I. YAKOVLEV CHUVASH STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY BULLETIN

myth, immunity, everyday worldview, axiological component, metaphorical model

The given study dwells upon the problem of the representation of the myth about the immunity which is a component of the everyday linguistic worldview and is based on naive ideas about the world that are formed in the process of everyday perception of the reality. The aim of the study is to describe the metaphorical models that represent the myth about the immunity on the example of the popular science work on the immune system “An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System” by Matt Richtel, which reflects the aspiration of people to investigate the causes of diseases, as well as ways to strengthen immunity. The work provides the interpretation of the notions “myth” and “immunity”. The semiological conception of Ferdinand de Saussure which serves as the methodological basis of the study helps to describe the mechanism of the body’s immune response to the disease. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the myth about the immunity is considered to be an idea about the protective properties of the body, which is characterized by fantastic nature, spontaneity. It is the stereotypes about the protective properties of the organism that create an individual worldview of a representative of the linguocultural community. The subject of the research was the myths about the immunity, which are a component of the everyday worldview and reflect value and worldview concepts about health, work of the body’s defense mechanisms and immune system. The research was carried out by employing specific linguistic methods of cognitive-discourse analysis and content analysis. The analysis showed that the myth about the immunity has an axiological component and is represented by metaphorical models such as the immune system as a human activity, the immune system as a war and military actions, the immune system as a mechanism, the immune system as an animal and the immune system as a plant.

Степанова Елена Сергеевна – кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры иностранных и латинского языков Самарского государственного медицинского университета, г. Самара, Россия, https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-2707-7222, pretty.step@bk.ru