Abstract
The article discusses current theories of and opinions on "lingvoreálie" and proposes a new approach, based on a rejection of the dominant essentialist approaches which aim to define "lingvoreálie" with respect to their intrinsic characteristics, arguing instead for a view that focuses on their role in particular communicative acts. Based on an analysis of three real-life uses of "lingvoreálie" in advertising, the article proposes to expand the theoretical concept of "lingvoreálie" to include any linguistic expression that is given the role of expressing cultural identity in a given context, i.e. in a particular communicative situation.