Figurative Meaning Research Articles

Aesthetic Literacies in Digital Learning Ecologies: Tracing Aesthetic Tools and Functions in a Youth Literary Salon

Concerned with disinformation, fake news, and a posttruth era, literacy research on digital learning ecologies has focused on content of the texts that youth encounter but less explicitly on aesthetics—issues of form or the way a text is written. Drawing on critical sociocultural theories, this article examines youth aesthetic meaning-making with non-neutral digital texts. The data analyzed are part of a multiyear multimethod study of the aesthetic literacy practices of queer youth of color and allies. Data were collected during an online summer literary salon where youth discussed textual content alongside issues of aesthetic forms. Findings illustrate that youth drew on a broad range of aesthetic tools to achieve (1) a poetic function concerned with how aesthetic forms elicit figurative, connotative, and storied meanings; (2) a catalytic function concerned with how aesthetic forms persuade, manipulate, or encourage particular actions; and (3) an ideological function concerned with how aesthetic forms inscribe or contest social inequalities. These tools and functions, complicate previous understandings of disinformation, fake news, and critical reasoning in literacies research. This study suggests a critical sociocultural approach to aesthetics as territory for further scholarship across many areas of literacy research.

Teaching English Idioms: A Focus on Cultural Adaptation and Contextual Learning in Kosovo - Case Study: Public International Business College in Mitrovica, Kosovo

This study investigates effective strategies for teaching idioms to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, emphasizing the complexity of idiomatic expressions, which often convey figurative meanings different from their literal interpretations. Idioms are pervasive in mass media, textbooks, and everyday communication, presenting a significant challenge for learners. Our research explores multiple strategies to enhance idiomatic competence, including the incorporation of English idioms into contextual stories, the use of visual aids, and engaging activities such as group discussions and role-playing. These approaches aim to boost student motivation and encourage active participation. Special attention is given to cultural adaptation, with a focus on prioritizing meaning over form to preserve the cultural essence of the target language. The study acknowledges the role of personal values in shaping awareness and behavior, which in turn influence value orientations and social character. We propose various exercises to assess students’ understanding of idioms, contributing to the development of culturally adaptive and contextually relevant teaching methodologies. Our findings suggest that these strategies not only improve idiomatic comprehension but also foster a deeper cultural connection and appreciation among learners. Received: 16 August 2024 / Accepted: 31 October 2024 / Published: 05 November 2024

Semantic Analysis of the Linguistic Heritage of the Golden Horde Period: Based on the Material of “Gulistan Bit-Turki” by Seif Sarai and “Khosrov and Shirin” by Qutb

The aim of this study is to examine the written monuments from the Golden Horde period and contemporary literary works, focusing on the frequency of use, functionality, and stylistic features of both indigenous and borrowed vocabulary within literary texts. The lexical units were analyzed using methods such as linguistic-statistical, contextual, historical-comparative, semantic, and contextual analysis. This study explored the literal and figurative meanings of words of Turkic, Arabic, and Persian origin used in the written monuments of the Golden Horde. The research provides insights into the primary lexical layers of the Turkic languages, the time of their formation, and their frequency of use in the literary tradition. Emphasis was placed on examples of contexts that confirm specific lexical meanings, as well as on metaphorical and figurative transformations aimed at achieving stylistic effects. The study also considered the history of the formation of Turkic languages, the adaptation of borrowed lexical layers, and the modification of primary meanings (metaphorical, figurative). Kipchak, Karluk, and Oghuz language elements were highlighted through the analysis of the written monuments, along with their frequency of integration. Contemporary literary texts were examined in terms of the use of lexical elements (both indigenous and borrowed) for artistic purposes. This research can be used for comparative analysis of closely related Turkic languages, the study of contemporary literary texts in terms of the use of indigenous and borrowed lexicon, and for forming an understanding of the ancient lexical layers of various Turkic languages.

