Image mental consideration of the Ukrainian identity in linguistic and social consciousness: From emergence to nowadays (based on the GRAC sample)

Vitalii Stepanov; Svitlana Baranova; Nataliia Ponomarenko; Olena Ovsianko; Anna Zinchenko

doi:10.29038/eejpl.2026.13.1.ste

Authors

Vitalii Stepanov * Sumy State University, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8169-7908
Svitlana Baranova Sumy State University, Ukraine
Nataliia Ponomarenko Sumy State University, Ukraine
Olena Ovsianko Sumy State University, Ukraine
Anna Zinchenko Sumy State University, Ukraine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29038/eejpl.2026.13.1.ste

Keywords:

evolution, Ukrainian identity, Ukraine, concept, layer model, image, conceptual metaphor, linguistic and social consciousness

Abstract

The article describes features of the Ukrainian identity via dynamic diachronic consideration in the image component of the Ukraine concept as an identity marker in the constantly reassessed linguistic and social consciousness – discourse. The study is conducted within the layer paradigm of the Ukraine concept using the Lakoff-Johnson methodology, where consideration significance in the Ukrainian identity is represented as frequency of association preferences in attitudes toward the Ukrainian identity. The study is based on the General Regionally Annotated Corpus of the Ukrainian Language (GRAC), from which a sample of 1,500 contexts regarding the Ukrainian identity is extracted to trace image variations of the Ukraine concept in a diachronic section. The associations are sorted into 12 mental clusters, identifying the most and least frequent metaphors. Diachronically, the Ukrainian identity is most actively interpreted through metaphors Ukraine as human, house, organism, victim, warrior, family and vehicle. Moderate associativity is fixed in metaphors Ukraine as land, player, traveller, entity, fortress, machine, strategist, decision agent. A lower threshold is traced in metaphors Ukraine as patient, system, slave, diplomat, garden, tree, reformer, tame animal, commodity, value, resource, sea, physical body, fellow traveller, woman, target, bird, prey, market, product, battlefield, partner, wild animal, property, map, harvest, child, stage. Main catalysts in image mental consideration of the Ukrainian identity are resilience in the pursuit of common security and welfare, which is achieved through vigilance, reasonable decisions, and self-criticism. The results are debatable: they can be refined on broader corpus samples or compared in the multilinguistic perspective.

Funding

This research was conducted and funded within the Sumy State University project of young scientists “Evolution of Ukrainian Identity in Linguistic Consciousness: Past Experience, Current Challenges, and Prospects for Development” (State Reg. No. 0126U000872) and the grant of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine “Innovative Technologies of the Mass Consciousness Manipulation: A Polyparadigmatic Linguistic Dimension” (State Reg. No. 0124U004832).

CRediT Statement

Vitalii Stepanov: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data Curation, Supervision, Project Administration, Funding Acquisition; Svitlana Baranova: Formal Analysis, Investigation, Writing – Reviewing & Editing, Visualization; Nataliia Ponomarenko: Software, Validation, Investigation, Resources; Olena Ovsianko: Investigation, Resources, Writing – Original Draft; Anna Zinchenko: Investigation, Resources, Writing – Original Draft.

Disclosure Statement

The authors reported no potential conflicts of interest.

Generative AI Statement

During the preparation of the paper the authors did not use any GenAI tools.

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Author Biography

Vitalii Stepanov *, Sumy State University, Ukraine

* Corresponding author, Email: [email protected]

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