Scholarly record

PHYTONYM A BASIC COMPONENT IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH IDIOMS: SEMANTICS AND PRAGMATICS

Marina Kutieva, G. Khorokhorina, N. Arupova, S. Kurbakova

Abstract

The investigation belongs to a sphere of cognitive linguistics, which we would call В‘contrastive comparisonВ’. The actuality and relevance of our work is determined by the growing interest of linguists to shape the conceptualization of signs and phenomena in verbal thinking of various culturesВ’ representatives. One of the most effective methods of conceptualization is the verbalization of the character and appearance of a person, his emotions and certain abstract phenomena using names of plants and vegetables. Lexical units, referring flora and simultaneously indicating a person, his nature, status, and actions are part of a large group of phraseological units actively used in speech. Phyto-symbol as a component of an idiom was not subjected to the detailed comparative studies in the linguocultural field. The study also seems relevant in viewof the fact that itwould open doors tomeanings created by secondary nomination and helps avoid mistakes in cross-cultural communication. Our aim is to clarify the spectrum of cultural connotative features transposed in to idioms composing daily speech. We specify the meanings which certain phytonyms can develop in the phraseological units. It is important for us to investigate the deep links between language and culture, language and national traditions involving certain В‘modus vivendiВ’ of a society, as well as to identify cross-cultural coincidences and discrepancies in phraseological contextual meanings. A special attention is paid to the ethno- and cultural specifics of associations that are characteristic for vegetative lexica composing idioms and being their most important component. We selected the most frequent and eloquent idioms containing plants' denominations. We conclude that the associations appearing in phraseology interact between each other and are submitted to constant linguistic dynamics. Original associations contribute to the development of unique national allegories used in folklore and fiction literature. On the other hand, new associations instigated by names, referring the world of plants, which is a daily reality for speakers of a language, are due to the specificity of the conceptual world view of a linguistic community.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2018/3.6/S14.061

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