The Language of Culture in Postmodern Discourse

Abstract

This article deals with the representation of the language of culture in postmodern texts, abounding with cultural codes that summarize all cultural notions characteristic of the epoch under study. It is pointed out that the main forms of such representation are key words, symbolic words, precedent phenomena and names of different sciences, as well as arts, all making up the cultural memory of mankind. The analysis of contemporary postmodern texts showed that they are full of allusions and citations from the entire context of world classical literature stored in the cognitive system of the competent reader, who is ready to recognize the precedent texts and culture. Thus, the understanding of the text’s double meaning is accompanied by an exchange of knowledge with preceding generations. It is claimed here that some language units include the so-called national-cultural component of meaning. As a rule, these are key words, i.e. important symbolic signs of each given culture. The main idea of this article is that the relationship between text and culture, text and author, author and reader is built according to the rules of that cultural space in which the text was created and perceived by the reader. It is noted that the language of culture is represented in texts, but goes beyond their bounds and into the society. Further, the author outlined a range of questions connected with the understanding and interpretation
of complex multilayer postmodern texts, both Russian and foreign. It is emphasized that postmodern fction is saturated with signs from different cultures and that knowledge of the language of culture could help to interpret and understand postmodern texts. This approach opens up an opportunity to study the realization of the universal discourse within the framework of describing linguistic worldview.