Experimental Methods for Identifying Psycholinguistic Meanings of

Toponyms

M. R. Makhaev

1,2 a

, Kh. E.

Mamalova

and B. R. Zakrailova

Moscow International University, Nazran, Russia

Kh. Ibragimov Complex Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Grozny, Russia

Chechen State University, Grozny, Russia

Keywords: Psycholinguistic Meaning, Semantics, Associative Experiment, Semantics.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the problem of semantics of lexical units. Presently in linguistics there are different

points of view on the nature of the semantics of lexemes. This article states the discovery of a new kind of

meaning of proper names – psycholinguistic. A differential empirical model of the description and

lexicographic fixation of the psycholinguistic meaning of a proper name is proposed. This concept is based

on the use of experimental methods for studying the meanings of words, which involves appealing to the

consciousness of native speakers. We conducted psycholinguistic experiments in Grozny. The subjects are

300 students of various faculties, specialties. Experiments were conducted in lecture halls in written form.

The method of free and directed associative experiment was used. The subjects performed two tasks: the first

task was connected with free associations, and the second task was aimed at identifying knowledge. Various

toponyms were used as stimulus material. The subjects filled out experimental forms on their own. According

to the results of the experiments, numerous associative reactions were obtained. Then the semantic

interpretation of associative reactions was carried out, which consists in understanding the reactions as

linguistic representations of certain signs of denotation – semantic components.

1 INTRODUCTION

The anthropocentric paradigm is one of the central

ones in modern linguistics

The origins of this paradigm go back to the works

of V. von Humboldt, G. Steinthal, A. Potebnya et al.

V. von Humboldt noted that language is an

intermediary (a special world) between the inner

world of man, on the one hand, and the world of

things, on the other.

Language acts as a means of forming his

worldview and developing spiritual forces.

Moreover, "a person becomes a person only through

a language in which the creative primordial forces of

a person, his deep capabilities, operate. Language is

the unified spiritual energy of the people" (Humboldt,

1984).

E. Benveniste, emphasizing the indissoluble

connection between man and language, noted that "in

the world there is only a person with a language, a

person speaking to another person, and language,

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4238-3663

therefore, necessarily belongs to the very definition

of a person" (Benveniste, 2002).

E. Benveniste, emphasizing the indissoluble

connection between man and language, noted that "in

the world there is only a person with a language, a

person speaking to another person, and language,

therefore, necessarily belongs to the very definition

of a person" (Benveniste, 2002).

Developing Benveniste's ideas, Yu. Stepanov

noted that "the language was created by the measure

of a person, this scale is imprinted in the very

organization of the language; in accordance with it,

the language should be studied. Therefore, in its main

trunk, linguistics will always be the science of

language in man and of man in language"

(Benveniste, 1974).

R. Pavelenis wrote that a person is not a passive

referent of language utterances, only a simple native

speaker; he is an active interpreter, a carrier of

conceptual systems that allow him to learn and

136

Makhaev, M., Mamalova, K. and Zakrailova, B.

Experimental Methods for Identifying Psycholinguistic Meanings of Toponyms.

DOI: 10.5220/0011608500003577

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Actual Issues of Linguistics, Linguodidactics and Intercultural Communication (TLLIC 2022), pages 136-139

ISBN: 978-989-758-655-2

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

understand the language, the world, and also to

communicate with other people (Pavelenis, 1983).

Lexicographers a priori proceed from the fact that

the meaning of a word described in dictionaries exists

in the language in the semantic volume that is

presented in the dictionary definition, and in the same

volume this lexeme is understood and used in speech.

However, psycholinguistic experiments allow us

to identify numerous semantic components in the

meanings of words that are not fixed in the definitions

of explanatory dictionaries and are not revealed by

the results of the analysis of usage contexts, but are

relevant for native speakers.

The results of our psycholinguistic experiments

(Makhaev, 2019; Makhaev, 2020) show that it is the

experiment that gives access to the volumetric and

deep semantics of lexical units.

