Means of artistic expression in the language of Spanish folklore

Abstract

The article examines the traditional means of artistic expression in Spanish folklore texts. The subject of the study is hyperbole, antithesis, comparison, constant epithet, which play a special role in the language of Spanish folklore. The distinctive features of the artistic system of folklore are the use of tropes at all levels of narration, the dependence of the stylistic design of the text on genre specifics, the predominance of a special polyexpressive, harmonic style in most folklore works. In addition, each genre of folklore has a functional and emotional characteristic, a special intonation, the creation of which is aimed at using the means of artistic expression. The types of tropes analyzed in the article are traditional and typical of Spanish folklore texts and illustrate the specifics of folklore allegory and artistic expressiveness. The conclusions of the study are based on the analysis of the artistic system and linguistic features of small and large genre forms of Spanish folklore. The minor intonation of a Spanish lullaby (canciones de cuna, monerías nanas), filled with repetitions, comparisons and personifications, differs from the major character of game and dance-song folklore (juegos, cancioncillas, ruedas, bailes), where the use of dialogical form, shouts and imperative mood, special rhyme and accents. The imagery of Spanish proverbs and sayings (proverbios, refranes) is expressed in the use of various artistic techniques with a general sententious character – metaphors, metonymy and synecdoche, syntactic parallelism, rhyme, alliteration. For Spanish riddles (enigmas, adivinanzas), comparison, metaphor, hyperbole, antithesis, onomatopoeia are common. In counting and drawing lots (comienzos de juego), rhyme and rhythm, the use of interjections and exclamations come to the fore. In larger forms of Spanish folklore, such as a fairy tale, there is a constant epithet, hyperbole, repetition, fairy tripling. Spanish folklore tends to use hyperbole and antithesis as the most frequent stylistic figures, as well as the main plot-forming and compositional techniques.