linguistic stereotype are related to him as a part and a whole, while the linguistic stereotype is understood as a judgment or several judgments relating to a specific object of the extralinguistic) world, a subjectively determined representation of an object in which descriptive and evaluative features coexist and which is the result of an interpretation reality within the framework of socially developed cognitive models. We consider as a linguistic stereotype not only a judgment or several judgments, but also any stable expression consisting of several words, for example, a stable comparison, cliché, etc.: a person of Caucasian nationality, gray as a harrier, a new Russian. The use of such stereotypes facilitates and simplifies communication, saving the strength of communicants.

Yu. A. Sorokin defines a stereotype as a certain process and result of communication (behavior) according to certain semiotic models, the list of which is closed due to certain semiotic-technological principles adopted in a certain society. At the same time, the semiotic model is realized at the social, socio-psychological levels (standard) or at the linguistic, psychological levels (norm). The standard and the norm exist in two forms: as a stamp (an overly explicated complex sign) or as a cliché (insufficiently explicated complex sign).

Stereotypes are always national, and if there are analogues in other cultures, then these are quasi-stereotypes, because, while coinciding in general, they differ in nuances, details that are of fundamental importance. For example, the phenomena and the situation of the queue in different cultures are different, and therefore, stereotyped behavior will also be different: in Russia, they ask “Who is the last one?” or they simply stand in line, in a number of European countries they tear off a ticket in a special apparatus and then follow the numbers that light up above the window, for example, in the post office.

So, a stereotype is a certain fragment of the conceptual picture of the world, a mental “picture”, a stable cultural and national idea (according to Yu. E. Prokhorov, “super stable” and “super fixed”) about an object or situation. It is a certain culturally determined idea of an object, phenomenon, situation. But this is not only a mental image, but also its verbal shell. Belonging to a particular culture is determined precisely by the presence of a basic stereotypical core of knowledge that is repeated in the process of socialization of an individual in a given society, therefore stereotypes are considered to be precedent (important, representative) names in culture. A stereotype is such a phenomenon of language and speech, such a stabilizing factor that allows, on the one hand, to store and transform some of the dominant components of a given culture, and on the other hand, to express oneself among "one's own" and at the same time recognize "one's own".

At the heart of the formation of ethnic consciousness and culture as regulators of human behavior are both congenital and acquired factors in the process of socialization - cultural stereotypes that are assimilated from the moment a person begins to identify himself with a certain ethnic group, a certain culture and realize himself as their own. element.

The mechanism for the formation of stereotypes is many cognitive processes, because stereotypes perform a number of cognitive functions - the function of schematization and simplification, the function of forming and storing group ideology, etc.

The cultural sphere of a certain ethnic group contains a number of elements of a stereotypical nature, which, as a rule, are not perceived by the bearers of another culture; these elements are called lacunae by Yu. A. Sorokin and I. Yu. created text, namely gaps.

The stability of culture, its viability are determined by how developed the structures that determine its unity, integrity. The integrity of culture involves the development of cultural stereotypes - stereotypes of goal-setting, behavior, perception, understanding, communication, etc., i.e. stereotypes of the general picture of the world. An important role in the formation of stereotypes is played by the frequency of occurrence of certain objects, phenomena in people's lives, often expressed in longer human contacts with these objects in comparison with others, which leads to the stereotyping of such objects.

To describe the language of a particular region in the light of linguoculturology, we use the scheme proposed by N. I. Tolstoy in ethnolinguistics: the literary language corresponds to the elite culture, dialects and dialects to folk culture, etc.

This scheme can be used in the linguistic and cultural description of any other region.

the brightest linguistic feature, which reflects the culture of the people, are phraseological units and proverbs, metaphors and symbols. For example, mythologemes, archetypes, standards, stereotypes, customs, rituals, and beliefs are fixed in the language.

The national and cultural identity of phraseological units, metaphors, symbols is formed through cultural connotations. And yet we maintain that language is not the repository of culture.

The unit of language - the word - is only a signal, the function of which is to awaken the human consciousness, to touch certain concepts in it, ready to respond to this signal.

Language is only a mechanism that contributes to the coding and translation of culture. Texts are the true guardian of culture. Not the language, but the text reflects the spiritual world of man. It is the text that is directly related to culture, because it is permeated with many cultural codes, it is the text that stores information about history, ethnography, national psychology, national behavior, i.e. about everything that constitutes the content of culture. In turn, the rules for constructing a text depend on the context of the culture in which it appears.

The text is built from the lower levels of linguistic units, which, if appropriately selected, can enhance the cultural signal. Phraseological units are such units in the first place.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

cultural stereotype- a certain canon of thoughts and perceptions, sustainable reproduction of leisure activities, forms of behavior. On the one hand, a cultural stereotype helps an individual navigate situations, while a fixed form of prejudice plays a negative role, making it difficult to objectively assess the contradictions that arise in the course of development. public relations, the ambiguity of people's actions.

In a broad sense, a cultural stereotype as part of a worldview can be considered as a carrier of collective ideas, as an imprint of power relations, as a manifestation of implicit knowledge, as a component of motivation for social practice. Its versatile study is relevant, first of all, from the standpoint of the anthropological version of cultural studies, which, studying the specifics of the subject cultural activities, is aimed at providing it with pragmatic, adaptive-expedient knowledge.

The study of cultural stereotypes, their stability, selection is associated with the needs modern life, with the awareness of the fact that, formed by various circumstances, including accidents, limited knowledge, the image of the “other”, “another culture” in general, often very far from reality, has the same historical and cultural significance as reality itself . It is these images that guide many of us in our practical activities.

