Figurative features of good in Russian and German linguistic cultures

The study aims to determine the figurative content of the concept “good” in Russian and German linguistic cultures based on corpus linguistics. The scientific novelty of the work lies in describing the common and specific figurative characteristics of the concept “good” in German and Russian linguistic cultures. The research revealed that the main figurative features of good in Russian and German linguistic cultures coincide. Good is perceived as a powerful force, a warrior, an athlete, waging an eternal struggle against evil. Being an abstract notion that denotes moral value, good acquires the category of magnitude and the ability to be countable and measurable in comparison with evil. The heart, soul, or a person act as containers of good. Distinctive features include the spatial characteristics of good. Thus, in the Russian linguistic consciousness, there is the Russian doll effect: good is located in the soul or heart of a person and at the same time good is itself a container of strength and the meaning of life. In Russian linguistic culture, good is a life goal and the path to this goal. In German linguistic culture, there is an emphasis on the absence of boundaries of good compared to evil. Observing the metaphorization of good indicates the use of sports, military, anthropomorphic, road, morbial, monetary, and phytomorphic metaphors in speech.