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Опубліковано в:

Грищенко І.В. Міжетнічна фольклорна комунікація в народній прозі: монографія. –

К.: VADEX, 2015. – 270 с. (15,69 др.арк.).

FOLK INTER-ETHNIC COMMUNICATION IN FOLK PROSE

National and ethnic questions have always characterized by the binarity. On the

one hand, it is often tried to avoid it as irritating, to some extent delicate, sometimes

even taboo. On the other hand, this question always attracts attention, because ethnicity

is an essential characteristic of each individual.

Nowadays in the difficult political and informational conditions folklore occupies

a significant place in such phenomena and processes as propaganda and information

war. The media in modern conditions plays the role of powerful and obedient weapon

with the help of which the manipulation of thoughts, moods, public tastes take place.

The use of folklore as a means for conducting the information war is now widespread.

This practice is not new, but effective. It is important that both traditional (sometimes

modernized) and new plots, motifs and characters. This indicates the stability of people's

traditional knowledge and folklore adaptive mechanism.

It is not still stopped the speculations about the ethnic similarity, commonality

between Ukrainians and Russians, although pseudotheory of "common cradle of three

fraternal nations" was refuted long ago. The desire to neutralize, destroy any

manifestation of Ukrainian national consciousness, assign Ukrainian history and culture

causes the great resistance today, and in this regard folk compositions are also used as a

means of opposition.

Modern folklore new compositions demonstrate the formation and establishment

of a new ethnic person (homo ethicus) in Ukraine, where patriotism, love and respect for

the Ukrainian national culture dominate. The distinguishing feature of folklore new

compositions today is the strengthening of opposition to inculcated complex "Little

Russian."

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Despite the presence of folkloristic research of interethnic interaction, there isn’t

separate generalized, comprehensive and systematic study of interethnic communication

in the folk prose of Ukraine. In the present work the scientific heritage of folklore in this

area is analyzed, the specific genre of folk prose is described, where the feature of folk

ethnic communication is reflected, the scope of its existence as a kind of ethnic society

communication is outlined.

The understanding of interethnic communication, interethnic polylogue as a

conceptual component of the national outlook belongs to the basic problems that are

nowadays within sight of folklorists, anthropologists, theorists of literature, culture

experts, ethnopsychologists and others. However, a comprehensive study of interethnic

folk prose polylogue using cognitive approach has not yet been conducted, and this

caused the relevance of the proposed work. As the conceptual and methodological

apparatus of cognitive folklore is in its formation, verification, there is an urgent need

for its specification and sometimes in the development.

Folk prose as a cognitive construct makes it possible to reconstruct the specifics

of ethnic folk communication social aspect of existence, functions and values of ethnic

polylogue in folk compositions. Important components of the concept of interethnic

communication are interethnic polylogue as a way of understanding of another ethnic

Otherness.

The system of humanities today is in the process of finding new methods and

approaches to understanding human mental manifestations in all spheres of culture.

There is the rise of new scientific fields, united by a common purpose – to study human

cognition, cognitive psychology, cognitive anthropology, cognitive linguistics, cognitive

cultural studies, cognitive literary studies, cognitive poetics and others. The basis of all

these trends is the desire to find out the mechanisms of creation, saving and relaying

knowledge.

Scientific basis of the cognitivism originate from ancient times and are developed

in the writings of the philosophers of the Renaissance. At the beginning of the twentieth

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century the bases of cognitive science are formed and the scientists interest is growing in

the cognitive processes, later by using scientific and technological progress (N.

Chomsky, John Bruner, J. Miller, William Naysser, Jean Piaget, A. Newell, H. Simon).

Later it was proved that the involvement of cognitive methods makes it possible to

explore the combination of cultural and mental components of human activity. Despite

critical views on the involvement of cognitive science in the study of literature (V.

Tretyakov), many literary scholars sympathetic to the use of its developments for the

study of cognitive models in works of art (A. Richardson, P. Stockwell, David Ahapkin,

T. Bovsunivskа). Although at first folklore was mainly used in the study of phenomena

of cognitive linguistics (E. Abdrazakova, E. Aleshchenko, Yu. Emer, O. Yevtushenko

and others), gradually cognitive researches in the folklore were began (H. Schrempp, N.

