COGNITIVE DISSONANCE AND NONVERBAL SEMIOSIS: SHAPING SECONDARY LINGUISTIC PERSONALITY IN CHINESE LEARNERS OF RUSSIAN THROUGH VISUAL REFLECTION

Abstract

This study examines the internalisation of nonverbal code as a constitutive element of secondary linguistic personality (SLP) among Chinese learners of Russian. Although up to 80% of social meaning is conveyed non-verbally, the impact of nonverbal communication on deep personal transformation in language learners remains underexplored. To address this gap, the study focuses on overcoming cognitive dissonance arising from clashes between Russian and Chinese nonverbal systems, and its role in developing cultural empathy and hybrid identity. The study's originality lies in three areas: theoretical (integrating SLP, internalisation, semiotics, and the four-dimensional model of language personality), methodological (using visual data as a metacognitive tool through visual languaging), and empirical (focusing on the bicultural context of MSU-BIT University in Shenzhen, China). Data from 24 Chinese Master's students included reflective presentations on "How learning Russian is shaping me," project reports, and field observations. The methodology integrated qualitative and quantitative content analysis. The findings show a three-stage dynamic: primary cognitive dissonance with stereotypical interpretations; awareness of cultural conditionality through reflection; and formation of hybrid practices, with over 83% of respondents reporting changed self-perception when using Russian, evident in new gestural patterns and cultural empathy. The study concludes that nonverbal code operates as an active mechanism of personal transformation, and visual reflection triggers metacognitive processes that help overcome ethnocentrism.