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The article is devoted to the description of "joy/sadness" as the major emotions in the cognitive linguistics on the example of Russian and English languages. The author tells that understanding of these emotions is extremely important for learning different problems which are related to the human activity. In spite the fact that numerous scientific works are devoted to the study of emotions (Yu. D. Apresyan, A. Vezhbitskaya, G. V. Kolshansky, N. A. Lukyanova, E. F. Petrishcheva), emotivity is not ready to offer its full description. It is known that emotive components are presented at all levels of language communication. They suggest a person's desire to establish and maintain a contact with other people. The author states that stereotypes of using expressions "joy/sadness" are based on the specific ethnic community, so the basic emotional reactions are considered by native speakers differently. The author concludes that the difference of expression "joy/sadness" in Russian and English languages depends on the cultural factors which generate specific experience of emotions.