Combination of words dusha (‘soul’) and prilepit’sya (‘adhere’): conceptualization of soul representations in Russian linguistic worldview

This article contributes to the study of the naïve linguistic image of the soul through an analysis of word combinability. One of its components in Russian Linguistic Worldview is the notion of the soul’s inclination towards unity with other souls. This aspect of contextual figurative semantics concerning the word in question has been inadequately addressed in the scholarly literature. The study analyzes 54 instances of the the word dusha (‘soul’) combined with the verb prilepit’sya (‘adhere’). The article uses Russian National Corpus as a source of material. The image derived from the physical world (the adhesion of wet, sticky substances) denotes a high degree of closeness between objects, while in a figurative sense, it signifies strong attachment. Two variants of combinations are found in the texts: dushoy prilepit’sya (‘adhere with the soul’) and dusha prilepilas’ (‘the soul adhered’) (to someone, to something). The semantics choosing another person is embodied in descriptions of friendship and romantic attachment, spiritual closeness between a mentor and a junior companion, loyalty of servants to their masters, and the overcoming of class distinctions. The soul serves as the primary measure against which individuals evaluate themselves and other objects, not limited to surrounding people. Among other objects, besides human beings, whose selection is influenced by the soul are faith, geographical location, endeavor, idea, and activity that may become an object of temptation and captivate the soul.