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In search of an ethnolinguistic paradigm: A glossary of key terms and concepts

Bartmiński Jerzy M. (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin Department of Textology and Grammar of Contemporary Polish Language), jerzy.bartminski@poczta.umcs.lublin.pl

The paper’s author examines to what extent ethnolingustics meets the paradigmatic criteria according to Thomas Kuhn (“A paradigm is the thing that divides the members of the scientific community and vice versa, the scientific community connects people sharing a certain paradigm”) and compares the key terms which constitute this discipline’s instrumentarium. The author focuses on the researchers gathered around the international annual titled Etnolingwistyka, the representatives of the approach known as the Lublin School of Cognitive Ethnolinguistics. Two dictionaries are representative of the School: Słownik stereotypów i symboli ludowych (Vol. 1-2, 1996-2020) and the five-volume lexicon titled Leksykon aksjologiczny Słowian i ich sąsiadów (2015-2019). According to the author, based on these two dictionaries and the accompanying publications, it is already possible to compile a glossary of key terms of ethnolinguistics. Such glossary would consist of several key concepts: the linguistic worldview, concept (synonymous with “stereotype”), viewpoint and perspective, cognitive definition, profiling and profile, subject, values, etc. This terminological apparatus was particularly used in the creation of the said axiological lexicon and has now become the common good of the whole team of authors. This corresponds to Kuhn’s second postulate.

Keywords: scientific paradigm, cognitive ethnolinguistics, glossary (terminological dictionary) of ethnolinguistics, linguistic worldview, concept, stereotype