Филологические науки/9. Этно-, социо- и психолингвистика

Candidate of philological sciences Naidiuk О.V.

National University of Food Technologies, Ukraine

Precedential Phenomena as a Means of Expression of Characterization

Originality and creativity is the prerogative of our present days, it is manifested in all spheres of life and in the communication. To describe a particular phenomenon, behavior, event, etc. more originaly, brighter precedent phenomena is used. Precedent phenomena - component of knowledge, marking, and content of which are well known to members of certain ethnocultural communities, relevant and used in cognitive and communicative terms. Understanding texts containing precedents phenomena is based on background and encyclopedic knowledge of recipients. ˂ ... ˃ The types of precedent phenomena is the name (individual name of a famous person, character of work of literature, artifact) statement (reproduced product of speech and intellectual activity, and completed self-sufficient unit that may or may not be predicative, complex character, the sum of the components of which is not even to its content); situation (significant event which actually took place in the lives of ethnic groups and civilization); text (known work of literature, actualized in other texts, the return to which is managed by mechanisms of intertextuality). ˂ ... ˃ Precedent phenomena can have universal and national and specific nature (an examples of the first are world wars, political events, cataclysms; known to all people in the world heroes of works of literature, films, works of world literature treasury, etc.) [1, p. 492-493]. Semantics of precedent phenomena is associated not only with the context, situation, but also background knowledge of speakers.

Characterization manifests itself when describing the character, situations, events, and facts. In this case the speaker expresses his attitude to what he describes. Precedent phenomena demonstrate the stereotypical minimized ideas of positive or negative, good or evil, desirable or undesirable, etc. Depending on the situation of communication, on the topic, usage of precedent phenomena to characterize shows on the one hand, emotive function of language, on the other, valuable part of the concept.

If you use the expression "You're a real Mozart!", the sign of language – proper noun Mozart - is a precedent phenomenon, because this proper noun is precedent name and a symbol of musical talent. Thus, the semantic content of the above statements is: He is musically (very) talented man. The precedent name is actualized in this case to characterize, we can say that the precedent name has the function of characterization, serves as a standard when comparing explicitly metaphorical use of the posessive noun Mozart. Here is an example from literature.

1) ...Ja, das war Vogelsang gewesen, Vogelsang, dieser furchtbare Mensch, dieser Mephisto mit Hahnenfeder und Hinkefuß, wenn auch beides nicht recht zu sehen war. Er war ihr widerwärtig, und doch mußte sie mit ihm sprechen; es war die höchste Zeit.

(Fontane, S. 25 – 26)

2) ...Aber offen gestanden, die Ziegenhals ist mir lieber, drall und prall, kapitales Weib, und muß ihrerzeit ein geradezu formidables Festungsviereck gewesen sein. Rasse, Temperament, und wenn ich recht gehört habe, so pendelt ihre Vergangenheit zwischen verschiedenen kleinen Höfen hin und her. Lady Milford, aber weniger sentimental.

(Fontane, S. 39)

In the given fragments proper names Mephisto and Lady Milford are precedent phenomena, namely precedent names and they symbolize certain features of appearance and character. Being used metaphorically, they serve as a standard of comparison. If Mephisto and Lady Milford are universal precedent names and do not cause difficulties in interpretation, then the use of national-precedent or socium-precedent names may cause difficulties in their perception (at least by the reader who represents another lingvistic culture). Here is an example.

3) Flora wickelte aus zahllosen Papieren einen langen, blauen Strumpf und hielt ihn hoch in der Hand. Sehr verwundert drehte sie diese sonderbare Gabe nach allen Seiten, die ironische Anspielung, die darin zum Ausdruck kam, fiel ihr nicht sogleich ein. „Ein Strumpf?“ fragte sie. „Was soll ich damit?“

„Er ist dein Wappen, lieber Blaustrumpf“, belehrte sie Orla. „Der Einfall ist wirklich famos!“

„Es ist von dir“, beschuldigte sie Flora.

„Leider nein“, entgegnete Orla.

Annemie lachte so laut und herzhaft, daß sie sich als die Geberin verriet. „Bist du mir böse, Flora?“ fragte sie gutmütig.