Adding a Piece to the Puzzle: Children’s Exposure to Idioms

Idioms are figurative multiword expressions that need to be learned as part of the native phrasal vocabulary. While it has been shown that non-figurative multiword expressions are acquired with language exposure, the learning process for idioms may be different because the figurative meaning adds complexity to the learning task. Idiom vocabulary overall develops relatively late, but it is unknown to what extent children are exposed to idioms, and what kinds of idioms they encounter. Here, we investigated children’s idiom exposure and its effect on the development of idiom vocabulary in three studies: we explore the frequency of a well-tested set of Dutch idioms in a corpus of child literature, test idiom familiarity in a controlled setting in primary school children, and compare those findings to a set of online familiarity ratings. We find that children’s idiom exposure differs from adult idiom exposure, when comparing idiom frequencies based on children’s books and a corpus with resources for adults. Idiom decomposability and idiom frequencies from the children’s books, but not frequencies from the adult corpus, influenced the familiarity ratings of older children, suggesting that language exposure and idiom characteristics, such as decomposability, both play a role in idiom acquisition.

LEXICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NAMES OF PROFESSIONS AND CLOTHES IN GHAFUR GHULAM'S PROSE WORKS

In the article, the lexical characteristics of the names of professions and clothes in Gafur Ghulam's prose works are written. It is noted that the names of professions and clothes attract special attention in the system of figurative means of expression in the language of Gafur Ghulam's works. In Gafur Ghulam's lexicon, words related to various professions and clothes, ethnonyms, dialectal words, slangs, words that are out of use but are used in accordance with methodological requirements, terms of newly discovered things, archaic and historical words are actively used.

중국인 학습자의 신문 기사 제목 이해 연구: 고급 학습자의 어휘력을 중심으로

Objectives The purpose of this study is to measure how vocabulary knowledge(both quantitative and qualitative) affects Chinese advanced learners when they understand the newspaper title. Methods To this end, a preliminary experiment was first conducted with four advanced learners (2 at Level 5 and 2 at Level 6). The preliminary experiment was used to address any ambiguities in the test materials and to adjust the number and order of the presented items. Based on the results of the preliminary experiment, a formal experi-ment was carried out with 60 advanced Chinese learners, divided into two phases: the first phase and a second phase involving post-experiment interviews. Additionally, this study conducted a statistical analysis of the col-lected data using SPSS 24.0, employing independent sample t-tests and paired sample t-tests. Results As a result, since advanced learners already have a certain quantitative vocabulary knowledge, there is little obstacle to understanding the title of newspaper without specific vocabulary. Conversely, it was found that a lack of qualitative vocabulary knowledge made it difficult to understand the title of newspaper with specific vocabulary. In particular, in the case of ‘vocabulary with figurative meaning’ and ‘the idiomatic phrases’ of the newspaper title, it was found that learners had more difficulty understanding the newspaper title. Conclusions Therefore, in order to improve the skilled vocabulary and practical vocabulary use of foreign learners, it is necessary to devise educational methods for these vocabulary in the future.

DEVELOPMENT OF COHERENT SPEECH AND COMMUNICATION CULTURE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AT THE LESSONS OF THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE EDUCATIONAL FIELD

The article investigates the peculiarities of the development of coherent speech and culture of communication of primary school students in the lessons of language and literature educational branch. The competence-based approach to speech and culture of communication, the emphasis shifts from the language-centred concept to the anthropocentric one, when the development of subject-subject learning is emphasised and a linguistic personality is formed, which possesses a set of abilities and properties that allow creating oral and written speech works, adequately understanding texts addressed to communicators, that is, communicating fully and effectively. The most important means of awakening the child’s self-awareness, stimulating his/her spiritual development, according to the national didactic tradition, is teaching the native language, which is the basis of national and cultural self-identification. One of the main methods of work on coherent speech and culture of communication is practical exercises, which are used in phases: the first phase is the task, which should contain a motive for performing a certain speech action/activity, a speech situation) and explanations of what and how the student should do (orally or in writing; independently or in pairs, in a group; in a notebook or on the board); the second phase is a sample of performance; the third phase is the task performance; the fourth phase is control, which can be either teacher’s control, self-control, or students’ mutual control. The exercises aimed at forming orthoepic, pronunciation, accentological and lexical norms, distinguishing intonation in sentences are systematised. Exercises aimed at studying the peculiarities of figurative meaning will be relevant. Grammatical skills are an integral part of all types of speech activity, the formation, improvement and development of which is the main task of teaching. As a result of working with primary school students using a system of exercises to form a culture of speech, not only does the students’ speech culture improve, but also their memory improves, they develop an attentive, thoughtful attitude to language and books, and the level of spelling literacy and interest in Ukrainian language lessons increases.

