When describing variation at the lexical level in sign languages, researchers often distinguish between phonological and lexical variants, using the following principle: if two signs differ in only one of the major phonological components (handshape, orientation, movement, location), then they are considered phonological variants, otherwise they are considered separate lexemes. We demonstrate that this principle leads to contradictions in some simple and more complex cases of variation. We argue that it is useful to visualize the relations between variants as graphs, and we describe possible networks of variants that can arise using this visualization tool. We further demonstrate that these scenarios in fact arise in the case of variation in color terms and kinship terms in Russian Sign Language (RSL), using a newly created database of lexical variation in RSL. We show that it is possible to develop a set of formal rules that can help distinguish phonological and lexical variation also in the problematic scenarios. However, we argue that it might be a mistake to dismiss the actual patterns of variant relations in order to arrive at the binary lexical vs. phonological variant opposition.

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The article is a review of Russian and foreign publications on the use of social networking technologies in medicine. The analysis of social networks involves a special methodology that permits communications between the participants of social networks to be studied in a formalized way. The article presents the main terminology and history of the problem, as well as the interpretation of its key definitions (homogeneity, multiplicity, reciprocity/mutuality, bridge, density, distance, clustering coefficient, centrality). It is noted that the methods of social networking analysis are rarely used in the Russian healthcare system, compared to other countries. At the same time, existing social networks have an important impact on health-related behaviour, particularly in terms of contraception, the risk of contracting HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases, smoking, obesity, physical activity and psychoactive drug consumption. It is important that social networks can be used to accelerate behavioural change, reduce undesirable consequences arising from the spread of negative behaviour, improve social changes and promote innovations. This technology referred to as network interventions, along with its methodology, is described in the present article. In addition, the results of studies into the application of this technology abroad are presented.Conclusion.The use of networking analysis in the domestic healthcare system, focused on Internet communities, can significantly improve the effectiveness of state programs aimed at improving population health.Conflict of interest: the authors declare no conflict of interest.

The article gives a brief description of the world’s sign languages, i.e., of their features, genealogy, and status. It also considers possible approaches to studying the vocabulary of Russian sign language (RSL). Particular attention is paid to signs, which are currently of great interest to researchers, native speakers, and students learning RSL as a second language. Furthermore, they cause serious difficulties in translating them into other languages. In many cases, sign lexemes of RSL can be translated using Russian phraseological units. In different periods, various terms have been introduced to denote such sign lexemes: from idioms to non-equivalent vocabulary, multichannel signs, and language-specific vocabulary. The article analyzes the studies on this issue, starting with the works of G.L. Zaitseva from the 1990s to the present, as well as the classification of the vocabulary of sign languages by Russian and foreign specialists, including those used in cognitive linguistics. T. Johnson and L. Ferrara described the nature of some lexical signs as idiomatic and considered the concept of lexico-grammatical continuum and idiomaticity as the two properties of all sign languages. Here the features of RSL vocabulary are analyzed, examples of non-equivalent vocabulary are given, and it is proposed to consider RSL idioms as indivisible and integral combinations of two or more signs that perform the function of a single lexeme.