The experimental description of the semantics of

toponyms makes it possible to present their content as

some kind of psychological reality, to identify such

semantic components that are not fixed by other,

traditional methods and techniques of semantic

analysis.

The results of the experiments revealed a new

kind of word meaning – a psycholinguistic meaning

that exists in the language along with the traditional

dictionary meaning (Sternin, 2011; Sternin, 2017).

A psycholinguistic meaning is a meaning that is

actually represented in the minds of native speakers

(as opposed to the dictionary meaning that is

represented in dictionaries).

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

The general algorithm for identifying and analyzing

psycholinguistic meanings consists of 4 main stages,

which include:

1) conducting a psycholinguistic experiment with

the words studied as stimuli;

2) processing of the received associative reactions

and construction of associative fields of words;

3) semantic interpretation of associative fields and

identification of semantic components (semes);

4) sememic attribution of semes and identification

of psycholinguistic meanings

5) comparative analysis of psycholinguistic and

dictionary meanings.

During 2019, psycholinguistic experiments were

conducted in Grozny.

The experiments were conducted in the lecture

halls of Grozny universities in writing.

The subjects are students of both sexes, students

of various faculties and courses in the number of 300

people.

Stimulus material is a list of 10 toponyms

arranged in experimental forms in alphabetical order.

Before starting the experiment, the subjects

received experimental forms with two tasks.

In the first task, the subjects had to answer with

the first word that comes to mind after reading the

toponyms from the corresponding list.

The task was to identify the free associations that

the subjects had with a particular city or republic.

In the second task, the subjects had to answer two

questions: what are the cities or republics represented

in the list known and famous for and where are they

located.

Thus, the second task involved the identification

of current knowledge about cities and republics in the

subjects.

The experiment began after the experimenter

introduced the subjects to the instruction.

The time of filling out the forms was not limited.

In general, the experiment was completed within 15-

20 minutes.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

According to the results of the experiments,

numerous associative reactions to each word were

obtained.

All associative reactions to each word were

distributed in descending frequency within the

corresponding associative dictionaries.

As an example, let's give an associative dictionary

entry with the toponym "Vladikavkaz".

The structure of the dictionary entry is as follows:

1) stimulus (the word "Vladikavkaz") 2) the number

of subjects in the experiment – the number after the

stimulus (for example, Vladikavkaz 300) 3)

associative reactions (for example, "mountains") 4)

the frequency of associative reactions is the number

after the stimulus (for example, "mountains 38"). 5)

refusals – absence of verbal reactions – the figure at

the end of the article (for example, "refusals – 33"

means that 33 participants of the experiment did not

complete the first task). 6) unprocessed reactions –

reactions that have not been processed for various

reasons (for example, due to unclear handwriting).

The associative field of the toponym

"Vladikavkaz" based on the results of the first task.