Despite the stability of stereotypes and, at first glance, sufficient knowledge, their study in each new historical era is important scientific problem, if only because there is a constant voltage pulsation between the traditional installation and its erosion, between enrichment with new historical facts and rethinking already known. Despite sufficient attention on the part of researchers to this phenomenon, the explanation of the nature, emergence and functioning of stereotypes, as well as understanding the term "stereotype" itself, is still a problem.

At present, there is no consensus in scientific thought regarding its content. The term "stereotype" can be found in various contexts, where it is interpreted ambiguously: a standard of behavior, an image of a group or a person, prejudice, a cliché, "sensitivity" to cultural differences.

Initially, the term stereotype was used to refer to a metal plate used in printing to make subsequent copies. Today under the stereotype in in general terms is understood as a relatively stable and simplified image of a social object, group, person, event, phenomenon, emerging in conditions of information deficiency as a result of generalization personal experience individual and often preconceived notions accepted in society.

At the same time, stereotypes are often identified with traditions, customs, myths, and rituals. Despite the absolute similarity of stereotypes with traditions and customs, it should be noted that stereotypes differ from them to a large extent in their psychological basis.

The functional field of stereotypes lies mainly in the sphere of mental structures, while cultural traditions, customs and myths are the objectified results of their formation, fixed by rationalized (ideological, political, conceptual) or irrationalized (artistic-poetic, mystical-religious) ways and means. in which society is interested (or not interested).

In other words, traditions and customs are distinguished by their objectified general significance, openness to others, while stereotypes are the product of hidden subjective mindsets.

By their nature, stereotypes are sensually colored images that accumulate the social and psychological experience of communication and interactions of individuals. Having such a nature, stereotypes have a number of qualities: integrity, value coloring, stability, conservatism, emotionality, rationality, etc. Thanks to these qualities, stereotypes perform their various functions and tasks, of which for the process intercultural communication special meaning have the following:

explanation human actions by providing ready-made and simple information about their specific socio-cultural characteristics;

foresight various forms behavior from communication partners;

formation of the foundations of one's own behavior in relation to interlocutors and partners;

protection of traditions, customs, habits, one's own culture, apology of one's own co-cultural group;

providing members of society with relevant standards, models, standards of behavior;

stabilization and integration of relations between sociocultural groups in society.

Stereotypes are hardwired into our value system, they are its integral part and provide a kind of protection for our position in society. For this reason, stereotypes are used in every intercultural situation. Mechanisms of intercultural perception set in motion the selective application of the norms and values of the native culture. Without the use of these extremely common cultural specific ways assessments, both of one's own group and of other cultural groups, cannot be dispensed with. Representatives of the other group are identified by such characteristics as gender, ethnicity, features of speech, appearance, skin color, marriage customs, religious beliefs, etc. cultural stereotype tradition

The relationship between the cultural affiliation of a particular person and the character traits attributed to him is usually not adequate. People from different cultures have different understanding world, which makes communication from a “single” position impossible. Guided by the norms and values of his culture, a person himself determines what facts and in what light to evaluate, which significantly affects the nature of our communication with representatives of other cultures.

For example, when communicating with Italians gesticulating animatedly during a conversation, Germans who are accustomed to a different style of communication may develop a stereotype about the “irritability” and “disorganization” of Italians. In turn, the Italians may develop a stereotype about the Germans as "cold" and "reserved", etc.

Depending on the ways and forms of use, stereotypes can be useful or harmful for communication. Stereotyping helps people understand the situation and act according to new circumstances in the following cases:

if it is consciously adhered to: the individual must understand that the stereotype reflects group norms and values, group traits and signs, and not specific qualities, characteristic of an individual from a given group;

if the stereotype is descriptive, not evaluative: this involves the reflection in stereotypes of the real and objective qualities and properties of people in this group, but not their evaluation as good or bad;

if the stereotype is accurate: this means that the stereotype must adequately express the signs and traits of the group to which the person belongs;

if the stereotype is only a guess about the group, but not direct information about it: this means that the first impression of the group does not always give reliable knowledge about all the individuals of this group;

if the stereotype is modified, i.e. based on further observations and experience with real people or comes from the experience of a real situation.

In a situation of intercultural contacts, stereotypes are effective only when they are used as the first and positive guess about a person or situation, and are not considered as the only true information about them.

Stereotypes become ineffective and impede communication when, focusing on them, people are mistakenly assigned to the wrong groups, group norms are incorrectly described, when stereotypes are mixed with the description of a certain individual, and when it is not possible to modify stereotypes based on real observations and experience. In such cases, stereotypes can become a serious obstacle to intercultural contacts.

In general, the following reasons are distinguished, due to which? stereotypes can hinder intercultural communication:

if stereotypes cannot be revealed individual characteristics people: stereotyping assumes that all members of a group have the same traits. This approach is applied to the whole group? E and to an individual over a certain period of time, despite individual variations;

if stereotypes repeat and reinforce certain erroneous beliefs and beliefs until people begin to accept them as true;

if stereotypes are based on half-truths and distortions. While retaining the real characteristics of the stereotyped group, stereotypes at the same time distort reality and give inaccurate ideas about the people with whom intercultural contacts are made.

People retain their stereotypes, even if the reality and their life experience contradict them. In this regard, in a situation of intercultural contacts, it is important to be able to deal effectively with stereotypes, i.e. be aware of and use them, as well as be able to refuse them if they do not correspond to reality.

Hosted on Allbest.ru

...