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This article is devoted to the language and culture of Provence/Occitania in the period of the late XI – early XIII centuries. It is shown in the article that the phrase of F. Brodel “forever another France” refers to a collective representations. According to Narcy-Combes J.-P who separated the terms “concept” and “construct”, the former is a result of a classification of natural phenomenon and people’s observation, while the latter is a result of people’s actions and will. The aim of this article is to show that the Provence/Occitanian identity, that goes back to the tradition of troubadours was created consciously on the base of identifiers. These identifiers formed on the one hand the uniqueness of the region in the eyes of its inhabitants and on the other hand they made it recognizable in the eyes of strangers. The feeling of belonging to Provence/Occitania has the features of a construct, which is based on special – “strong” words, or “words of power” (mots-force), “places of power” (lieux de force). The article shows that troubadours had a developed sense of belonging to their land. This sense of belonging was expressed through a system of strong words – identifiers such as iconic toponyms outlining the region, language designations, names of famous courtyards, names of patrons and ladies (including encrypted ones), as well as a built-in system of word-symbols reflecting the ideal, game, dream and values. In the article the conclusion is made about the troubadours’ language: it is an example of the way the words form an identity and the way they create a construct, which components don’t lose their meaning up to the present.

The article examines the questions of identity as a phenomenon, which has generalizing characteristics and which is connected with reconstruction based on individual fragments of more general cultural values. The identity phenomenon is connected with the phenomenon of tradition, which can be explained as a point of view of contemporaries on the cultural significance of the past (Pouillon J.). In order to study the dynamics of Provencal / Occitan identity the innovations of each period have been singled out – “milestones of identity”. This term implies identical references accumulating or replacing each other in the process of historical development. The examined material shows that in the history of South French identity there was a period of inertial fading and several periods of identical uplifts of various strengths. Over the centuries, the past was rethought, innovations occurred, and identity was reformatted. That is the reason why we consider each stage new, with its own differential characteristics - “milestones” of identity. Among them there are: the culture of troubadours as a reference base (1); stigmatization of the Albiguian and religious wars (2); the cultural matrix of the “eternal” Provence, sacralization and “musification” of the past, the role of the creative person (felibrism) (3); demythologization of culture; rational justification of identity (Occitanism), the departure of the Occitan language from real communication and the development of a secondary, symbolic function (4); virtualization, “depersonification” of identity; distancing from the past (our time) (5). These and other “milestones” mark the path that the South French identity has traveled. They also denote the general vector of its development – confirmation of the rights in conditions of interaction with the dominant North French / French culture.

The study of the phenomenon of plurality / diversity is a relevant topic related to the interaction of language, society and culture cf. the concept of “multiple modernities”; “multiple sociality”; “multiple person”, “plurality of culture and language”, etc. The phenomenon of plurality / diversity in language and culture has several interpretations and terms corresponding to these interpretations, which are close but not identical to those adopted in Russian and French-speaking scientific literature: pluriculturalism / plurilingualism; multiculturalism / multilingualism; pluriculturalisme/plurilinguisme; multiculturalisme / multilinguisme. Considering the concepts of D.V. Ivanov, Z. Bauman, B. Lahir V. Feussi, M. Bernardot et al., the article discusses the concept of multiple heterogeneous formations reflected in the language, the components of which do not have clear boundaries and freely flow into one another. The article examines the functioning and interconnection of a number of French lexemes: pluralité, diversité, hétérogénéité, mobilité, mobiliser, motilité, immobilité, hybridité, métissage, mélange, liquidité, fluidification. It is confirmed that these lexemes are interconnected and form a “linguistic node”, reflecting / forming the factor of plurality in the discourse about modernity, which is developing in the context of globalization and glocalization. As a research perspective, an assumption is made about the allocation of discrete “territories” in the streams of words, terms and concepts, including the sphere of language education.

The article aims to analyze the word and the concept of mobilité / mobility in the language education discourse. This question is part of the broader issues related to the study of “discourse of modernity” and its markers – keywords, images, metaphors, reflecting the processes of globalization and glocalization which take place in society. The article shows that the field of teaching foreign languages is included in the streams, that M. Bernardo designated by the triad of keywords: mobility (mobilité), hybridity (hybridité), fluidity (liquidité). Meanwhile, this sphere is a special “territory” of culture because of the exclusive development of the term and concept of mobility / mobilité, as well as a complex of related lexemes that form a connotative knot: motilité – mobilizer – motiver – motivation. The subjects of mobility in this area are a foreign student / étudiant international and their teacher. Taking into consideration the works of Russian, French and Quebec authors, we conducted our own survey of teachers and master program students from China working under the program “Russian and French languages and cultures”. The parameters of mobility, the peculiarities of its perception as social capital are identified, and the assessment of its results as a social imperative and the main condition for the formation of the “third area” formed during the socialization of a person in a foreign language is given.