Bentuk Kias Berunsur Tangan dan Aktivitas dengan Tangan pada Korpus Digital

The role of language as a communication tool is very important because it carries messages and provides information from the speaker or to the interlocutor. One of the uses of language to convey messages is by using hand activities. The research aims to analyze forms of figurative expressions involving the hand, specifically the use of figurative language and expressions that correlate with body parts, with the object being the Digital Corpus. The research approach used in this study is a qualitative approach through descriptive exposition. The methodological steps will be elaborated by the researcher through observation, analysis process, and description. Based on the analysis results, it can be concluded that, first: In the digital corpus CQPweb Lancaster University, a total of 91 figurative expressions involving the hand and hand activities were found. Second: In the process of forming figurative expressions involving the hand, only morphological processes of blending or composition in meaning formation were found. Third: The internal relation in figurative expressions involving the hand is formed by the arrangement or elements of two words that form a compound word. These compound words then indicate figurative meaning. This figurative meaning is produced from the combination of the meanings of the two combined words. Fourth: Several functions of figurative expressions involving the hand include: (1) creating poetic effects, (2) conveying implied meanings, (3) creating cultural identification, (4) creating expressive meanings, and (5) creating social and political critique.

Challenges of Translating Idiomatic Expressions: A Cross-Linguistic Analysis at a University in Hanoi, Vietnam

This study investigates the challenges students face when translating idiomatic expressions between English and Vietnamese and explores how linguistic and cultural factors influence the translation process. Utilizing a combination of translation task analysis and focus group discussions, the research reveals that students frequently rely on literal translations, resulting in inaccurate or nonsensical outcomes due to their inability to grasp the figurative meanings of idioms. Cultural mismatches, particularly the absence of equivalent expressions in Vietnamese, further complicate translation efforts, leading to significant misunderstandings. Additionally, linguistic barriers, such as syntactic differences between English and Vietnamese, hinder students' ability to produce natural and accurate translations of idiomatic expressions. The findings emphasize the critical role of cultural knowledge and syntactic flexibility in effective idiomatic translation. To address these challenges, the study recommends that translation training programs place greater emphasis on idiomatic understanding and cross-cultural competence. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on idiomatic translation by highlighting the interplay of linguistic and cultural factors and suggesting strategies to enhance translation accuracy.

The polysemy of the lexeme “bread” and its functioning in the Russian folk riddle

In this article, the authors examine the polysemy of the lexeme bread, which can be found in a Russian folk riddle. The proverbs recorded in the collection “Riddles” prepared by V. V. Mitrofanova served as a material for the analysis. The paper analyzes the uses of the polysemantic lexeme bread both in the answer and in the text of the riddle itself. The designation of the original denotation using the lexeme bread is based on the denotative meaning, while the most popular are two main lexical-semantic options: ‘a food product baked from flour’; ‘grains (rye, wheat, etc.)’. The polysemy of the word influences the division of the riddles with the answer bread according to thematic content into two sections of the collection: “Food, drink”, “Arable land, mowing, sowing and processing of bread”. In the question part of the lexeme, bread is used both in literal and figurative meaning. The derived meaning that arises on the basis of the metaphor is due to associative features that are not semantically essential for ideas about bread. The lexical ambiguity of the word bread serves as a linguistic means of realizing the playful nature of the riddle process. The peculiarities of the use of lexical-semantic variants of the lexeme bread in the question and answer parts indicate that polysemy is a genre-forming property of this type of proverb.

A “naïve” perception of punctuation marks

This paper deals with the figurative meanings of Russian terms that refer to punctuation marks and are used in everyday language, namely, tochka (‘period, full stop’), skobki (‘parentheses’), kavychki (‘quotation marks’), zapiataia (‘comma’), znak voprosa (‘question mark’). It attempts to identify the ordinary native speakers’ “naive” conceptions of these punctuation marks and their functions. It shows that most expressions with the word tochka reflect the idea of the period as a sign of the complete end. The main function of parentheses (skobki) for ordinary speakers is to indicate that some statement (or its part) is optional. The main function of quotation marks (kavychki) as the speakers understand them is to refer to a non-standard use of a linguistic expression (in particular, an ironic use). The most typical phrases and set expressions with the word zapiataia are cherez zapiatuiu (literally, ‘through a comma, separated by a comma’) and do poslednei zapiatoi (‘to the last comma’). The former reflects the idea of listing, and the differences between the listed objects are presented as insignificant. The latter expression indicates thoroughness and attention to detail (perhaps even excessive). The phrase znak voprosa indicates uncertainty or doubt. It is suggested that revealing speakers’ conceptions of the functions of punctuation marks may be useful for clarification and refinement of the punctuation rules.

