Stereotypes of ethnic mentality

STEREOTYPES OF ETHNIC MENTALITY

 

Summary. For the characteristic of ethnic characters is allocate the set of stereotypes associating with these people. One of the popular sources of an ethnic stereotype are the jokes constructed on a sample plot. Other source of ethnic character is the national classical fiction. The third and most reliable mirror of "soul of the people" is the folklore, oral national creativity. At last the fourth indicator of ethnic character is language.

 

Keywords: stereotypes, jokes, fiction, folklore, language.

 

Stereotypes are defined as the steady, emotionally painted ideas of the social phenomenon or object and quite often have negative coloring therefore it is necessary to differentiate stereotypes and prejudices which quite often understand as mentality. One of popular sources of an ethnic stereotype are the jokes constructed on a sample plot. So in the Russian jokes British it is emphasized prudish, reserved, Jews mercantile, Americans self-confident, pragmatic. Germans practical, disciplined, love an order, French thoughtless, loving wine and women. Russians reckless, like to drink, Kazakhs friendly, like to eat, and a wire for them the best welding. Uzbeks – not a nationality, and a profession. Ukrainians like fat and don't like Russians. Belarusians like potato, Chinese eat everything that creeps and flies, for the Pole and the Azerbaijanian – it is important to resell something, and for Roma – to deceive or steal. And in the Russian jokes all of them behave according to these stereotypes.

 

Here one of such jokes.  If in the glass with beer the German finds a fly, it will catch it and will drink up beer, if the Frenchman (sentimental), it pulls out a fly, will straighten wings and won't to drink beer.  The Russian will drink beer, puffing a fly, the American will make scandal and will demand to replace beer, the Chinese will pull out a fly, will drink up beer and a fly will have as a snack.

 

  And one more joke. Scientists decided to find out, what ethnos transfers cold better. In the freezer closed representatives of various ethnoses. The Frenchman took a lot of wine and pretty women and went to the freezer. In half an hour weak knock is distributed, and the Frenchman shivering from cold crept out of the camera. The Englishman took with himself, a cigar, a bottle of whisky and one woman. In an hour knock was distributed and from the camera pulled out the semi-frozen Englishman. Russian took with itself a box of vodka, the neighbor from the house, bank of cucumbers and went to the camera. In three hours alarmed scientists slightly opened a door, being afraid of trouble, but they saw fist from there and words like these: "Here is so cold, and they still open a door".

Recently the joke is known. - What means business in Russian?

 

- It is necessary to buy a box of vodka, to wash the transaction, to hand over bottles, and to spend money on drink.

 

Other source of ethnic character is the national classical fiction. Researches show that the French literature has nothing in common with comical thoughtless heroes – lovers. And prudish, reserved British from jokes, created the literature full of irony, sarcasm, and more than 20 comedies are the share of five tragedies. As and in the Russian literature the central characters not alcoholics and bullies, and intellectuals with their philosophical searches and sincere experiences. Thus, the fiction only with reservations can be a source of information about ethnic character.

 

The third and most reliable mirror of " people’s soul" is the folklore, oral national creativity.  The main hero of the Uzbek fairy tales Hodja Nasreddin and Salyay Chakkan's his similar characters (at Uyghurs), Pulu-Pugi (at Armenians), to Kemin (at the Turkmen), Aldar Kose (at Kazakhs), and in the Russian fairy tales – Ivanushka.  All of them, at first sight simpletons, but are actually cleverer and most cunning silly and self-satisfied.  Ivanushka is created from contradictions.  He is lazy and passive, but at the crucial moment, active, careless and careful, trustful and cunning.

 

And on this occasion a joke.  The Witch Baba Yaga asks Zmey Gorynych:

 

- You of whom most of all are afraid?

 

- Guess.

 

- Ilya Muromtsa?

 

- No. Healthy, but lazy and stupid.

 

- Dobrynya Nikitich?

 

- No. There is a lot of forces, but rectilinear.

 

- And whom?

 

- Ivan of a peasant son.

 

- Why?

 

- The fool fool, shoots anywhere, kissing frogs. Unpredictable hooligan.

At last the fourth indicator of ethnic character is language. For someone will be unexpected to learn that the Russian, Kazakh, Danish address on "you" - the certificate of the close related relations and the address on "you" to the close relative can be not understood by it and cause offense. The forms of ‘you’ in English in general aren't present, perhaps, it affected and in India which was an English colony where also it isn't accepted "to stick".

