METAPHORICAL MODELS OF PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS WITH ATTITUDE COMPONENT IN MARI AND FRENCH

¹T.A. Soldatkina, S.L. ²Yakovleva*, ³K.Yu. Vavilova, ⁴G.N. Kazyro
¹Prof, Mari State University, Russia, stata@rambler.ru
²As.Prof, Mari State University, Russia, zavkaf1@gmail.com
³Prof, Mari State University, Russia, vuk_2004@mail.com
⁴As.Prof, Mari State University, Russia, galinarfa@yahoo.com
*Corresponding author

Abstract

The article deals with metaphorical models of phraseological units (PU) with an attitudinal component in Mari and French. The objective of the research is to analyse the samples of PU selected by a continuous sampling method to find out the prevailing type of metaphors used to express an attitudinal meaning. The works of V. V. Vinogradov, A. I. Smirnitsky, I. I. Chernyshev and A. P. Chudinov form a theoretical basis of the present paper. The methods of continuous sampling, of linguistic description and the comparative method have been a highly important tool for the research. 90 phraseological units from The Phraseological Dictionary of the Mari Language by F. T. Gracheva [Gracheva, 1989] and The Dictionary of Mari proverbs and sayings by A. E. Kitikov [Kitikov, 1991] were under study in the present article.150 French phraseological units were found in M. Ashraf’s Dictionnaire des expressions idiomatiques françaises [Ashraf, 1995] and Dictionnaire des expressions et locutions by A. Rey [Rey, 1997]. Theoretically, the present paper is of some interest due to the description of PU formation containing metaphors belonging to a specific class. In the French language the most frequently used ways of PU formation with negative colouring are the zoomorphic and sociomorphic metaphors, while anthropomorphic and naturomorphic metaphors contain neutral and ambivalent coloring.       
As for the Mari language, the metaphorical models such as MAN is a TREE, MAN is a BIRD prevail in the group of naturomorphic metaphors. The zoomorphic metaphors are expressed by the images of birds, domestic and wild animals. The anthropomorphic metaphors in the Mari phraseology are presented by somatic PU. In turn, the artifact metaphors are embodied in the images of household goods (tools, ware) and structures. In this group comparisons with the objects having negative character are more common. The ontological metaphors of the Mari language are characterized by prevalence of the metaphorical models TIME is a MOVING OBJECT; BREAD is a VALUE, the metaphors denoting the state are also widespread.

Keywords: metaphor; metaphorical models; assessment; semantics; phraseological units.