« 2023. # 1 (169)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2023. № 1 (169), 218—226

UDK 81-119:159.9:39 

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2023.01.218

LANGUAGE AND SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE NATION IN THE LINGUISTIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF OLEXANDER POTEBNIA

BALAHUTRAK Mykola

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2041-8773
  • Candidate of Sciences in History, Senior Researcher
  • of the Institute of Ethnology
  • of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
  • Modern Ethnology Department ,
  • Svobody Avenue 15, 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: balahutrak@ukr.net

Abstract. Language is the main source of self-awareness of the people  the basic premise of Oleksandr Potebnia’s concept of ethnic psychology, which does not lose its relevance in the period of the Russian-Ukrainian war of the 21st century.

The purpose of the article is to investigate the ethnopsychological ideas of the Ukrainian scientist about the unity of consciousness, language and psychology of the people, formation of the unique status of the ethnic community.

The novelty of the article. Long time before the famous Wilhelm Wundt in his work «Psychology of Nations» (1886), the fundamental concept of ethnic psychology was developed and deepened by Oleksandr Potebnia: it was the idea that the beginning and basis of folk psychology is language, which among other factors, most consistently ensures the processes of identification, self-knowledge and consolidation of the people.

Conclusions. The research legacy and scientific ideas of O. Potebnia had a profound impact on the development of national humanitarianism in the 19th century and subsequent processes of national self-awareness of Ukrainians.

The main research methods are structural and logical, content analysis and system approach.

Keywords: ethnic psychology, folk psychology, ethnic picture of the world, language, thinking, consciousness, national self-consciousness.

Received 22.02.2023

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