Traditional and authorial symbolism of the number in the prose of A.P. Chekhov

Barashev Andrey Khugasovich

The balance of traditional and authorial symbolics of number which is expressed in the stories and plays of A.P. Chekhov is analysed in the article. Sacral senses which are appeared at a lot of numerals ("three", "seven", "eight", "nine", "thirteen", "forty" and etc.) in the Russian and other linguocultures, generally at A.P.Chekhov are absent or appear faintly, although for the writer these senses are clear. The functioning in the prose of A.P. Chekhov of the numerals "one", "two", "three", "seven", "nine" and others shows the wish of writer to deal these numerals by own symbolic meanings which differ from common cultural or even exclusive of it. The numeral "thirteen" is often introduced in the text traditionally as unhappy number although the writer at that shows the understanding of limitation of superstitious perception of numeral.

Keywords:A.P. Chekhov, numeral name, numeral, number, quantity, symbolism of the number, linguistic view of the world, linguoculture.