Sonderbare Frage! Ganz im Gegenteil, Flora fühlte sich sehr geschmeichelt, daß man sie zu den Blaustrümpfen zählte. (Rhoden, S. 137)

This fragment is about the Christmas gift to one of pupils of boarding house.

“Blaustrumpf” – precedent name, used in this example. It should be notised, that in the first sentence word combination blauen Strumpf (blue stocking) is used, that means such element of clothing as stocking, and its colour and in this case, it is blue. This word combination does not act as precedent name, perhaps a hint what the girls who have made such a gift meant. Later in the text is given name Blaustrumpf (bluestocking) as one word, a noun, and into English it is translated as the first phrase. In the function of the appeal precedent name has the nominative function.

Blaustrumpf (blue stocking) – in 1750 it was a name given to women, who were members of a literary circle in London, they had a habit of wearing blue stockings. Since 1820 the name has been used in German-speaking territory for educated hardworking women (für gelehrt tuende Frauen) [2, p. 155].

Girls who gave as a present to Flora blue stockings, wanted to show how they see her. They emphasized such traits of her character as commitment to learning, diligence, humility. But they did it in a different way. Precedent name Blaustrumpf performs at the same time the function of characterization. However, the depicted episode emphasizes that Flora knows this name, and her sense of satisfaction from the fact that she belongs to the Blue Stockings (Flora fühlte sich sehr geschmeichelt, daß man sie zu den Blaustrümpfen zählte). Plural noun Blaustrümpfe indicates that this is not an isolated case in that society.

4) „Als aber nach dem siebziger Kriege die Milliarden ins Land kamen und die Gründeranschauungen selbst die nüchternsten Köpfe zu beherrschen anfingen, fand auch Kommerzienrat Treibel sein bis dahin in der Alten Jakobsstaße gelegenes Wohnhaus, trotzdem es von Gontard, ja nach einigen sogar von Knobelsdorff herrühren sollte, nicht mehr zeit- und standesgemäß und baute sich auf seinem Fabrikgrundstück eine modische Villa mit kleinem Vorder- und parkartigem Hintergarten.” (Fontane 10, S. 14)

Commercial counselor Traybel "rejected" his house, built by architect Hontardom or even (according to rumors) Knobelsdorffom, as such, that does not meet the time and his social status and built a modern villa.

In this fragment are used names of known architects: Gontard – (Karl von Hontard (1731 – 1791), German architect of classicism) and Knobelsdorff – (Georg von Knobelsdorff (1699 – 1753) – German architect, an artist, who created the opera house in Berlin and the castle Sanssouci). Using these precedents names, the author shows the attitude of his hero - commercial adviser Traybel - to architecture. Fashion has won, monument of old times gives way to the modern villa.

Thus, these two precedents names - Hontard and Knobelsdorf - acquired precedency through their buildings. Their not accentuated use by the author has substantial information in terms of the characteristics of the character. Whatever feelings had a commercial adviser Traybel to the building that has non-trivial history, commitment to own land was "crucial to build new modern house". The author does not mention the fate of the old house, that is evidence of indifference to preserve the monuments of the past century (XVIII c.).

In this example, the precedent names have the function of characterization of the character (commercial counselor Traybel) and his priorities in life.

Precedent phenomena actualizing certain conceptual features that are comparison standards, perform in this way function of characterization. Function of characterization is manifested in stylistic comparison figures, metaphor, metonymy. Precedent phenomena, due to its specific semantics, act as a standard, image or symbol. The common feature of precedent phenomena is that due to a differential conceptual attributes they are stored in memory of linguistic society, reproduced under the new conditions, are standards for matching, shape social norms of behavior and worldview.

References:

1. Selivanova О. О. Suchasna lingvistyka: terminolohichna (Modern Linguistics: Terminology Encyclopedia) / О. О. Selivanova. – Poltava: Dovkillia – К, 2006. – 716 p.

2. Neuer Reader’s Digerst Brockhaus – Stuttgart, Zürich, Wien. – 1973. – 1412 s.

3. Fontane T. Frau Jenny Treibel / T. Fontane – München,Wien: Carl Hanser Verlag, 1984. – S. 4-186.

4. Rhoden Е. Der Trotzkopf / E. Rhoden – München: Vertrieb-GMBH, 1965. – 254 s.