ACQUISITION OF PORTABLE ARTIFACTS BY NAMES ACCORDING TO THE PART-WHOLE METONYMIC MODEL

Abstract

Purpose. The semantic development of names continues to be a topical issue in modern linguistics. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze the figurative meanings of the artifacts names that are components of fixed expressions in Ukrainian, German and English, which were formed by the metonymic model “part ‒ whole”.

Methods. The study used the method of dictionary definitions to demonstrate the ways of figurative meaning development in the semantic structure of artifact names and modeling method, which allowed to build models of semantic development of metonymic names to denote artifacts in three languages, namely the metonymic model “part ‒ whole”.

Results. Metonymy as a semantic process occurs on the basis of similarity in contiguity. Much attention in linguistics is paid to metonymic modeling, with which it is possible to build models of semantic development of tokens to denote artifacts in Ukrainian, German and English. It is established that an artifact is any artificially created object. In the course of the research, percentages of the ratio of acquisition of figurative artifacts by names (“part ‒ whole”) (Ukrainian 85,7% / German 68,4% / English 90,5%), “reason ‒ consequence” (Ukrainian 9,5%) / German 26,3% / English 9.5%), “receptacle ‒ content” (Ukrainian 4,8% / German 5,3%), where the model “part ‒ whole” significantly prevails over others.

Conclusions. It has been identified that the metonymic model “part ‒ whole” is the most common among other metonymic models. It is connected with the capability of human consciousness to perceive reality in the direction from specific to general. Awareness of the whole through the part is an important way of knowing reality, which reflects the cognitively determined ways of nomination. During the research, similarities and differences of transformations of Ukrainian, German and English of artifacts names, which took place on the basis of metonymic transfer, were recorded and analyzed. It is established that the common and different tendencies in the acquisition of figurative artifacts by names reflect the national stereotypes of figurative-associative thinking of a certain linguistic and cultural community.