Semantic Gestalt of the Associative Field of the Concept LAND of Speakers of Russian and Chinese Linguocultures Based on the Data of Free Associative Experiment

The construction of the semantic gestalt of the associative field of the concept LAND in Russian and Chinese speakers using the results of the associative experiment is an actual problem. The concept LAND as a key cultural constant has a significant impact on the consciousness of speakers of two linguocultures. The purpose of this study is to identify the associative content of the word-stimulus ‘land’ and the ethno-cultural peculiarities of the peoples of Russia and China. The material of the study is word-reactions to the word-stimulus ‘land’ obtained in a free associative experiment conducted with 100 students of 5 Chinese universities and 100 students of 5 Russian universities. This study uses the method of free associative experiment and the method of semantic gestalt proposed by Yu.N. Karaulov. According to the results of the study, the structure of the associative field of the concept EARTH is modelled and the semantic gestalt of this concept is constructed in speakers of two languages, 6 semantic zones (object, subject, action, evaluation and emotion, locus and others) are singled out. It can be concluded that the concept LAND has a connotative nominative field, which indicates the importance and uniqueness of this lexeme in the Russian and Chinese linguistic picture of the world and in the linguistic consciousness of modern youth of the two countries. The concept ‘land’ is characterised by both a relatively stable conceptual structure and a certain dynamism. In the linguistic consciousness of Russian and Chinese people paradigmatic associations occupy a dominant role, the land is perceived as home, motherland, mother, and first of all causes positive emotions and evaluations. This study allows us to create a more objective model of the linguistic consciousness of Russian and Chinese speakers. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.