THE KEY ISSUES OF THE LINGUISTIC THEORY OF APHORISM

Abstract

The key points of the linguistic theory of the aphorism are formulated in the article.The importance of the research is the necessity of the theoretical description of the aphoristic units as the linguistic category for the solution of the problem of building up a general theory of «more then word» units which in contrast with other language units don’t have their general theoretical basis and comprehension so far.The purpose of the research is to formulate the main issues of the linguistic theory of the aphorism and within this theory to determine the properties and the types of aphoristic units as a particular linguistic category, the number of such units, their systematic and functional properties, etc.The methodology of the research is based on the previous study of the linguistic nature of the aphorism and its perception as a complex linguistic object isomorphic in its basic properties to phraseological and lexical units that is proved by the previous research of the author of the article.The actual material of the research is presented in the prepared by the author (in co-authorship as well) or the dictionaries that have already been published as well as in his tutorials, textbooks and other teaching-methodological materials in Polish, English, German, and in other languages.As a result of the research it can be stated that the specific quality called «aphoristic» is typical of the aphorism which means that it possesses the semantics of generalizing. Due to this peculiar feature aphorisms form an isolated category of linguistic units. This approach doesn’t exclude other views on the language essence of the aphorism but it shows that aphorisms can be described in a particular area of linguistics – aphoristics (or the aphoristic linguistics) and the key issues of the linguistic theory of the aphorism described in this article can lie in its basis.The article also presents the level characteristics of the aphoristic units in the language system. The phenomena of inter-level homonymy of aphoristic, lexical and phraseological units as well as paradigmatic forms of the usage and functional isomorphism of occasional and usual aphoristic units, the ways of aphoristic derivation are determined. Also the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the aphoristic fund of the language have been stated. The principles of the description of the aphoristic units as an object of a peculiar branch of linguistics – aphoristics – are grounded and its methodological, conceptual and metalinguistic peculiarities are stated. The main purposes and most important issues of aphoristics and its position inside the structure of linguistics are focused on.The results of the research may be used in theoretical linguistics in the process of the study of language properties of aphoristic units, in comparative and typological linguistics to determine the general and the specific as well as the typologically significant features in the aphoristic units of different languages.