Shaun, Sh. Nichols, John Noub, O. Larionova and others), so the folklorists interest is

actually caused by folklore cognitivism. On the Ukrainian territory the study of folklore

cognitivism has a rich history: in the nineteenth century the advanced scientists (O.

Bodyanskiy, N. Kostomarov, P. Kulish, M. Chubynsky, O. Potebnya, M. Drahomanov,

I. Franko, P. Ivanov, V. Okhrymovych, M. Dykaryev and others) provide big

importance to cognitive potential of folklore; n the twentieth century the folklorists (I.

Day, I. Berezovsky, L. Dunaevskaya, A. Talanchuk, S.Myshanych and others) examined

the ways and methods of encryption and decryption of information in the process of

human life and community; at the beginning of the twenty-first century the folklore in

the researchers studies is presented as a complex cognitive knowledge system (L.

Kopanytsya, V. Davydyuk, M. Dmytrenko, O. Ivanovska, O. Naumovska, J. Levchuk

etc.). The cognitive potential of folklore as mental system is still not covered and

requires a broader scientific understanding.

The research of folk literature works involving cognitive science enables to

expand the the methodological basis of folklore and explore the underlying mechanisms

of creation, saving and relaying of cognitive structures that are fixed in folklore. The

involving of cognitive approach to the study of folk text increases the folklore

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opportunities to study processes of accumulation, conversion, production and relaying

folk knowledge in all its manifestations.

Due to the involvement of cognitive science achievements in the study of folklore

cognitivism the terminological base of folklore is improved. Along with the long-known

and commonly used terms (concept, conceptual sphere, cognition, etc.) other concepts

were included to the scientific usage that enhance the nomination of cultural and

folklore events, which for various reasons were not included in the process of scientific

understanding, but now cause continuing interest of researchers.

These terms include, in particular pattern – a concept which at various times has

been involved in studies of various aspects of human life and community (K. Jung, R.

Benedict, E. Shapir, M. Mead, A. Krober, K. Klakkhon, M. Eliade, E. de Bono, G.

Bateson, A. Gvozdev, R. Vinzrop, T. Bovsunovska, H. Davidson and others). The

scientific researches of recent years certify the presence of folk patterns (M.-L. von

Franz, A. Smolyanska, John Koplien, F. Morris, H. Jason, A. Dandes, V. Propp, V.

Kolesnik, etc.). The researchers define the spiritual and material folklore patterns,

common patterns and patterns that are unique to a particular ethnic group or region.

Collective universal patterns determine the content of mythology, legends, folk tales and

other folk phenomena.

The main characteristics of the pattern include the following: it is closely

connected with mental activity; contains the necessary information; practically

non-transforming; has specific qualities unique to this pattern; acts as a regulator of

cognitive human activity; serves as a cognitive model. So, folklore cognitive pattern can

be defined as basic unchanged (or nearly constant) representation, formative element

fixed in mentality of ethic representative that leads to a specific vision of folkloric

reality.

Folk cognitive metapattern – a basic criterion, static characteristic recorded in

folklore that allows to compare patterns in the interaction of several ethic representatives

of different cultures.

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Folk cognitive antipattern – the result of erroneous action, thinking, worldview

and so on. However antipatterns are not spontaneous, they are implemented through the

lack of knowledge of the rules, the violation of logical laws of life.

Folklore is a typical type of mental activity. It performs many vital functions

(ideological, aesthetic, communicative, etc.) that requires relaying important ethnic

knowledge. Today there is a gradual retreat from the perception of folklore only as

spoken poetic monuments, it is dominated the understanding of the mechanisms of

relaying of folk information which, in turn, receives new details, culture-specific

concepts, enriches with new characters and plot.

Folklore works represent national vision and interpretation as commonplace and

global philosophical problems of human existence, mindset and worldview, the results

of understanding the world, the experience of previous generations and so on.

Conceiving folklore as a real social process, it is important to consider it in a real social

life. Due to new ways of distribution and presentation of folklore, modern folklore

works should be involved in the process of its research.

