Language and Culture in the Context of Victoria Belim’s Memoir “The Rooster House”: Nationally Biased Lexicon

Abstract

The current research explores the complex relationship between memory, culture and language, showing how they influence each other and shape the author’s perception of events and cultural identity; what role language plays in the formation of national culture. Simultaneously, peculiarities of memoir as a literary genre of storytelling have been outlined. The objective of the study is analyzing the function of realia as nationally biased vocabulary occurring in memoir literature for representing culture and communicating personal experiences against a social and historical background. The research is based on Victoria Belim’s book “The Rooster House: A Ukrainian Family Memoir” in which the author interlaces her Ukrainian family’s history with a broader social, cultural, and historical landscape. The writer also breaks the silence surrounding her missing relative by uncovering the painful truth about his imprisonment and tragic fate. Writing about her visit to Ukraine after a long absence, which was triggered by the ongoing war unleashed by Russia, she shares her childhood memories which add to redefining her identity. Describing the traumatic events which occurred in Ukraine during Soviet times up to present day, such as Holodomor, Chornobyl, Maidan, etc., she turns the national tragedy into her personal one. Moreover, she strongly believes in the resilience of Ukrainian people, and hopes for their victory. In her narration, Victoria Belim uses multiple religious, culinary, historical, symbolic, cultural and other kinds of realia, which enrich the cultural texture of her memoir, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the realities of Ukrainian life. These linguistic elements function as cultural markers, and essentially contribute to the social, historical and cultural colour scheme of the book.