LINGUICOGNITIVE FEATURES OF THE REPRESENTATION OF THE CONCEPT OF FEAR IN THE UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE WORLDVIEW (BASED ON THE NOVEL BY S. COLLINS “THE HUNGER GAMES: A BALLAD OF SINGING BIRDS AND SNAKES”)

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the linguo-cognitive features of representing the concept of FEAR in the Ukrainian linguistic worldview, based on the Ukrainian translation of Suzanne Collins’s novel “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” The concept of FEAR is examined as a multidimensional mental and linguistic construct that integrates cognitive, emotional, and cultural components, reflecting the uniqueness of Ukrainian perception of the world, value orientations, and collective experience. The application of cognitive-semantic and contextual analysis methods made it possible to identify the system of linguistic means through which the emotion of fear is verbalized in translation, as well as to determine its metaphorical models, figurative schemes, and cultural markers influencing the formation of its conceptual structure. Special attention is given to how fear is represented in artistic discourse at different linguistic levels – lexical, phraseological, syntactic, and stylistic. The study demonstrates that the linguistic means used to express fear in translation not only convey the psychological state of the characters but also interpret social, moral, and ethical aspects of human existence. In the novel, fear emerges as both a universal and culturally determined phenomenon that structures interpersonal relationships, shapes character behavior, motivates actions, and drives the narrative development. It is proven that in the Ukrainian translation of the novel, the emotional concept of FEAR acquires additional semantic nuances: it is represented not only as an instinctive reaction to danger but also as a powerful tool of power, control, self-awareness, and moral choice. This approach allows tracing how the translation of a literary text reflects the specificity of the Ukrainian linguistic worldview, its emotional and value-based content, and cognitive depth.