METAPHORS OF LOVE IN THE BELARUSIAN DISCOURSE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to identify the functional and stylistic role and semantics of metaphors of love used in the modern Belarusian language. The source of the material was the texts of the belles-lettres and journalistic style written in the 21st century, in which the issues of the relationships between a man and a woman are raised. The article is based on the short novel “Between Day and Night” by N. Rybik, materials from collections of stories by Belarusian writers, periodicals and the Belarusian N‑corpus were also used.
 The descriptive method was chosen as the main one; the article uses elements of functional and stylistic and contextual analysis.
 Analysis of the metaphorical use of words used by modern Belarusian authors to describe various stages of the appearance of feelings and the degree of their manifestation shows that the attitude towards love in the modern Belarusian society is changing significantly. Love is often perceived not as something mysterious and extraordinary, but as something that you need to create yourself, using all available means for this (play, imitate, apply witchcraft, etc.). The main thing in love is to subjugate a person, bind them to oneself, which is realized in the use of the words ‘to hook’, ‘to woo’, etc. Marriage is perceived as something fickle (to try marriage) and divorce is perceived as a temporary measure (to part).
 Love is also considered as a disease that subjugates the will of a person, destroys them, which is emphasized by the use of metaphors like madness, to go nuts, etc.
 Lovehunting appears, which requires a large selection of partners (casting, asset), special skills and long practice (maneuvering).
 The external traits of a person become most important in relationships, therefore, the metaphors supermodel and swan princess are often used to describe young and beautiful women.
 Significant changes in the feeling are reflected in the choice of synonyms for the word ‘love’: surrogate, syrup, etc.
 Thus, the analysis of the figurative use of words allows us to outline the main changes that are taking place in the sphere of human relations in the Belarusian society of the 21st century.