Linguistic manipulation in action
Seda K. Gasparyan, Gaiane H. Muradian
Author Archives: Admin
MANIPULATIVE FUNCTION OF THE WORD “NOTHING” – 2023-4
Sergey A. Aghajanyan, Arsine S. Aghajanyan
The ambiguity of the word “nothing” and the uncertainty of that meanings make it possible for the person using them to form situations of speech manipulation becoming unique, non-standard means of thoughts expressing. One of the best expressions is the famous and of folklore origin fable by “That nothing is me” by Av. Isahakyan. As is the case with all other types of this genre, this too has its own moral and disciplinary component. What is it?
According to the text of this fable, two possible lifestyles are opposed: the mayor and the dervish. It has already been discussed. As for the instructive content of the fable, it is obvious from the text that this is also the author’s ideology. The author tries to convince the reader that out of the two lifestyles presented to them and their symbolic images, out of the values characterizing them, Dervish is preferable. A person who has formed a system of values of his inner psycho-mental freedom, positive social significance, which is significantly different from the purely biological needs of a government official-mayor. The first is intellectual, unique in the sense of his existence, in the form of his self-assertion, the second is a functionary with his place in a coexisting pattern.
However, with all this, it is necessary to keep in mind another form of verbal manipulation, in which the reader is already involved by the author of the text with his narration, created images. And this is the following. His characters embody extremely opposite, contradictory life decisions and lifestyles. In the presented specific situation, as already mentioned, the preferred type of person is Dervish, distinguished by his rich inner world. The author created a conflict where, in any case, Dervish becomes the more sympathetic and the preferred one out of these two. And the author’s manipulation noted lies precisely in the life situation formed according to this idea and in not leaving the listener or reader an alternative to his narration.
Meanwhile, from the cultural and creative experience of mankind, there are other options for understanding life or choosing a lifestyle, characteristic of which is not the opposite of extreme, contradictory options. These variants lack manipulations with thought and speech, and the principle of their formation is to form another lifestyle option by a reasonable combination of possible variants. For example, famous saying from ancient Greek culture “A healthy mind in a healthy body”. Another saying about satisfying the needs of both body and soul through balancing and harmonizing is famous in Christian culture: “Not only long live the man, but also everything that comes from the mouth of God” (Gospel of Matthew, E. 10:15)., 2005, ch. D, part 4/.
In both of the latter cases, the full physical existence of a person is
emphasized as a necessity, since an inferior biological existence becomes the cause of mental inferiority as well. But at the same time, the mental activity of a person is also important, without which he cannot form a lifestyle and a system of values that distinguish him from other beings.
In terms of modern cultural and creative activity of mankind, this problem is one of the most urgent, since it can at least mitigate the process that is being activated and becoming serious day by day through interested international structures and ideologies, as a result of which a person turns into a biological robot.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PECULIARITIES OF SUICIDE IN THE ELDERLY IN THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA – 2023-4
Kamo E. Vardanyan
The article discusses the epidemiology and peculiarities of suicides in the elderly. With every passing year, the number of suicides on planet Earth records an unprecedented surge, including RA. In 2017, 29 cases of suicide among the elderly were registered in the Republic of Armenia, in 2018 there were 48 cases, in 2019 53 cases were recorded. Over the same period of time, the number of suicide attempts by older people has also increased: 32 in 2017, 52 in 2018 and 59 in 2019.