The purpose of the article is to consider the phenomenon of Hybridité / Hybridity as a point of intersection of language and culture in the context of the concepts: “another” – “foreign”; “the border”; “Third Space”; “cultural translation”, “translation”, “cultural transfer”, etc. Taking into account the concepts of M.M. Bakhtin, Yu.M. Lotman, R. Jacobson, J. Derrida, K. Levi-Strauss, N. Bhabha, B. Cassin and other authors, as well as dictionary definitions, it is discovered that the evolution of the lexeme Hybridité/Hybridity represents a double transfer: 1) from one language (French) to many languages; 2) from one system of terms into a com- mon language and other term systems (biology – philology – common language – anthropology, cultural studies, etc.). The lexeme has the meanings of heterogeneity, border crossing, lack of a fixed structure, a high degree of volatility, as well as connotations: positive (creativity, vitality, the emergence of something new), negative (wrong, spoiled), in scientific discourse – neutral, in some cases – reduced (unstructured). The phenomenon of hybridity is at the heart of a number of theories that establish different directions of intercultural interaction within the dichotomy of “another” – “foreign”: 1) emphasis on cultural differences, imitation, ambivalence and endless hybridization of cultural symbols (H. Bhabha’s theory of post-colonial discourse); 2) emphasis on identifying differences and searching for integration (integration of untranslatable signs by Yu.M. Lotman; the concept of the untranslatable in the philosophical discourse of B. Cassen.

The aims to study the interaction of two factors — hybridity and border — on the example of language education and functional multilingualism. The theoretical basis of the work is the concept of L.V. Shcherba on the relationship of language education with many other disciplines. It is established that the phenomenon of hybridity is associated with the idea of overcoming boundaries, mixing, in the field of language education, with the heterogeneity of students representing different countries and regions; belonging of students to different cultures, including educational ones. It is also connected with hybrid forms of education — full-time and distant learning; the concept of bilingual and multilingual teaching of foreign languages and cultures. It determines the relevance of the topic in terms of cultural and methodological aspects. Taking into account the works of N.V. Baryshnikov, N.I. Gendina, M. Causa, D. Marsh it is shown, that the use of a multilingual format mobilizes the resources of several languages that are in a situation of functional complementarity; it develops functional plurilingualism which is supporting an integrated system of communication. The condition for this is the systematic change of codes, or languages, in order to master and transfer the content of a particular discipline (translanguaring). The concept of information literacy (littératie / literacy) is considered, which implies the use of information resources in foreign languages, including digital ones, in order to educate a person who speaks several languages and has several sources of information. The question is raised about the results of the transfer of knowledge and concepts in a multilingual context and about the quality of the formed knowledge: integrated or disintegrated.

The article discusses the terminology of cultural memory research — the designations of reference points and/or vectors of culture that are important for the identification of a person and a collective. It is shown that the symbolization of culture can occur in different forms: the author examines the nominations that are used in the French-language scientific literature when developing the concepts of places (lieux): places of memory, places of knowledge, not places, places of transition. Most of the names with the place component are still close to metaphors and are not well known to the Russian-speaking audience. The article aims to trace the evolution of a number of designations proposed by the French-speaking authors of the second half of the XX–XXI centuries within the framework of theories of places of culture that can find wider application in domestic science. Based on the material of France and Quebec, it is established that in the French-speaking scientific discourse, the reference points of culture can be associated with the symbolism of places and reflect two sides of the existence of culture itself: static and dynamic. These sides are mutually reversible: in the process of the development of culture and language, new references arise, while “old” references are stored in memory, forgotten and resurface, revised and processed. The interchange and reinterpretation of old and new reference points, places of memory and places of transition are a sign and condition for the development of society, culture and discourses about society and culture at different stages of history.

