IMAGE COMPONENT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LINGUOETIC CONCEPT DIGNITY

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to highlight the image component of English-language concept of DIGNITY. The stated goal is realized by inventory of the main verbalizers of English concept of DIGNITY, analysis of their etymology, identification of the semes that form the basis of the verbalizers’ internal form, highlighting the figurative component of the macrostructure of the analyzed concept as a set of images of its verbalizers.

Methods. The application of the lexicographic analyses method allowed to inventory the key verbalizers of the analyzed concept, the methods of semantic and etymological analysis were used to highlight the semantics of selected verbalizers in the diachronic aspect. The method of linguocognitive interpretation allowed to identify the image component in the internal form of the studied nominative means and to establish the features of the figurative component of the macrostructure of the concept DIGNITY.

Results. The presence of an image component in the concept is proved by the neurolinguistic features of human cognition: the sensory image encodes the concept, forming a unit of universal subject code. There are two types of image: perceptual – formed in the human mind on the basis of data obtained through human senses and cognitive – reconsidered by comparing new concept with the already known one and making associative metaphorical parallels. The image component of the concept is based on the internal form of its verbalizers. The study of the figurative aspect of the internal form of the word makes it possible to study the cognitive mechanisms of nominations in language. Separate research attention is focused on the peculiarities of the representation of various features (shape, color, structure, location in space, temporal features, purpose or function, structure, nature of application) in the internal form of the word.

Conclusions. The macrostructure of the concept consists of three main constituents: content, image and interpretation field. The image component of the macrostructure is expressed by the internal form of its key verbalizers. Elucidation of the conceptual image allows us to trace how the concept is represented in the minds of speakers in synchronous and diachronic sections and to establish its metaphorical potential for rethinking. The analysis of the image component of the English-language concept DIGNITY proved that it is based on the trait “acceptability”, and the derived traits that complement the image are “praise”, “high esteem”, “pleasure”, “attractiveness”.