SYMBOLIZATION AND DIALOGUE OF CULTURES: SEQUEL OF CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL TRADITION Elena Zvonova Associate Professor Moscow State Pedagogical University Russian Federation The Semiotic Society of America USA
Cultural and historical psychology Cognitive science Tartu and Moscow semiotics school V. S. Bibler - theory of dialogue of cultures N. G. Salmina - sign and symbolical approach
Evolutionary processes of communication progress lead to the conceptual part of written texts cannot transfer all volume of information. Based on images technique of media texts becomes more effective.
Therefore, the main issue of our research is the long felt need to create the training psychological and pedagogical model which would allow: 1)structuring the principles of making the sign and symbolical systems in their cultural historical development; 2) generating the psychology and pedagogical conditions permitting to understand the structure of the sign and symbolical environment in its cultural historical development; 3) formatting the abilities which allow operating with the products of culture (works of art) as the means of crosscultural communication.
In philosophy, the understanding is considered as the distinctive to consciousness form of the reality assimilation which indicates revealing and reproducing the semantic content of a subject. Thus, the reality surrounding a person, first of all social and cultural one, and natural as well, refracts in the system of subjects of world of human being. Included in this world things and phenomena appear as the carriers of meanings. Comprehension is the process of concept formation, grasp, learning of meanings by a person. Its main function is linked with providing knowledge and intelligent behavior as well as orientation of an individual in society, history, and culture.
Image of the world The role of the prescience hypotheses, which the activity purpose is constructed on as an image of a desirable result, has led to search of the high level generalization abstraction to define stages and characteristics of the cognitive process. This abstraction is presented by the image of the world concept (A. N. Leont ev, S. D. Smirnov. V. V. Petukhov, S. L. Novoselova).
Signs and symbols act as the means of mediation of cognitive and affective components of knowledge and important feature of the educational process (L.S. Vygotsky, Y.V. Karpov and H.C.Haywood). The recent researches have shown that in training it is not enough to use only sign and symbolical means, it is necessary to study the psychological mechanism of symbolization (N. G. Salmina, A. N. Veraksa, L. T. Potanina) and format the types of sign and symbolical activity (N. G. Salmina).
Symbolization is the base mechanism of a cognitive process. The psychological mechanism is a form of manifestation of interaction between an individual and an environment in the horme situation.
Symbolization is the product of mental effort, the content specific structural organization to reproduce the system of stable relations of a subject of feelings
The symbolization mechanism - semantic, cognitive representations and schemes: 1) understanding of his/her ego and creation of an image in the near and far future; 2) attribution (signification) of emotional states and feelings; 3) symbolical embodiment of emotional states, feelings, and self-relation.
Artistic image As an object of cognition, a work of art is a unique clear text (U.Eco) since interaction of a person with a work of art is the vigorous co-authorship activity. Co-authorship assumes cognitive and creative activities of a person in understanding this or that work of art, and result of understanding is the artistic image.
Thomas Samuel Kuhn The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 1962
Vladimir Bibler DIALOGUE OF CULTURES The logic type proper corresponding to that of cultural and historical thinking is the cornerstone of structuring texts, a basis of the work of art form and the art language structure.
Table 1. Types of cultural and historical thinking and cultures Type of cultural and historical thinking Pralogical thinking Culture type Pralogical culture Characteristics of logic of cultural and historical thinking Laws of a partitsipation: 1.unity of nature and human beings 2. absence of logical contradictions and system of conclusions; 3. laws of direct transfer of properties of subjects; 4. egocentrism of attitudes Mythological thinking Culture of the period of myth formation Eidetic reason: 1. searh of protoessence search of initial unit of any phenomenon and objective reality itself; 2. aspiration to give the name to any phenomenon beginning of the scientific thesaurus formation; 3. formation of numerous schools, absence of uniform concept of scientific content Religious and corporate thinking Religious culture corporate Religious thinking: 1. partition of the world on hierarchy on proximity to God; 2. laws of logical communications by the principle of communicating (approach) to the Creator; 3. Negation of contradictions, aspiration to create uniform system of the universe. Natural science thinking Design and research type of thinking European culture of Modern time 20 th to 21 st century culture Laws of formal logic: 1. cause-and-effect relations, 2. admission of initial idea in creation of proofs, 3. admission of need of laws of development; 4. emergence of scientifically concept is empirically confirmed. Admission of existence of all historical logics, mutually reflection of consciousnesses
Knowledge of structure of art languages is methodological knowledge and acts as an orientation basis to understand a work of art, helps to establish interrelations between known and unknown elements of art language.
Table 2. Types of cultures and principles of texts formation Culture type Pralogical culture Culture of the period of myth formation Religious culture corporate European culture of Modern time 20 th to 21 st century culture Formation of art languages and forms (structure) of art texts Syncretic art language. The art form is - a ceremony Emergence of art language theories. Division of languages into trinities - associations of art forms to create some art form. Development of art language theories and art forms with strict hierarchy in relation to God. Formation and development of independent art languages with specific means of expressiveness. Formation of classical art forms. 1. Formation of own art language of the 21 st century and art forms of the 21 st century, inclination to syncretism; 2. Interest in cultural heritage of the past citing and stylization; 3. Active interaction and mutual enrichment of
In our research, musical culture has been chosen as the subject domain This will allow to solve the most important task to investigate conditions of formatting ability to understand musical compositions at the direct acoustical perception since the classical analysis of a piece of music passes with participation of a musical text which is impossible for people who do not have sufficient music education.
