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This article examines the meaning of basic value “development” reflected on the common level of linguistic consciousness of representatives of two generations: the one of “perestroika” times and the Post Soviet one. The common level of linguistic consciousness is revealed through analysis of associative dictionaries and the results of the psycho-semantic experiment. The analysis of the articles from associative dictionaries helps to distinguish components of the meaning of the basic value under investigation on the common level of linguistic civil consciousness. The data of the psycho-semantic experiment that is presented as factor matrices and cluster trees allow to capture connotative differences of the perception of the value in question and trace the link with such values as “labour” and “cooperation”. We resort to historical, sociological and statistic data in order to interpret the results of the analysis. The methodology of the research is based on the theory of activity approach elaborated by Leontiev A.N., the conception of linguistic consciousness of Tarasov E.F. and Ufimtseva N.V. and the intergrative and eclectic approach by the mixed method designed by Yanchuk V.A. The results of the given research show that there were not significant shifts in the perception of the value “development” on the common level of linguistic consciousness of the two generations. However we can spotted the changes in the contents of the value in question on the linguistic common level of civil consciousness due to the movement from the industrial type of economy to the postindustrial one that is characterized by the growing significance of intellect. The methods of the analysis can be potentially used for similar research of basic values of national cultures. The materials of this paper can be employed to create tasks for Russian as Foreign language classes.

Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples` (who has been considered fraternal for a long time) representations of the modern world currently due to many factors are subjected to complex processes of transformation. So the importance of the historical period of the Great Patriotic War in the life of all three peoples, the memory of which has an important means of confrontation western propaganda, is certainly true. The article presents the results of the study of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian students’ and their parents’ representations of the Great Patriotic War. The study was being held in Peoples’ friendship University of Russia, immediately after the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory.

As a rule, it goes without saying that the generational analysis is one of the major tasks of sociology, which aims to diagnose the state and trends of the social development by comparing value priorities, attitudes and behavioral patterns of the age subgroups that constitute the society. Despite the lack of a common definition of ‘generation’ in the scientific discourse and the differences in its interdisciplinary interpretations researchers agree that in sociology we define ‘generation’ not so much as a demographic group of the same age, but as a certain symbolic community whose members were raised in the similar social conditions. Unfortunately, the Russian sociology adheres to the fragmented version of generational analysis focusing mainly on the youth (less often on the working population as a whole) and ‘forgets’ about the elderly and children due to several reasons, but the main ones are evident in both cases - the older generations are largely ignored, and for the youngest it is difficult to choose an adequate methodological approach. The article indicates the thematic priorities of generational analysis in its sociological format (focus on the social status and symbolic features of generations rather than on the culture of childhood, which is the subject of historical research), identifies its key concepts (generation and cohort) and problems, summarized the differences of the methodological approaches (primarily quantitative and qualitative) and research orientations especially in the study of older ages.