Cultural Theory of Functions and Text Interpretation Methodology
There have recently been a number of studies, following the progress in research of the linguocultural interconnection, and those studies have been effective in deepening our understanding of the nature of human language. This study is an attempt to produce a systematized approach to a number of subjects, e.g. contrastive culture studies, cultural anthropology and linguistic philosophy. This approach is essentially a culture-based interpretation of gnoseology and methodology, a theory of culture functioning, a methodological foundation of a new model of text operation and interpretation - “cultural theory of functions”. This theory is a tool, created specifically to interpret the following idea: the language worldview is but a simple semantical reflection of interpreting the world. Linguistic culture studies see cultural theory of functions as an idea of modeling and formalization of the whole process of culture creation and interpretation, the core functional expression of this idea is y=F(x). This formula includes F, X and Y forming a functional system, in which X is an independent variable, varying in multiple cognitive subjects cognizing objective reality. F is a function, which determines a categorizing algorithm of formal classification of human cognition. F is also a mental roadmap of a cognitive subject and it varies for multiple objects of cognition and targets of cognition by accepting varying rules and strategies to mold a certain cognitive framework. It also implies that the process of culture creation and interpretation can be perceived as evaluating, operational and initializing process of functional determination, and can equally seen as a process of selection, inclusion and initialization inside a system of functions, i.e. an ever-dynamic creative process. Being a complex tool of operational text interpretation, this theory is both productive in practical terms of cognitive philosophy and methodology. Based on the principles of anthropocentrism, cultural theory of functions integrates cultural anthropology, linguistic philosophy, cognitive psychology and linguistic culture studies alongside with a number of related subjects into a unified theoretical framework.