The text examines new political metaphors in contemporary Bulgarian as a dynamic tool for conceptualizing and interpreting political reality. It analyzes both metaphorical calques from English (e.g., deep state, slap lawsuit, illusion factory) and other languages (e.g., wet job), as well as metaphors and figurative expressions that have emerged domestically as a result of current social and political processes (circles of companies, distribution of portions, participation in schemes, etc.). The study shows that political metaphors not only enrich linguistic expression but also influence the formation of public attitudes and political thinking. In conclusion, the role of metaphor is emphasized as a key mechanism for semantic innovation and discursive impact in contemporary political language, highlighting its ability to shape the cognitive models through which society perceives political processes.

The article is devoted to the problems of teaching Russian as a foreign language in the context of new challenges of the information age. The development of critical thinking is becoming a relevant competence of the information society, based on an intensive flow of information, fakes and manipulation. For this purpose, it is possible to use the CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) technology as an educational tool of an integrative nature, based on the integration of language and subject content and allowing to pay attention in the learning process to such components as content, culture, cognition and communication. Using the study of ethnocultural stereotypes of Siberia as a case, the article explores issues related to intercultural dialogue and the development of critical thinking through the deconstruction of myths and the pursuit of genuine knowledge.

This study investigates Macedonian university students’ use of English epicene pronouns with different antecedent types based on a form-focused elicited production task. In the academic years 2021/22 and 2024/25, the same discrete-point test was administered among second-year and fourth-year English majors, aiming to discover patterns in the students’ choice of pronouns when they refer back to diverse indefinite pronouns, the noun person, and nouns denoting male- and female-stereotyped occupations. The quantitative analysis revealed high overall usage of singular they in both groups, with fourth-year students demonstrating consistently higher rates of singular they use compared to second-year students across all antecedent types in 2021/22, while in 2024/25 second-year students converged towards and even surpassed the scores of the fourth-year students with some types of antecedents. These findings indicate stabilisation of singular they as an epicene pronoun of choice among Macedonian learners, possibly as a result of the increasing extra-curricular exposure to English, evolving gender ideologies and academic progression.

The article presents the main principles of the model-based teaching method (modellalapú nyelvoktatás) as a new approach to teaching Hungarian as a foreign language. Developed by Szilvia Szita and Katalin Pelcz, the method aims to build communicative competence through the acquisition of authentic, corpus-based speech patterns, carefully selected according to their frequency, typicality, and pragmatic value in real language use. Its theoretical foundation combines the achievements of the lexical approach, corpus linguistics, and the concept of usage-oriented foreign language instruction. The practical application of the method is illustrated through the MagyarOK and Magyar Felfedező textbook series, the readers for levels A1 – A2, and the Systematic Hungarian Grammar (Rendszerező magyar nyelvtan), all of which provide a coherent cognitive-functional framework for the gradual acquisition of Hungarian from level A1 to B2. The method effectively overcomes the traditional opposition between grammatical form and communicative function and offers a methodological perspective that corresponds to current trends in contemporary language pedagogy and is also applicable to the teaching of other foreign languages.

Gamification represents a modern pedagogical approach that integrates elements of games, challenges, and rewards into the teaching process with the aim of increasing students’ motivation, engagement, and learning. The aim of this study was to examine the application of gamification in English language teaching in primary school and to analyze its impact on students’ motivation, engagement, and language skill development. The research was conducted on a sample of 135 sixth-grade students using a closed-question survey questionnaire. The results show that the majority of students recognize the presence of gamified elements in lessons and perceive them as motivating and engaging components. More than half of the respondents express a high level of motivation and enthusiasm for participating in gamified activities, while a significant percentage of students indicate increased teamwork and collaboration. The findings align with contemporary theoretical approaches that emphasize the importance of autonomy, feedback, and the perception of progress in learning.

The present study aims to propose an integral model for the description of the pragmatic particle baš in Croatian and its functional equivalents in Bulgarian. The application of the model, which integrates grammatical, semantic, and discourse-pragmatic information about the particle, demonstrates that the diverse discourse realizations of baš can be reduced to two principal mechanisms of pragmatic modification − evaluative identification and evaluative maximization, both deriving from its invariant meaning. From a linguodidactic perspective, these pragmatic modifications are associated with communicative patterns of use, which can be employed as didactic units for developing learners‘ communicicative competence.

Within the framework of contemporary linguoculturological and lexicological research, this paper presents a comparative analysis of the semantic structure of the lexeme God in the Serbian and Russian languages. The primary objective of the study is focused on identifying, systematizing, and describing linguistic similarities and differences, as well as uncovering specific cultural concepts expressed through the primary and figurative meanings of this word. The results of the contrastive analysis indicate that the secondary meanings and metaphorical extensions of this lexeme in both languages transcend its original, religious core. This semantic layer develops in two distinct directions: on one hand, toward universal human spiritual and moral values, and on the other, within the domain of abstract and material subjectivization (where the meaning shifts to people or concrete objects). The observed semantic diversity points to the need for further empirical and psycholinguistic study of this phenomenon. It can be viewed as an important indicator of a gradual process of linguistic desacralization, namely secularization, which ultimately leads to the weakening of functional links between words of sacred origin and the religious system itself.

The article examines Lilyana Minkova’s scholarly contribution to the study of translation literature during the Bulgarian National Revival, with particular emphasis on the relationship between translation theory and translation practice. Her scholarly work extends beyond the boundaries of literary historiography and addresses a number of issues that are today associated with the understanding of translation as a process of cultural mediation. Particular attention is paid to her studies of the Bulgarian reception of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, in which she reconstructs the development of translation strategies, adaptation practices, and readers‘ expectations during the Bulgarian Revival. The article also discusses her analysis of the linguistic features of the early Bulgarian translations of the novel, highlighting her meticulous archival research and critical reassessment of established scholarly views. Finally, the article demonstrates that, in Minkova’s scholarly work, the theoretical reflection on translation and her own translation practice develop as complementary dimensions of a coherent conception of literary translation.

The article examines the ways of integration of ChatGPT into translator training at the bachelor’s level and presents the results of the experiment conducted during 2023-2025 among the 3rd-year students of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. Methods included a pedagogical experiment to examine the integration of ChatGPT into translator training; semi-structured interviews to explore students’ experiences; analysis of students’ translation assignments completed with and without ChatGPT; classroom observation; qualitative and quantitative analysis of the collected data. Findings indicate that most of the students see the potential of ChatGPT in their professional training. The obtained data was used to create the activities for the students. The study highlights the need to integrate AI-assisted tools into translator training to meet the expectations of the modern labour market, carefully choosing the assignments, giving clear and strict instructions for ChatGPT, adjusting the principles of academic integrity and taking into consideration the needs of students.