Этнонимия и национальное самосознание

Abstract

The author explores in this article the relationship between speakers’ type of ethnic identity and their use of ethnic terms in speech. The article consists of four parts. It starts by proposing a hierarchical model of identities in a multicultural society that accounts for the variation of identities actually existing in Russia. The model introduces two basic types of identity: simple and nesting. It is shown that ethnic-term use may vary in samples produced by holders of different type of identity in terms of quantity and quality. In order to set the foundation for a more substantive qualitative analysis, in section two the author briefly describes the semantic, functional and structural characteristics of the domain of ethnic terms. Section three is devoted to the interpretation of ethnic terms in speech from the vantage point of communicative grammar and the theory of reference and nomination. Here the author co-relates specific paradigmatic and syntagmatic characteristics of ethnic terms with the different types of ethnic identity. Section four tests the proposals made on theoretical grounds by a statistic analysis of texts written by two holders of a simple and a nesting identity, respectively.