The thesis about the centrality and authority of the concept "word" in the mental space of Russian culture is put forward. In the Russian consciousness the word is understood not only as a semiotic symbol, but as an independent entity, valuable in itself and possessing creative "objectifying" potential. This attitude to the word is expressed not only in theory, i.e., in the observations of philosophers, theologians, and linguists, not only in the poetic practice of word artists, but also in everyday consciousness, in everyday conscious or unconscious reflexion.
The paper analyzes the lexical manifestations of the concept "(Russian) word" in the last novel by V. Rasputin. The conceptual framework of the book uses linguocultural and theo-anthropo-cosmic approaches to the interpretation of the concept and presents it as the Logos, the source and root of all things, the ultimate truth. It is the interest in the (Russian) word, the return to it, that is believed to generate creative activity and, as a consequence, the resurrection of the Russian soil.
The specificity of the folklore language as a concept of mentality, 2) a linguo-cultural valuable unit of vocabulary and 3) a precedent text is analyzed. The thesis is put forward that in order for a foreign student to develop a confident and competent command of language and speech culture at the level of a native speaker, it is necessary to consciously, consistently and constantly teach folklore words, which can be carried out at the very first stages of learning Russian as a foreign language. The thesis is further illustrated by examples.
