MARKERS OF SOCIAL STATUS IN RUSSIAN-CHINESE DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS OF THE 17TH-19TH CENTURIES

Abstract

The present article is devoted to the problem of reflecting the social status of participants in diplomatic documents. The purpose of the given article is to show the functions of markers of social status of participants in Russian-Chinese bilateral cooperation while analyzing the material of Russian-Chinese diplomatic documents of the 17th-19th centuries. The results of the analysis of the texts of bilateral Russian-Chinese treaties not only outline the range of historical events and their participants, but also show the process of evolution of Russian and Chinese society in the dynamics of international contacts. The proper comparative analysis of the diplomatic documents of the two countries demonstrated that markers of social status not only indicate the individuals who participated in this cooperation over the two centuries, but also reveal the evolutionary processes that took place during this period in social, economic, cultural and political development of the two countries, their state building. The theoretical and practical significance of the article lies in the fact that the research findings can be used in courses related to general linguistics, lexicology, and other disciplines which are connected with the study of political discourse. The collected lexical material can also be used in compiling dictionaries on political terminology.