Complex semantic model of social action in the Russian language

The paper provides a complex semantic classification of social actions in the Russian language. Social action is considered to be an interaction between two persons having their own will. Such interaction has physical and symbolic aspects. The classification of social actions includes seven parameters revealing the complexity of the action being modeled. The most significant parameter is the type of the second person’s action (the first person is “the point of reference”). The first type is actions towards addressee, with the core being information transmitting and the periphery presented by giving and receiving. The second type is actions with counter-agent, with the positive one being negotiation and the negative one - conflict. The third type is actions with co-agent. In case the second agent is more active and dominating, the action is managing. When co-agent is less active, the action is secondary. The fourth type is actions towards an object, with the second person being a patient. The second important parameter of the classification is the degree of explicitness of the physical and sign components of the action. The social actions may be represented syncretically, without singling out physical and sign aspects, but sometimes one of the aspects is expressed independently. The third parameter is the relevance of the social hierarchy. It is of importance in management or training activities. The fourth parameter is the perspective from the first or the second person. When viewed from another angle, some actions may change their name. The fifth parameter is the initiative or responsive quality of the action. Some social actions are made in response to other actions, for example, secondary or hindering ones. The sixth parameter is the general evaluation of the action, with conflict actions having negative one, and negotiation not having any. The seventh parameter is the semantic field of the social sphere where the action takes place. The division into semantic fields corresponds to the division of social life into the spheres of activity.

Keywords

Authors

References