THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE CONCEPTUAL STUDY OF LINGUISTIC UNITS IN WORLD LINGUISTICS

This article explores the theoretical foundations of the conceptual research of language units in modern linguistics, highlighting the complex interplay between language, thought, and national mentality. It examines how human perception, cultural experience, and worldview are systematically organized and transmitted through lexical and grammatical structures across generations. Drawing upon classical and modern paradigms—including the ideas of Wilhelm von Humboldt, Edward Sapir, Benjamin Lee Whorf, and Leo Weisgerber—the study traces the evolution and significance of the concepts of "Worldview," "Language Picture of the World" (LPW), and "Conceptual Picture of the World." Furthermore, the article analyzes the distinctions between direct and indirect world pictures as classified by scholars like Z. D. Popova and I. A. Sternin, while differentiating between ordinary and scientific interpretations of reality. Ultimately, the research underscores that language serves as an invaluable social memory and primary instrument for encoding the spiritual, historical, and cognitive experience of an ethnos.