In some cases, suicides among the elderly have a suicide-accident pattern that is the ramification of age-related dementia. The suicides of the elderly due to incurable and malignant diseases are aimed at ending their own suffering. The largest number of suicides occurs among elderly people who have lost their other half and are in a state of helplessness and despair. Sometimes older people imitate the destructive behavior of people who are suicidal as a result of severe stress. Suicidal modeling is predominantly found in adolescents, but in this case, the object of replication is a well-known, influential person, and in the elderly, the object of imitation is a spouse or a peer At this age, various mental disorders are also important: in nine out of ten cases of suicide, the person at the time of suicide suffered from a specific mental illness. Due to old age, the social roles of a citizen and a professional are devalued, the social significance of a parent is reduced, and the activity of a husband/wife/and sexual partner in matrimonial life weakens. With retirement, the social environment changes, the rhythm, quality and style of life change as well, with the loss of family members comes a feeling of loneliness and isolation, with the inevitability of death, a morbid fear of death manifests itself. Older people become more sensitive and susceptible to changes within themselves and in their social environment. As a result, the causes of suicide in combination with the conditions for suicide, when given the right opportunity, lead to suicidal actions.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEXICO-SEMANTIC SUBSET “PROTECTION OF A PERSON” IN THE ARMENIAN LANGUAGE – 2023-4
Artashes R. Martirosyan
The article refers to a relatively new, sometimes problematic area of
linguistics – lexical semantics of the word, in particular, to the problem of semantic changes in the lexical composition of the language. For the first time, the lexicographic elaborations of the development of semantic structures of lexemes of the lexical subset “to safeguard/protect a person”, operating in the lexico-semantic field “person, man”, are subject to chronological order, starting from the ancient Armenian period to the present day. Cognitive-semantic mechanisms of changing the meaning of lexemes in this huge historical period, their relationship with other lexical groups are revealed. The studies of lexicographic processing of lexemes of the subset show that the ancient Armenian period was quite rich in lexemes “to safeguard/protect a person” both in Armenian (grabar) and in borrowed forms with the archiseme “bodyguard”. The study showed that both Armenian and borrowed words subsets, historicisms did not develop their semantic structure from the ancient Armenian period, and some of them, as a generative basis, appeared in various compositions in both the ancient Armenian and the Soviet periods.
The study also revealed that semantemes functioning in the semantic structure of the studied lexemes at different stages of the development of the Armenian language are used in other semantic subsets and groups of the lexical field with the meaning “person, man” in different meanings (cf. BODYGUARD: “in accordance with interests, activities, social status, established community relations” (cf. henchman, accomplice), “to act as an aid, protection, assistance, concession” (cf. defender), “in the service of the judiciary, administrative and legal institutions” (cf. legal adviser/lawyer), “for a certain function in team sports games” (cf. (semi)defender-attacker), etc.).
Thus, in different forms of language development, it is not the lexical and semantic system of fields that changes, but individual sections within it, as well as the relations between them, since a member of any subset or group functioning in the FIELD is connected with other members operating in the FIELD: the whole system has many semantic threads, and any change in the latter leads to a qualitative shift in the vocabulary of the language.
THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE POET’S SOUL – 2023-4
The unpublished pages of Avetik Isahakyan’s notebooks
Shoghik B. Khachatryan
In 1977 A. Inchikyan prepared Avetik Isahakyan’s “Memoir” for publication, collected and organized notes from the poet’s various notebooks – in fact creating a complete manuscript. Within the framework of the scientific publication of Isahakyan’s works, Avik Isahakyan filled in the blank sections of the “Memoir” with other diaries and selected diary notes. However, even after the publication of the complete diaries, a large number of the poet’s notebooks remained unpublished.
Notebooks contain a variety of notes in various booklets, or individual sheets. Mainly, they present the poet’s thoughts, ideas, judgments about various realities and different aspects of life. A considerable part of them have the value of aphorisms and popular expressions.
But the more interesting notes are those which, in one way or another, relate to Isahakyan’s original work, opening up various layers of his literary workshop. How the writer’s style and the peculiarities of his literary method are formed, how raw material, a fact, an event are developed and transformed into artistic reality! Here is a non-exhaustive list of issues that may be covered by notebook notes.
Thus, the poet’s notebooks, in terms of both their content and significance in the creative work process, and the nature of their notes, deeply reflect the author’s personality, and the biography of his soul.
THE CONSERVATIVE RESPONSE OF THE DISSOLUTION OF THE FEUDAL LIFESTYLE – 2023-4
In the novels “Sos and Varditer” and “Bread problem” by Perch Proshyan
Aram G. Aleksanyan
The article examines the historical, economic and cultural prerequisites for the collapse of the patriarchal caste system.