Vladikavkaz 300 – mountain 38, Ossetia 23,

Ossetian pies 22, the Caucasus 16, Beslan14, hospital

14, Alanya, 11, fortress 5, medicine 5, Ossetians 4,

Experimental Methods for Identifying Psycholinguistic Meanings of Toponyms

137

Vlad 3, Vladik 3, Ossete 3, water 2, city 2, medical

university 2, landscape 2, Ossetian pie 2 pies 2, nature

2, family 2, neighbors 2, the capital of Ossetia 2, bus

station 1, Adinyaev E. D. 1, airport, 1, Magas airport

1, large river 1, beard 1, former classmate 1, delicious

food 1, Vladimir 1, Vladikavkaz 1, Vladik

(abbreviated name) 1, to possess the Caucasus 3,

water 2, Essentuki water 1, Georgian military

highway 1, the doctors 1, this is unlikely to be 1, the

city in the Caucasus 1, the city of military glory 4, city

in the South of Russia 1, there are mountains 1, mount

Elbrus 1, Gorsky SAU 1, the border with Georgia 1,

road 1, friends 1, cultured people 1, culture 1,

beautiful places 1, conflict 1, beautiful mosque 1,

camps 1, Linda 1, Magas airport 1, the memorial of

Glory 1, Marat Balaev 1, mineral water 1, medical

academy 1, medical institute 1, Mukhtarov mosque 1,

MiyaGi & Endshpil 1, our neighbors 1, Nalchik 1,

uncertainty 1, father, 1, rest 1, Ossetian water 1,

weather forecast 1, monument 1, 15 region 1, order 1,

walk 1, train 1, pie 1, boring 1, neighbor's Republic 1,

and neighbors in the Caucasus 1, S. S. Cherchesov 1,

Stavropol 1, capital 1, North healing 1, North Ossetia

1, North Ossetia-Alania 1, capital of the Republic

Alania, 1, shopping center "Capital" 1, custom 1,

Targim 1, point 1, hackathon 1, good hospitals 1,

good city 1, healing springs 1, cheburek 1, Chechnya

1, Elbrus (mountain) 1, South 1.

Refusals – 33

Unprocessed reactions – 2 (a word smeared with

a corrector and an incomplete word – "oseti").

Associative field of the toponym "Vladikavkaz"

based on the results of the second task.

Vladikavkaz - what is it famous for? 300

Ossetian pies 15, Mukhtarov mosque 11, Ossetian

pies 10, Table Mountain 10, mountains 9, the city of

military glory 7, mountains 6, medicine 5, nothing 5,

Prospekt Mira 5, hospitals 4, a fortress on the

Georgian military road 4, museums 4, theatres 4,

culture 3, monuments 3, monument to Issa Pliev 3,

pies 3, nature 3, Terek river 3, mountains 3, theatres

3, delicious Ossetian pies 2, Cathedral 2, beautiful

nature 2, medical university 2, museums 2, health

centers 2, Ossetian pie 2, monuments 2, Prospekt

Mira 2, capital 2, good doctors 2, mineral springs 2,

is a city of military glory 2, bright past 2, airport 1,

Alan Dzagoev 1, Alans 1, hospital 1, hospitals 1, the

former capital of the mountain Republic 1, delicious

cakes 1, water 1, a city in southern Russia 1,

hospitality 1, border with Georgia 1, a city with a

history 1, Alania 1, ancient history 1, the Palace of

Baron Steingel 1, friendly people 1, the road to

Georgia 1, the title of city of military glory 1,

Dzagoev Alan 1, Alan Dzagoev 1, strength 1, culture

1, the root of "Caucasus", resorts 1, resort area 1,

cultural-historical objects 1, Liana 1, Luana 1, best

hospital 1, treatment 1, best hospital 1, medicine 1,

the memorial of Glory 1, Medical North Ossetian

Academy 1, mineral waters 1, location 1, Glory

memorial 1, memorials 1, places 1, vacation places 1,

for many things 1, the Fiagdon male monastery 1,

music 1, Museum of the history of Vladikavkaz 1,

title 1, unusual places, filled with various animals 1,

strained relations with Ingushetia 1, the national

museum 1, from Vladikavkaz originates Georgian

military highway 1, one of the most beautiful cities of

the North Caucasus 1, eagle 1, about 250 buildings

and structures 1, education (medical) 1, the coast of

the Terek river 1, monuments of history and

architecture 1, the title of city of military glory 1, a

monument to General Pliev 1, monument to V.I.

Lenin 1, monuments to the participants of the Great

Patriotic War 1, pies 1, prospekt Mira 1, nature 1,

professionalism of physicians 1, rhinoplasty 1,

Rusteli 1, the capital of the Republic of North

Ossetia-Alania 1, the village of Dzauga 1, distillery 1,

sanatoriums 1, for its nature 1, the capital of the

Republic of North Ossetia 1, SOGMA 1, the capital

of Ossetia 1, Stolitsa shopping center 1, there are

beautiful fabrics 1, there was a Hackathon 1, a

football academy in the North Caucasus 1, well

known 1, healing springs 1, Chechnya 1, clean waters

and fresh breath 1, chebureks 1, I just love this city 1.

