The linguocultural image as an interdisciplinary category: theoretical foundations and structural characteristics

The study examines the concept of the linguocultural image as an interdisciplinary category in contemporary humanities research. Its object is the notion of “image” as interpreted in lexicographic, philosophical, psychological, linguistic, and linguocultural traditions. The article focuses on the semantic polysemy of the concept of image, its interdisciplinary status, its specific functioning in different scholarly paradigms, and the grounds for distinguishing the linguocultural image as an independent analytical unit. Particular attention is paid to clarifying the conceptual boundaries of the linguocultural image in relation to the broader notion of image, identifying its theoretical foundations, and determining its place within the humanities. The aim of the study is to establish the interdisciplinary invariant of the concept of image, to reveal the mechanisms of its cultural and linguistic specification, and to substantiate the structural characteristics of the linguocultural image as a form of linguistic objectification of collective experience. The methodological framework is based on an interdisciplinary approach. The study employs conceptual, definitional, comparative, descriptive, and interpretative methods in the analysis of lexicographic, philosophical, psychological, linguistic, and linguocultural sources. The findings demonstrate that the concept of image possesses an interdisciplinary invariant and performs a mediating function between the object, consciousness, and its semantic representation, while in linguocultural studies it acquires the status of an independent analytical category. The novelty of the research lies in interpreting the linguocultural image not as a set of isolated features, but as a multilayered field structure including a core, a near periphery, and a far periphery. It is shown that this category reflects the interaction of linguistic form, collective experience, cultural memory, and value-based interpretation of reality. The results may be applied in further research on media, political, literary, and digital discourse.