Lexico-Semantic Field of POST-TRUTH through the Prism of its Russian Correspondences Istina and Pravda

This article is a review of the works by R. Keyes, F. I. Girenok, O. V. Khlebnikova, L. McIntyre on the issue of post-truth the author’s terminological comments. On their conceptual basis and lexical material, an attempt is made to identify the potential composition of the lexico-semantic field of this yet loosely-formed lexeme through its combinations with various nouns, indicators of its subject interpretation. English-language dictionaries define the lexeme only as an adjective, while in subject analytics it begins to be analyzed as a separate concept. With regard to its synonymic, antonymic and associative relationships, two areas of conceptual interpretation are revealed: broad and narrow. The former analyzes the discourse about post-truth from the standpoint of science and traditional ethics, developed under the influence of classical Christian texts. The narrow one, which is not considered in this review, focuses on shifts in goals, technologies, mechanisms, and, above all, the rhetoric of mass socio-political communication in the countries of the “collective West”, revealing changes in information channels both at the sender and recipient levels. The methodological specificity of the article lies in the fact that the semantic analysis of lexical units related to post-truth and its claim to novelty is carried out against the background of a historical dialogue of Anglo-American, French and Russian cultures on the issue of truth, vérité, pravda and istina, represented in the statements and quotes by writers, philosophers and scientists about these concepts. Much attention is paid, therefore, to identifying the correlation of the post-truth and truth semantics with its Russian correspondences pravda and istina not only in lexicographic sources but, first of all, in the translation of statements, made by the author.

1. Arendt, H. Les origines du totalitarisme ; T. 3 : Le Système totalitaire,. In : Tourpilles. Mensonge. Recueil de citations, 1951.

2. Barthes, R. Criticism and truth. In: Barthes R. Selected works. Moscow, 1989. (in Russ.)

3. Bouzid, A. “‘Post-Truth’: The Only Path Forward.” Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective, 2022, vol. 11(10), pp. 14–19.

4. Chernikov, M. V. Concepts of PRAVDA and ISTINA in Russian culture: the issues of correlation [Online]. Social Science and Modernity, 1999, no. 2. URL: http://www.ecsocman.edu.ru/images/pubs/2004/04/03/0000153483/015yERNIKOW.pdf or www.politstudies.ru/fulltext/1999/5/5. htm (accessed on: 10.09.2022). (in Russ.)

5. Chomsky, N. Making the Future. In: Occupations, Interventions, Empire and Resistance. Penguin books, 2012. 317 p.

6. Dueling Realities: Amid Multiple Crises, Trump and Biden Supporters See Different Priorities and Futures for the Nation [Online]. URL: https://www.prri.org/research/amid-multiple-crisestrump-and-biden-supporters-see-different-realities-and-futures-for-the-nation/ (accessed on: 12.08.2022).

7. Fefelov, A. F. The Discourse around Cancel Culture as an Object of Linguocultural and Translation Analysis: Logic vs “Logic”. NSU Vestnik. Series: Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, 2022, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 126–144. (in Russ.)

8. Fefelov, A. F. Chomsky’s media phenomenon and its reception in Russia: rhetoric, semiotics, translation. Vestnik NSU. Series: History, Philology, 2017, vol. 16, no. 6 Journalism, pp. 112–122. (in Russ.)

9. Girenok, F. I. Parallel world: asociality of social networks. In: Values and Communication in Modern Society; Eds. S. V. Klyagin, O. D. Shipunova; Chpt. 1. St. Petersburg, 2012. Pp. 38-42. (in Russ.)

10. Hewitt, D. A Critical Review of “Post-Truth: Knowledge as a Power Game” by Steve Fuller. Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective, 2020, vol. 9(8), pp. 47–52.

11. Ivanov, E. A. Semantic interpretation of the concepts “truth”/“Pravda” and “istina” in dictionaries, translations of Bible, and Shakespeare’s sonnets. Graduate thesis under the scientific direction of A. F. Fefelov. The NSU Repository. Novosibirsk, 2008. 70 p. (in Russ.)

12. Keyes, R. The post-truth era: dishonesty and deception in contemporary life. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2004. 283 p.

13. Khlebnikova, O. Clip Thinking and Post-Truth Gestalt in the Space of Narcissistic Culture. Ideas and Ideals, 2022, vol. 14, iss. 3, pt 1, pp. 195–214. (in Russ.) DOI 10.17212/2075-0862-202214.3.1-195-214

14. Klyukanov, I. E. Communication and Forgetting: On Revision and Re-evaluation of Values. In: Values and communication in modern society; Eds. S. V. Klyagin, O. D. Shipunova; Chpt 1. St. Petersburg, 2012. Pp. 23–29). (in Russ.)

15. Kriger, E. I. The Pragmatic Function of the new Lexical Units in the Conceptual Field of “FRIEND OR FOE” (as reflected in the newspapers New York Post and New York Daily News). World of Science, Culture and Education, 2020, no. 6(85), pp. 516–520. (in Russ.)

16. Mekhontseva, Yu. G. Comparative study of the semantic and cultural evolution of the words “pravda–istina–vérité” in French and Russian (based on Bible usage). Graduate thesis, scientific supervisor A. F. Fefelov. Novosibirsk: NSPU, 2004. 126 p. (in Russ.)

17. Martin, B. 2019. What’s the Fuss about Post-Truth? [Online] Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective, 2019, vol. 8(10), pp. 155–166. URL: https://wp.me/p1Bfg0-4Cw (accessed on: 12.08.2022).

18. McIntyre, L. The Scientific Attitude. The MIT Press, 2020.

19. McIntyre, L. Post-truth. The MIT Press, 2018.

20. Nitchenko, M., Girenok F. The End of the Time of Thinkers. Interview; In: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 29.03.2018. (in Russ.)

21. Stepanov ,Yu. S. Constants: Dictionary of Russian Culture. Moscow, 2001. 989 p. (in Russ.)

22. Toporov, V. N. Etymological parallels (Slavic-Italian languages). Brief messages. Institute of Slavic Studies. M., 1958. Vol. 25. pp. 74–88. See special. pp. 80–83 (in Russ.)

23. Uspensky, B. A. A brief history of the Russian standard language (XI–XIX centuries). M.: Gnozis, 1994. 239 p. (in Russ.)

24. Znakov, V. V. Psychology of understanding the truth (pravda). St. Petersburg, 1999. 279 p. (in Russ.)