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The article is devoted to comparing data on the results of associative experiments of different years. The main focus is on the conceptual core - the first ten words with the most associative links. It is reported that in 2013-2017, researchers of the Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University named after V. P. Astafiev, with the support of scientific foundations, prepared the “Electronic associative dictionary of Yenisei Siberia”, which includes 29,550 associative fields based on the results obtained when 1000 respondents were presented (incentives were proposed by the team of the ethnopsycholinguistics sector of the Institute of Atomic Energy RAS under the direction of N. V. Ufimtseva). The article compares the obtained data with the materials of the conceptual core of other associative dictionaries of the Russian language of the XX-XXI centuries, such as the “Dictionary of associative norms of the Russian language” by A. A. Leontyev, “Russian Associative Dictionary” edited by Yu. N. Karaulov, “Russian regional associative dictionary-thesaurus” by G. A. Cherkasova, N. V. Ufimtseva. It is proved that the data of associative dictionaries indicate a change in indicators on the scale of values of linguistic consciousness of the Russian language native speakers. An attempt was made to identify the specifics of the everyday linguistic consciousness of Russians in a geographically limited community. The conclusion is made that the changes in the linguistic consciousness of Russians are caused to a greater extent by temporary rather than regional conditions.

The core layer of the concept is the language of schemes, images, tactile and olfactory imprints of the reality which codifies the concept for intellectual operations. This core part has national and cultural background. With the lapse of time the concept undergoes changes due to the changing worldview. The best access to the concepts, their better understanding and “transmission” are granted via verbalization, i.e., through the language.

From the communicative point of view the concept is a cognitive model according to which the speaker uses a certain language unit in one or another way. The core of the concept has been named “the conceptual focus”. It includes the most stable central substantive components which are universal for the specific language community. Along with images, emotional and sensational constituents these cover the main essence of the concept content.

From the communicative point of view a concept is a cognitive model according to which the speaker uses a certain language unit in one or another way. The core of the concept has been named “the conceptual focus”. It includes the most stable central substantive components which are universal for the specific language community. Along with images, emotional and sensational constituents these cover the main essence of the concept content.

"Freedom" Without Meaning? Abstract Concepts, Cognition, and Linguistic Determinism - The concept of "freedom" describes one of the most fundamental values in contemporary western society. However, even though everyone agrees that we need to defend freedom at any cost, people of different moral, political and social opinions interpret this concept in very diverse, or even opposing ways. In spite of these clear differences, it is common opinion that this concept is characterized at its basis by a kind of common denominator, on which everybody agrees and that represents the goal of a shared battle. The study we propose here investigates this opinion from a cognitive point of view with the aim of determining how the abstract concept of freedom is formed and what information it is composed of. The analysis – that in some respects relates to Lakoff’s theory – identifies a common cognitive concrete core for the concept of freedom and explains how the development of this concept from its concrete to abstract form is influenced by the ideology individuals embrace. The conclusion shows that the cognitive core of the concept is too undetermined to serve as a common denominator in defining a shared value and points out some limits of Lakoff’s approach, delineating a possible future line of research on these topics.