Refusals – 87

Unprocessed reactions – 4 (illegible handwriting

and a completely crossed out sentence).

Associative field of the toponym "Vladikavkaz"

based on the results of the third task.

Vladikavkaz – where is it located? 300 – in

South Ossetia 26, in Russia 21, in the South of Russia

19, North Ossetia 19, in the Caucasus 16, North

Caucasus 16, in the North Caucasus 15, in the Central

part of the North Caucasus 12, in the Russian

Federation 11, North Ossetia-Alania 11, North

Caucasus Federal district 8, North Ossetia-Alania 7,

Republic of North Ossetia-Alania 6, RF 6, Ossetia 5,

in southern Russia 4, city in the South of Russia 4, the

Caucasus 4, on both banks of the river Terek 4, on the

banks of the Terek river 3, near Ingushetia 3, near 3,

Alanya 2, in the North Ossetia 2, in the Russian

Federation 2, in the Central part of the North

Caucasus 2, in the South 2, the Republic of North

Ossetia 2, Russia 2, the capital of Ossetia 2, south of

Russia 2, in North Ossetia-Alania 1, in Vladikavkaz

1, in the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania 1, in

Kabardino - Balkaria 1, part of the North Caucasus

Federal district 1, in Moscow 1, in the North

Caucasus Federal district 1, in the Central part, near

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the Caucasus 1, in North Ossetia Alania 1, in the

Republic of North Ossetia 1, is part of the RF 1,

Vladikavkaz city 1, a city in the South 1, Kabardino-

Balkaria 1, on the border with Ingushetia 1, on planet

Earth, facing the moon 1, near 1, in the south of the

Russian Federation 1, on Pliev square in the city of

Vladikavkaz 1, North Caucasus Federal district 1,

capital of the Republic of North Ossetia 1, capital of

the Republic Ossetia 1, capital of the Republic of

North Ossetia – Alania 1, the country of Russia 1,

where it used to be 1, the central part of the North

Caucasus 1, the south of the Caucasus 1.

Refusals -53

Unprocessed reactions – 2 (illegible handwriting).

At the next stage, semantic components were

identified by the method of semantic interpretation of

associative fields, from which the definition of the

toponym "Vladikavkaz" was formulated.

The structure of the dictionary entry with a

description of the psycholinguistic meaning: the left

part of the definition is the capital word, highlighted

in bold; after the capital word, semantic components

are listed, ordered according to the principle "integral

first, then differential semes";

Here is a preliminary version of the

psycholinguistic meaning of the toponym

"Vladikavkaz".

Vladikavkaz is a city in Ossetia in the Russian

Federation, in the Caucasus, where there are

mountains, the city of Beslan, Ossetian pies.

This value is relevant for native speakers.

4 CONCLUSION

Thus, in this article, the method of identifying

psycholinguistic meanings was demonstrated.

Psycholinguistic meanings make it possible to

identify the real content of proper names, i.e. such

content that is actually represented in the minds of

native speakers.

These values can be compared with lexicographic

values.

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Benveniste, E., 2002. General Linguistics.

Benveniste, E., 1974. General Linguistics.

Pavelenis R., 1983. The problem of meaning: modern

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Makhaev, M.R., Sternin, I.А., Ibragimov, D.К., 2019.

Regional Specificity Of Toponym Semantics:

Psycholinguistic Study. The European Proceedings of

Social & Behavioural Sciences, LVIII.

Makhaev, M.R., Ireziev, S.Kh.S.E., Abdulazimova, T. K.,

Selmurzaeva, Kh.R, Navrazova, K.B., 2020. An

Integrated Approach to the Study of Semantics of

Proper Names. The European Proceedings of Social &

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Sternin, I.A., Rudakova, A.V., 2017. Dictionary Definitions

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Sternin, I.A., Rudakova, A.V. 2011. Psycholinguistic

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Experimental Methods for Identifying Psycholinguistic Meanings of Toponyms

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