Early acquisition of figurative meanings in polysemous nouns and verbs

Early acquisition of figurative meanings in polysemous nouns and verbs

Historical Continuity in the Morphological Marking of Subjectivity? Textual Perspectives on the Origin of English Adverbial "-ly" in Late Old and Early Middle English

In spite of the fact that the Present-Day English “adverbial signature” – the suffix ‑ly – is peculiar to English among the Germanic languages and that its emergence seems to conflict with general tendencies of language change in English – the loss of inflectional endings and the fact that English is otherwise happy to allow zero-derivation – neither the early history of ‑ly in Old and Middle English nor the exact date and reasons for its remarkable spread have been fully understood. Recently, the subjective semantics of adverbs in ‑ly have received considerable attention, in both synchronic and diachronic studies. This claim for a particular subjective (abstract or figurative) meaning of adverbs in ‑ly, however, rests almost exclusively one study, Donner’s lexicographical examination of MED material (1991). This chapter inspects the potential of comprehensive textual studies for the suggested subjective semantics in the early use of ‑ly, focussing on two late Old English translations of the Theodulfi Capitula and the early Middle English poem The Owl and the Nightingale, one of the earliest idiomatic and colloquial English texts.

Многозначные слова и их значения в карачаево-балкарском языке

The article focuses on the subject of polysemy in the Karachay-Balkar language. Through polyse-my, new concepts appear in a language without changing or with a slight change in the sound ex-pression of these concepts. The development of polysemy is based on the figurative meaning or one meaning of an existing word to a new concept through the associative connection of ideas similar to them. Therefore, an unconditional condition for the development of polysemy is the stability of the phonetic word, which in turn is determined by the concept it expresses. Polysemy should be recognized as an important method of expanding vocabulary, particularly the root word. The main obstacle to detect and define new meanings of words stems from the fact that a new meaning might emerge and disappear in a relatively short period, while other meanings emerge and firmly enter the language lexicon, preserving word frequency. However, all these changes are not always recorded in dictionary entries and this phenomenon in the modern language is one of the key problems and requires identifying ways to solve it.

LINGUISTIC EXPLORATION OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS IN RATATOUILLE

This study examines the idiomatic expressions present in the movie Ratatouille. Idioms are fascinating aspects of language that add depth and color to our communication. They are expressions or phrases with a figurative meaning that differ from their literal interpretation. The purpose of using idioms in communication is to enhance the interest of the listener or reader. The author applies semantics theory to analyze idiomatic expressions in the movie Ratatouille in this study. The methodology systematically identifies and categorises idiomatic expressions into (McCarthy & O’Dell, 2010) seven categories: similes, binomials, trinomials, proverbs, clichés, euphemisms, and fixed statements. The selection of the movie Ratatouille was based on its suitability for all audiences, particularly children, and its numerous idiomatic expressions. The study aims to analyze these expressions to avoid confusion. This study employs a descriptive-qualitative methodology to conduct qualitative research. The subject of this research is a movie entitled Ratatouille. This analysis provides insight into Ratatouille as a fascinating linguistic expression element that enriches and complicates human communication. The data consisted of various scenes from the movie Ratatouille, which included idiomatic expressions spoken by the characters. In order to draw meaningful conclusions from the data analysis, it was necessary to classify and categorize the data systematically. Furthermore, the fixed statement is the most used type of idiomatic expression. On the other hand, the cliché idiom is the least-used type of idiomatic expression found in the Ratatouille movie. In addition, the study revealed that incorporating idiomatic expressions in Ratatouille enhanced the narrative with depth and richness and offered the audience a distinctive cultural context. The fixed statements, like "anyone can cook," profoundly conveyed the movie's themes of ambition and defying societal expectations. Moreover, the fixed statement "anyone can cook" became a notable catchphrase from the movie, representing the idea that cooking is not limited to a certain group of individuals but rather a skill that anyone with passion and determination can acquire. In contrast, the cliché idioms, while less frequently used, still added a touch of familiarity and relatability to the characters, making their dialogue more believable and realistic. The presence of idiomatic expressions showcased the attention to detail in the film's writing, engaging with audiences and making Ratatouille a memorable experience.

