REALIA AS COGNITIVE AND LINGUOCULTURAL ANCHORS IN MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATION: TOWARDS A NEW INTEGRATIVE MODEL

Abstract

This expanded paper explores the phenomenon of realia as not only linguistic but also cognitive and cultural units that preserve and transmit collective memory, values, and identity in multilingual communication. Drawing upon theories from translation studies, cognitive linguistics, and semiotics, it argues that realia should be conceptualized as cognitive-linguocultural anchors that mediate between language, thought, and culture. The study integrates classical translation approaches (Vlahov & Florin, Nida) with contemporary frameworks of conceptual metaphor, frame semantics, and digital semiotics. Examples from English, Russian, and Uzbek reveal how realia function within national conceptual systems and how they adapt within global digital discourse. The article proposes a multi-dimensional Integrative Model of Realia (IMR) and discusses pedagogical and digital applications for teaching, translating, and preserving culturally embedded vocabulary