Table 3. Stages of artistic image creation. N o. 1 Stage Cognitive component Affective component Symbolization Stage of preliminary orientation 2 Actually orientation stage Knowledge and abilities to imagine the culture development process as the complete structural model Rating a real cultural phenomenon as a certain stage of cultural development, definition of theoretical system Perception as conscious inclusion in a work of art as a situation of relationship of people Search of emotional meaning of the applied means of expressiveness, definition of the signification principle of emotional states and perceptions Understanding own ego, the image of the world Choice of sense bearing symbols signification of emotional states and perceptions 3 Operational stage 4 Result and control stage 1. Definition of a position artist, performer, listener 2. Analysis and use of means of expressiveness to create a complete image Formation of personality perception and sensing symbolical, figurative embodiment of emotional states, perceptions and selfreference Image creation symbolical embodiment of emotional states, perceptions and the self- reference Personality inclusion - active work of art understanding and perception as parts of own life, own image of the world
Musical theoretical systems 1. Pralogical musical system 2. Musical system of the myth formation era perfect musical system of Ancient Greece, musical theoretical system of Ancient China 3. Religious and corporate musical systems the western Christian musical theory of church modes, the Russian system of eight church modes, the theory of music of Islam 4. Musical system of Renaissance (transitional) 5. 6. Classical musical system Modern musical system
With imitation of a breath rhythm, it is possible to get into semantics of feeling that promotes soul blossoming Antonen Artaud The prominently part is assigned to immersion in the work of art atmosphere, orientation on grasp of the place mood, spirit of an era Mikhail Chekhov Techniques directed on experience-empathyunderstanding (empathy, maievtics, clarification, interpretation) F. E. Vasilyuk
Table 4. Content of the orientation card Breath type Main emotional states Semantics of a rhythm Full, weakened, damp, soft, equal Empty, intense, dry, firm compassion, pain Mixed, syncopated advantage, kindness, pleasure, sincerity, patience, consolation, confidence, trust, tenderness, conviction, inspiration, pleasure, determination, admiration, etc. complaint, charge, repentance, care, despair, grief, melancholy, shame, humility, etc. indignation, displeasure, hatred, rage, annoyance, surprise, disappointment, avidity, revenge, ambition, curiosity, pride, callousness, conceit, horror, fright, fear, envy, gloating, sneer, hypocrisy, contempt, roughness, disgust, concern, suspiciousness, panic, etc. rhythm of rest and love rhythm of a grief and grief rhythm of anger and fear
In concept, use of psycho technique of a piece of music understanding is based on the stands as follows: a) in a work of art, the essential vital relations which symbolize the special way of life characteristic to a historical context are reflected; b) any piece of music embodies universal timeless values, however, musical language means of expressiveness are formed in accordance with the historical period specifics; c) in a piece of music, listener does not look for self-identification, process of understanding of it results from active personality emotional experience.
The degree of this component formation has been determined by extent of transitions from knowledge recognition with a support on reproduction of one element by which a work was determined (name, author, creation era, artistic image) to the generalized ability to identify a piece of music as part of a certain type of culture (rhythmic organization, the mode and harmonious organization, culture type, type of musical and theoretical system, identification of sense carrying elements of a piece of music, creation of an artistic image).
With the criteria of change of an emotional component of understanding we have measured the extent of change in the emotional relation to pieces of music of cultures unknown for a trainee on the basis of the recipients assessments of their relation to pieces of music: misunderstanding unacceptance, rejection, negative relation; understanding neutral relation; understanding positive relation, aspiration to further cognition.
In those tasks, we have estimated both the informative or another support and the answer correctness (support on spontaneously arising emotional response, that on thematic unity, definition of culture type, and creation of understanding strategy with support on characteristics of cultural and historical thinking).
Statistical processing took place with the Pearson criterion. As a result, the significant value of that criterion was received (р <0.001). It allows drawing a conclusion that the developed psychology and pedagogical model promotes formation of a cognitive component in understanding works of art in different cultures.
Why to enter the created psychological and pedagogical model into educational process?
We see two ultimate goals: 1. We can create theoretical and practical structure for all mass of the phenomena and facts making the humanitarian knowledge. The latter is a basis of cognition of the humanity itself which is fashionable to consider as the prime target of education.
2. We represent the psychological basis of creation of the cultural and historical sign and symbolical systems. Perhaps knowledge of the laws of symbolization, intellectual play behavior of mind with various principles of creation of systems and their products will help our rising generation to make qualitatively new break in the principles of the phenomena and processes coding. Studying the cultural and historical principle of coding will allow revealing and reconstituting a new, emotional component of artificial intelligence.
Thank you for your attention to our research!