Scientific and technological progress promotes the expansion of the ways of the

folklore works relaying. There is today a new group of folk forms – texts, which become

a kind of feedback on any changes of the socio-political context. Their appearance is the

result of understanding the reality, life and public events. These folk genres are called

"actual folklore" or, by R. Frank definition, newslore – folklore that comments and is

based on the knowledge of current socio-political events. Despite the ambiguous attitude

of folklorists to modern folk works we consider it is necessary to examine these texts

today.

Scientific interest in the ethnic culture and ethnic history, intercultural and

interethnic interaction is caused by the growth of ethnic consciousness and the desire to

establish inter-ethnic dialogue to preserve peace and balance, the desire to avoid combat

and resolve ethnic wars. Folklore as an invaluable source of ideology, philosophy and

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spirit of the people makes it possible to investigate the formation and development of

inter-ethnic communication and polylogue.

The aspects of the ethnic polylogue partly covered in the works of folklorists of

the nineteenth century. (P. Chubynsky, I. Levitsky, M. Drahomanov, V. Hnatiuk, G.

Bulashev, Potebnya, P. Kovalko, N. Kostomarov, Kulish, Ivan Franko, O. Shymchenko

etc.). The Researchers point to the main factors – cultural, religious, social,

psychological, etc., that have contributed or, conversely, prevented the construction of

inter-ethnic communication.

During the Soviet period nationalities problem was taboo topic, although people

as the creator of folklore didn’t leave it out in the cold: for example, in a society often

circulated jokes about different ethnic groups (Chukchi, Moldavians, Americans, etc.).

The cultural heritage of the peoples who lived in the Soviet empire was investigated, but

with mandatory compliance with the ideology of a single Soviet people. At the end of

the twentieth century the collection of anecdotes about the various ethnic groups were

artisanal printed. At the beginning of the twenty-first century the process of inter-ethnic

studies, ethnic folk interpretation of Own, Otherness and Alien begins to revive (S.

P'yatachenko, Ye. Lunio and others).

The term polylogue in Yu. Kristeva’s understanding means the verbalized need

for mankind to information exchange. In the context of folk inter-ethnic study the

polylogue is a mutual exchange of information with the aim of understanding it from the

view of its cultural level, life experience and further use or relaying.

Inter-ethnic polylogue is the process of socio-cultural interaction, whose members

are receive foreign ethnic and folklore, the elements of material and spiritual culture and

relay them again from the standpoint of their culture with obligatory saving of their own

ethnic components.

The ethnic concept of the Other is decisive for the study of inter-ethnic

communication in the folklore. Understanding of ethnic Otherness allows to change the

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nature, content and nature of inter-ethnic relations, establish their importance for

coordination of inter-ethnic polylogue in today’s conditions.

The character composition of the ethnic Other is based on the differences

perception of the spiritual, cultural and material aspects of life of another ethnic group

members, on the awareness of of the threat lack or discomfort in communication and

coexistence. The research of ethnic polylogue in folk prose of Ukraine demonstrates the

transformation of traditional folk opposition diad Own – Alien into the triad – Own –

Other – Alien.

The idea of ethnically Alien is observed in the context of the mythological folk

prose. This character is often shown with aliens representatives and representatives of

their ethnic group that under certain circumstances are labeled by the community as

Aliens (non-participation in the ceremony, ignorance of the sacred information, etc.). In

traditional ethnic culture there is a peculiar hierarchy of Aliens: some foreigners and

infidels are less Aliens than others, that is ethnically Others (it depends on the role of

proximity or remoteness of cultures, traditions and historical destinies of peoples,

confessional aspect, etc.).

At present there is an attraction to short prose folk forms that is why the texts of

folk prose show the dynamics of Ukrainian folklore. The folklore prose, which reflects

ethnic polylogue, is represented by traditional genres (social daily fairy tale, anecdote)

and forms (memorats, fabulates, fict, rumors-gossips, hronical) and modern folk works

(actual folklore, newslore, medialore etc.).

In the process of coexistence and interaction of the peoples there is a

transformation of subject-object relationship type into a subject-subject. Inter-ethnic

communication in folk prose is represented by subject-subject relationship model: ethnic

repredentatives as equal subjects exchange of cultural important information,

interpreting it in the context of its traditions; it leads to the input of their own ethnic

group into the communication space in a positive or negative perspective.