The historical process, masking the defensive confrontation between the moral worldview and the psychology of a corrupt society, is artistically expressed in the novels of Perch Proshyan. Literature partly manifests itself as a kind of cultural and defensive confrontation. This reality, in turn, gives rise to conservative
and libertarian thinking in public life with corresponding epistemological attitudes.
If, thanks to the enlightenment movement, traditional thinking, the values that organize patriarchal life, the nature of human relations and the emotional manifestations of psychology have radically changed, then conservative culture had a completely traditional epistemological context. Enlightenment attitude formed in
the minds of a new structure of perception of time, revived the order of the future, making it the main focus of activity. In the context of this worldview, history has already been perceived in the past, present and future dimensions of time. Meanwhile, conservatives envisioned the future as a sprawling present. And traditionalists perceived defamation as damage to morality and the traditional way of life. All the ideological content and emotional depth of Proshyan’s works is an artistic expression of this historical process. It is characterized as a unique defensive cultural confrontation with artistic potential, character building, and a historically unique storytelling typology.
THE ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION IN THE POLITICAL SYSTEMS OF THE WESTERN ASIAN AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY – 2023-4
Part four: The ARF connections and relations with the Russian revolutionary parties during the First Russian Revolution (1905-1907)
Gevorg S. Khoudinyan
Already in 1904 during the last two months, all the main centers of the Russian Empire were in revolutionary upheaval. Apart from the two capitals, they included Poland, Finland and even the oil region of Baku; where the socialist-revolutionaries and social-democrats of Russia encouraged and with their leaflets called to fighting the multi-national workers who had risen up since December 13. “The Central Committee of the Self-Defense” of the ARF did not stay behind them: the leaflet published by them on December 19 with the abundance of its economic and social demands and consisting of 28 points at once was the most lavish one.
The revolution was ripening in the country, for which the opposition and revolutionary parties of Russia were getting prepared that held their conference held in Paris from September 30 to October 9, in 1904. To invite the latter to a new conference was initiated by the famous priest Gapon (Gevorg Gapon), who brought the people to the streets on January 9, 1905, in the capital Saint Petersburg. In March of 1905, the International Socialist Bureau sent the invitation drawn up by Georgy Gapon to the socialist parties of Russia. On the basis of that, on April 2, 1905, the conference of the revolutionary parties of Russia began their work in Geneva, the participants of which almost entirely had socialist orientation.
Although shortly after the Geneva Conference, double agent E. Azef who submitted a report to the Police Department had distorted the names of the ARF representatives who had participated in the Conference by making Rostom to “Rusten”, Honan Davtyan to “Oman”, and he only kept the code name of Martiros Margaryan – “Safo”, a member of the List body preparing the terror of Sultan
Hamid, but we were able not only to restore them, but also the names of the representatives of the other revolutionary parties.
The Geneva conference proposed the political goal of organizing a “general armed uprising” that would put the fate of the country in the hands of the people, in order to reorganize the empire on democratic-republican principles through the
convening of a Constituent Assembly. The first and the most important task was the convening of the Petersburg or the All-Russian Constituent Assembly, but in parallel to that, the convening of the Finnish Constituent Assembly and the “Polish Constituent Sejm” was being planned. As for the demand to convene the
Constituent Assembly of the Caucasus, it was clearly emphasized that it was about an autonomous region with federal ties to Russia.
In Geneva they also began to form appropriate structures coordinating the efforts of the parties participating in the conference. Moreover, one of them was supposed to work abroad and engage in campaigning and fundraising, and the other one was to operate in the country. The latter is known from the documents of the Tsarist Police Department as the United Combat Committee led by Georgy Gapon. ARF representatives actively participated in the formation and activities of the foreign body uniting the efforts of the revolutionary forces. And as for the armed struggle against tsarism within the country, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation carried it out with its own forces
THE SEEDS OF THE “NATION -ARMY ” CONCEPT IN THE WORK “PITFALL OF GLORY” – 2023-4
Samvel A. Poghosyan
One of the important monuments of the Armenian social, political, legal and philosophical thought is the work “Pitfall of Glory”. It was published in Madras, India, at the end of the 18th century and was planned to become the constitution of the future Armenian state. As the first draft of the constitution, “Pitfall of Glory” has received a lot of attention from historians, jurists and philosophers.
