Dialektalny obraz świata Ukraińców. Koncept i kontekst .......... 53

THE DIALECTAL WORLDVIEW OF UKRAINIANS: CONCEPT AND CONTEXT

This article examines the dialectal worldview of Ukrainians, focusing on the conceptualization and contextualization of this phenomenon. It highlights the peculiarities of its modeling through concepts and reviews the fundamental theoretical principles used to interpret the term concept, with special attention to how contemporary scholars approach it. The importance of selecting appropriate sources for analyzing concepts and uncovering their core meanings is emphasized, as this is essential for portraying the worldview of native speakers. In this regard, particular attention is given to the role of context in shaping the semantics of concepts. The article reconstructs a segment of the Ukrainian dialectal worldview related to its vertical axis, which encompasses the opposition of top and bottom concepts. This reconstruction is carried out by modeling the semantics and word formation of dialectal phenomena. It reveals how objects are spatially oriented and qualified, thereby constructing the coordinate system underlying the dialectal worldview. The study draws on historical and regional dictionaries, textual materials, and linguistic atlases. Since the analysis also includes manuscripts of the Ukrainian language dating back to the 11th century, semantic shifts across historical epochs are carefully documented. The main contribution of this study lies in its focus on dialectal materials, which serve as a key to reconstructing fragments of the linguistic worldview absent from literary language or early written sources. Over time, the worldviews of various ethnic groups have been shaped by their unique cognitive perspectives, expressed through their environment, everyday life, and traditions – above all, in their dialects.