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In the context of еру research of inter-ethnic communication in folk texts the

focus on the subject-subject communication is important, because in these categories

there is possible deviation from the ethnic Foreignness and modeling of ethnic

Otherness, which is the evidence of intolerance.

Folk hermeneutics interprets the phenomena and events within the ideological

system that is based on the traditional, not scientific knowledge, folklore picture of the

world, experience that is transmitted from generation to generation. The traditional

knowledge often produces mythological, supernatural, metaphysical or primitive

interpretations.

From the standpoint of folk hermeneutics in the folk prose works there is an

interpretation of alien ethnic elements of life. The folk texts involved in the research,

show the greatest interest firstly in sacral problem (faith, religion, origin and fate of the

people), as well as themes such as language, anthropometric differences, character and

personality of woman, household questions (food prohibitions and preferences , habits,

family structure) and others.

In the context of the research of inter-ethnic communication in Ukrainian folk

prose are currently central the scientific findings by Franko, who dedicated a number of

his works to the ethnic problem, particularly he researched the plot of the tale "The

Jewish War". Trying to determine the source of this plot, he found them in the Indian

epic, the the Bible narrative stories, the Polish folklore and literature, in the German

spoken and written short stories, in Ukrainian folk literature. According to the results of

the researcher, in the texts, which included this plot, the main isn’t ethnicity of the

heroes, but the folly of people in general. The confirmation is shown in Ukrainian folk

tales of the nineteenth century with the same plot the character composition of which is

represented by "Jews," "Muscovites" and Poles.

From the standpoint of cognitive science it can be related to the concept of

national stereotypes and characters that is close phenomenon of ethnic symbols that arise

in the life of the people and are fixed in its culture. Prominent national leaders deeply

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feel the importance of ethnic symbols, because they play an important role in the saving

of the nation, its culture and identity. In the works of Taras Shevchenko there were

encoded the ethnic symbols that at all times served for self-defense and self-preservation

of the ethnic group, its spirituality and culture. The most typical symbols attracted the

attention of the poet are geographic objects (step, grave, river, tree) and ethnic characters

(Zaporozhye Cossacks, minstrels, etc.). Shevchenko’s works in the aspect of inter-ethnic

analysis present an example of exquisite artistic interpretation of folk belief and folk

philosophy.

At the present stage of human development, there are many sources of

information on inter-ethnic relations and ways of improving inter-ethnic polylogue, and

yet, in our opinion, folklore in this process is one of the leaders. Modern folklore is

characterized by the activation of the studying process of folklore general regularities,

an important aspect of which is to identify and study traditional moral, ethical, aesthetic

values, folk psychology and philosophy and traditional folk world view.

The obtained results give the grounds for the development and a broad

involvement of the cognitive approach to the study of Ukrainian folklore prose

(traditional and modern) and to clarify the theoretical apparatus of cognitive aspects of

folklore.

The proposed work is not meant to be an exhaustive analysis of the theme.

However, the author hopes that her efforts will help to expand the research conceptual

horizons of cognitive potential of Ukrainian folklore and ethnic polylogue study,

inter-ethnic communication in the folklore of Ukraine.

Quoted folklore texts (traditional, new folk works, online texts) saved the

structure, content and linguistic and style features of the original. The spelling of

collectors, compilers of issues, authors or disseminators were also saved. The lexical

peculiarities of dialects of different regions of Ukraine and the educational level of the

informants were unchanged. The texts saved invective though the author presents the

abusive expressions with the change of some letters with "*". The texts show the use of

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both old (crest, clerks, Muscovite, Jew, Litvin etc.), and new ethnonyms (Ukr, dill,

quilted jacket, cotton, etc.).

The proposed work was conceived as an attempt to understand the cognitive

potential of Ukrainian folklore, to generalize the theoretical and practical experience in

the process of cognitive folklore formation. This monograph is used as the basic

principle of a comprehensive approach to the analysis of Ukrainian folk prose texts for

the aspects of inter-ethnic communication.

The theme selection is dictated by the considerable attention of humanities in

general and in particular to study folklore inter-ethnic communication. The monograph

covers the basic content and results of the author of the study. This is one of the main

publications on the theme of the dissertation.