Conceptual meanings in middle neolithic red-painted pottery from Central Greece: A case study

Human expression uses conceptual metaphors in various forms and modalities, one of which is material culture. Although conceptual or cognitive metaphors have been recognized in cognitive linguistics, abstractions on nature and structure can function as a tool for metaphorical reconstructions through and/or from archaeological evidence that derives from early communities. This paper initiates a discussion of the figurative meanings in Middle Neolithic red-painted pottery from Central Greece using a case study, the Middle Neolithic red-painted pottery from Halai. Even though a particular context is undoubtedly the foundational factor of archaeological interpretation, human cognition emerges from universal processes that are the same in all humans. Pottery, a material culture product, can express metaphorical meanings of knowledge and bodily experience, while the repetition of characteristic patterns in a particular region can demonstrate social identities and stylistic boundaries.

Figurativeness of the Japanese flag

Abstract The analysis offered in this article applies the multilevel approach to conceptual metaphor to relief posters, created and distributed widely after the massive Japan 2011 earthquake. The aim of the analysis is to show in what way the multilevel approach to metaphor can be used to illustrate how the figurative meaning of relief posters emerges from the interactions between different levels of schematicity: from basic image schemas and domains, through contextually embedded semantic frames, finishing with metaphorical scenarios at the highest level of specificity and complexity. The present analysis also shows the potential applicability of image schemas as the guiding analytical element, serving as the departure point for the unfolding metaphorical and metonymical interpretation of a multimodal message. Accordingly, it has been shown how the image schemas of part-whole, full-empty, process and force aid the analysis of metaphoricity and how the central metonymic element of the national flag co-constructs the figurative reading of the posters.

Kinship Mental Field Verbal Representations in Modern Journalistic Discourse

The article analyzes the main representations of the kinship mental field based on the material of the contexts presented in the «Russian National Corpus», including the term «kinship» (as the name of the cultural and linguistic concept «kinship»), fixed expressions «kinship of souls», «spiritual kinship», etc., as well as the idiom «Ivan, who does not remember kinship». The discursive mastering methods of the mentioned verbal representations in journalistic texts are determined. It is noted that the main semantics’ actualizer of the term «kinship» as the main representation is its contextual compatibility with disseminators that do not contain figurative components. It is noteworthy that the aspect of the conceptual component of the term «kinship» implemented in connotation (affinity by common origin; similarity based on that affinity) and figurative meaning ('similarity, proximity in content, properties, signs') is mastered in the journalistic discourse. The results of the research allowed to conclude that the verbal representations of kinship mental field comprised in the tropes, including syncretic and stylistic figures (metaphors, epithets, comparisons, etc.), clearly demonstrate the presence of figurative and evaluative component. The analyzed material showed that expressions, the semantic center of which is the term «kinship», acquire a pronounced positive connotation in the process of discursive mastering.

Сопоставительный анализ категории обращения в русском и японском языках (новая редакция)

This article undertakes a comparative analysis of address forms in the Russian and Japanese languages. As address constitutes a linguistic universality, numerous commonalities in speech functioning, syntactic peculiarities, as well as phonetic, morphological, and semantic developments of linguistic units used in vocative positions were discovered in Russian and Japanese. However, some significant differences were identified. For instance, address forms in Japanese, to a greater extent than in Russian, are associated with expressing social hierarchy relations. Consequently, Japanese speakers tend to avoid using address forms when communicating with unfamiliar people (whose social status is unclear). In familial interactions, juniors are addressed by their names, while elders are referred to using kinship terms. In business sphere, superiors are addressed by their titles, while inferiors are addressed by their surnames with added necessary politeness suffixes. In the Russian language, a wide range of figurative and metonymic means are employed as address forms, and their list is not limited. There even exist specific grammatical constructions characteristic of the vocative position. In the Japanese language, the freedom in employing vocative means, akin to Russian, is only present in poetic style. In colloquial Japanese, the utilization of figurative and metonymic means is restricted.

Метаязыковой потенциал частицы <i>буквально</i>

The article considers the possibility of particles functioning as metalanguage means. The example of the word bukvalno shows the conditionality of the metalanguage function of a particle by its semantic and pragmatic properties. It is established that the realization of the particle bukvalno as a metalanguage indicator is associated with the creation of the effect of “nomination softening” chosen by the speaker and its “justification” by the lack of alternative lexical means. Depending on the type of usage, the process of the recipient’s perception of the words marked with a particle bukvalno in their figurative or direct meaning is regulated.