The article aims to study modern aspects of the variation of linguistic and cultural space and to clarify approaches to its study, using the example of the French-speaking space. The role of Romance studies in the development of the principles of spatial research, the establishment of spatial patterns, mapping and the creation of atlases is shown. It is proved that the peculiarity of the Romance school of areal studies is the increasing desire to reflect the connection of language and culture. Taking into account these features, it is established that the French-speaking space is a vast, fragmented area with a core and regional centers, showing a tendency to expand, having relative integrity, which is supported by the interconnections and development trends of its constituent zones. The question of whether the unity of the Francophone area is preserved or weakened as it expands requires further research. The results of the study confirm the immanent nature of variability as a property of language, the complexity of the relationship “center” — “periphery”, the role of borders in language and culture, the importance of self-esteem of speakers in maintaining the integrity of the area. These questions are important for studying not only the Francophone area, but also the areas of other supranational communities formed on the basis of other languages — Romance and non-Romance.

The article is devoted to the designations in the language of cultural references that form and reflect the sense of identity of its bearers. Among them is the image of “your own space”, which is marked and formed with the help of special words related to both language and culture. Taking into account the works of F. Brodel, P. Nora, R.A. Budagov, L. Febvre, A. Rey, M. Ozouf, etc., the concept of “forcewords” (mots-force / lieux de force), having a long history, reflecting the culture and values of the collective, possessing emotional power and historically changeable, is substantiated. On the material of dictionaries, scientific, science fiction and fiction texts, Internet sites, two poles of representations of the Frenchmen about themselves are established. The first is marked by lexemes associated with civil society (Patrie — Nation — Etat / Nation, Contract, Drapeau; Republique). The second one is reconstructed in the article on the basis of the lexemes Pays, Paysages, Terroirs, Villages, Langues (plural) and is associated with the values of private life, the idea of the native land, local and family memory. Using the example of these lexemes, it is revealed that the nature of force words and the direction of their development are not data once and for all: in some circumstances, the identifying function of the word develops, in others, the force word weakens and loses its emotional impact and ability to be an identity marker.

The article examines the processes associated with the formation of the French designation system using the example of the name L’Hexagone and its interrelationships with other names: la France, la Gaule, la V-me République, etc. Taking into account the works of A.V. Superanskaya, R.A. Ageeva, G.S. Dorzhieva, G. Bashlyar, A. Dose, A. Dorion and others, the examination of linguistic and sociolinguistic data found in dictionaries, artistic, journalistic and scientific writings, as well as on Internet sites, is conducted. The purpose of the article is to establish the place of the Hexagone name in the French polyonym system and to qualify the associations underlying this name. It is shown that among them is the image of a regular geometric figure (circle, square, six- and octagon) with geopolitical, ideological and aesthetic connotations. A number of connotations bring this image closer to the “lived space” in the understanding of G. Bachelard and the metaphor of the container space of J. Lakoff and M. Johnson. The variability of the designations of France, forming a system of polyonyms and reflecting the development of a sense of identity of the French, is emphasized. A manifestation of this feeling is the sensory perception of the space of collective identity as harmonious and protected, which is manifested, in particular, in the name L’Hexagone.

The interest in African issues is explained not only by the political and economic factors behind the rise of the “great South”, but also by the scholarly need to systematize the principles of studying French, used in African countries as a “reserve” of Francophonie. The purpose of the article is to consider the approaches developed by French-speaking authors of the second half of the XX — beginning of the XXI century. Taking into account the concepts of P. Wald, K. Blanche-Benveniste, B.A. Boutin, F. Gade, A. Lanly, G. Manessi, R. Chaudenson, J. Segui and others a transition is observed from targeted case studies to the exploration of broader linguistic spaces, with attention to the development trends of non-standard French speech and the interaction between exogenous norms and Franco-African endogenous norms. The approaches to the classification of African French are examined, including the shift from the three-level model of basilect–mesolect–acrolect to criteria based on the study of the image, functions, status, and modes of appropriation of the French language. The development of French language skills is analyzed: official (international sphere, school); local (rural areas and small towns); interethnic communication (large cities, megacities). Th e dynamics of studying the functional system of the language and the degree of its variation are traced, along with the interaction between local and common African features of French. Emphasis is placed on the growing role of metropolises in the development of hybrid and mixed forms that include elements of linguistic play. Special attention is given to the instability and situational nature of variation, which is based on the categorization of the interlocutor, speech act, and communicative context.