Our goal is to cover the “Pitfall of Glory” from a different angle. No
studies and analyzes were carried out regarding the concept of the “Nation-Army” put forward in the work. The article analyzes the concept of the “Nation-Army” presented in the work in detail. “Pitfall of Glory” is devoted to almost all spheres of the state’s activities, including the army, arming the population and military training. Along with the professional army, it was considered necessary to have the ability to use the fighting abilities of the entire male population at any time.
The aim of the research was to identify the components of the “Nation-Army” concept put forward in the monumental work “Pitfall of Glory”, which were not the subject of study before. All articles related to the issue were covered.
The research was carried out on the basis of the historical comparative method and the principle of historicity.
Discussions of the “Nation-Army” idea have been quite relevant in the recent years. When the state is surrounded by enemies that are several times greater than it is, it is necessary to use its own human and military resources as efficiently as possible.
The purpose of the study is to identify, illuminate and analyze the
conceptual approaches aimed at increasing the defense capability of the future national state in the “Pitfall of Glory” constitutional draft.
We can say with confidence that “Pitfall of Glory” was not only the draft of the first Armenian constitution and the creation of a republic, but also the first Armenian initiative aimed at the formation of the concept of the “Nation-Army”.
THE FALL OF ARTSAKH – 2023-4
A historical tragedy and an alarm for the Republic of Armenia
Otto Joh. Luchterhandt (Hamburg, Germany)
The article covers the recent events in Artsakh in the context of regional
geopolitical interests and international law. It is shown that Azerbaijan and Turkey have violated international law with their aggressive war against Nagorno-Karabakh and that Azerbaijan’s threats against the Republic of Armenia also violate the prohibition of the use of force established by international law (Article 2, (4), UN Charter).
Although Azerbaijan’s aggressive policy completely contradicted the current
international law, Azerbaijan was able to succeed because not only Russia but also the entire international community stopped acting on the Karabakh issue. The participation of NATO member Turkey was decisive for the outcome of the 44-day war. Azerbaijan would also have lost in that Karabakh war, a war contradicting international law, if Turkey and the Syrian mercenaries did not take part in it.
The end of the Republic of Artsakh and the mass migration of Karabakh
Armenians were a drastic turning point in the history of the Armenian people, and the Armenian Diaspora spread throughout the world. The catastrophe unwittingly evokes memories of the Genocide that took place in the Ottoman state during the First World War, even if its dimensions are incomparable. The shock associated with the fall of Artsakh is perhaps even greater because it happened in front of the eyes of the world community, which, compared to 100 years ago, not only knows international law, genocide, and human rights but also often demands great sensitivity in this regard.
The disastrous consequences of the collapse and loss of Karabakh hit
Armenia at a time when its international political conditions have become significantly complicated, firstly, by Russia’s war against Ukraine, and secondly, by Russia’s still intensifying confrontation with the “collective West.” The war of Hamas against Israel and the resulting tensions in the entire Islamic-Arab region have led to the fact that the conditions for Armenia have become more unfavorable and unpredictable. Under these conditions, the Armenian government can avoid the risk of becoming a victim of new military attacks like in the remaining part of Karabakh only by continuing to maintain traditional close allied relations with Russia and neighborly relations with Iran and by involving the EU in its efforts to resolve its national problems with Azerbaijan and Turkey.
With the flight of more than 100,000 compatriots within a week, the issues
and the challenges facing the Republic of Armenia are enormous. It is possible to overcome these challenges only in conditions of striving with the forces of all state bodies and institutions, public organizations, broad citizen solidarity, willingness to help, and the generous support of the Diaspora.