 

Researchers note that in many languages, including English, there are as in Russian, no the diminutive-hypocoristic suffixes transferring the thinnest nuances of the loving person. And, diminutive-hypocoristic suffixes are used in Russian, as to animated, and to inanimate objects: Mashenka, Mashutka, Mashunya, Mashunichka; girl, girl, little girl, devchonochka; house, lodge, domishechka, domushka. All this does Russian emonatsionalno richer, for example, English. The translator of the Russian word "my old woman" is compelled to use four English words: "My dear little old woman" or "bolnichka" - "dear little hospital". Warmth is thus lost. And all because at British no, it in mentality. And in mentality isn't present because isn't present in language, they aren't accustomed by language to such "tendernesses". Diminutive-hypocoristic suffixes of Russian reflect mental ability of the Russian-speaking person to love and kindness expression, its emotionality and sensitivity and undoubtedly promote formation of these qualities.

 

Language – the witness not only ethnic, but also genetic relationship. Words of the Hungarian language - "bolta", "alma", "kara" - an axe, apple, black will be clear to each Kazakh. When the whole world frightened of a calendar of the Maya, in 2012 in the night of December 22 waited for "doomsday", in Hungary celebrated Karachun's holiday – tengriansky New year. Over all country Magyars burn down fires, helping light to overcome darkness, shamans hit into tambourines, accompanying the kamlaniye - communication with ancestral spirits, first of all with Atilla and Tengri. Kazakhs still in case of success or troubles make a sacrifice (a ram or a rooster) to Kudayu – god of the Sky. The Hungarians calling Magyars, consider that roots of their ancestors have a Turkic origin. Scientists and politicians of Hungary openly say that they are Turkic peoples and that their close relatives – Kazakhs. Kazakhs have sorts the Magyar, living in Turgaye, genealogical, anthropological and genetic data were collected, the analysis of Y-chromosomes is carried out. The taken samples compared to similar samples of Hungarians. The received results showed genetic identity of Magyar Kazakhs and Hungarians. Not casually, on one of Kurultais - congress of Turkic peoples, the document which says that "Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Turkic peoples, Azerbaijanians, Uyghurs, Bashkirs, Yakuts, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Magyars, Tatars, Turkmens, Mongols, Chuvashs, Gagauz, Japanese, Huns from blessing of the Blue sky – brothers was signed! ".

But why serene, quiet Kazakhs became impulsive, aggressive Hungarians? Together with Huns in the ninth century Magyars came to others territory and during development of pridunaysky lands threat remained from all directions. The former pagans who have accepted Catholicism, remained tengrianets, also as Kazakhs, accepted Islam not in its Arab form, and altered it, remain generally still tengrianets. And for that and others god, first of all, is the nature, and a worship subject – memory to ancestors. How to disagree with Lev Gumilev's statement that the most important factor of mentality is the geographical landscape. Kazakhs keep boundless steppes in the arkhitipny memory, and Hungarians for one thousand years got new stereotypes of behavior, but the closed space defines their originality. Just as Kyrgyz or Caucasians aren't ready to make a compromise, owing to the closed space of formation of mentality at their ancestors. In remote mountains the population honor everyone in aul has the dialect and a peculiar mentality.

 

And here the characteristic of ethnoses the German philosopher –  Russophile Walter Shubart in the book "Europe and Soul of the East":

 

The Englishman looks at the world as on factory, the Frenchman —  as on salon, the German — as on barracks, Russian — as on the temple;

 

The Englishman thirsts for production, the Frenchman — glories, the German — the authorities, the Russian — victims;

 

The Englishman waits from the neighbor of benefit, the Frenchman of sympathy, the German wants to order it. And only the Russian doesn't want anything.

 

Eurasian not only geographical concept. This rather cultural and social concept. Feelings of friendship, equality and equality are fully inherent in the Eurasian. The Eurasian – in a bigger measure the internationalist, than the cosmopolitan, it is a supporter tolerant human relations of the various nations and the races, based on mutual understanding, mutual trust, mutual enrichment of cultures, values, knowledge and technologies. The Eurasian shows tolerance to other opinions, beliefs, behavior, language, possesses the aggravated sense of justice, aspiration to education and professional development, well knows Russian as language of international communication. Therefore it isn't lawful the Eurasian, the Russian or the Kazakhstan citizen to include in concepts as the main sign only a racial, national or confessional community. The concept the Eurasian isn't defined neither religious, nor ethnic communities. In the country, applying to be called civilized idemokratichesky there has to be a developed, self-sufficient civil society which includes all national and confessional educations, and the nation – concept designating statehood. Therefore it is quite lawful to say that in Russia – the Russian nation, and in Kazakhstan – the Kazakhstan nation. Thanks to tolerance, tolerance of the multinational population managed to avoid the international conflicts, indispensable satellites of the period of reforms and social shocks. Adopting each other features of national mentality, Kazakhstan citizens created the Kazakhstan mentality. In a family of Kazakhstan citizens, welcoming even the unexpected guest, by all means will offer tea and will expose on a table everything, than are rich. And for an invited dinner will surely prepare pilaf or besparmak, pelmeni or mant, cooksey or lamian and even on some dishes at once. But the most important – the multinational and polyconfessional people of Kazakhstan keeps kindness to each other.