Tomsk comparative constructions in the Big Dictionary of Russian Folk Comparisons (experience of areal description)

The article gives an areal description of Tomsk comparative constructions. The author used the data of the dictionaries compiled by the representatives of Professor Blinova's Tomsk School of Lexicography. Tomsk dialect constructions are consecutively compared with the phraseological material of other language and dialect regions from the Bol'shoy slovar' russkikh narodnykh sravneniy [Big Dictionary of Russian Folk Comparisons] (Mokienko, Nikitina 2008). Thus, Tomsk comparison constructions are described as close to: • European: (e.g., tolstyy kak borov [fat as a hog] - (Czech) tlusty jako vepr -(German) dick (fett) wie ein Schwein, etc.); (tolstyy, zhirnyy) kak bochka - (Czech) tlusty jako soudek (sud); (Slovak) tucny ako sud; (Bulgarian) дебели колкото един барел; (Croatian) debeli kao bacva; (English) thick as a keg; нем. dick wie ein Fass; (French) epais comme un baril, etc.); lit'/ polit' (khlynut', khlestat', khlyupantit'. Tomsk) kak iz vedra - (Ukrainian) yde doshch, yak liyki; (Czech) prsi jako z konve; (Croatian) pada kisa kao zalijevanje limenke; (Slovenian) dezuje, kot so plocevinke zalivanje; (Bulgarian) vali kato kutii za polivane; (German) es regnet (gieBt, schuttet) wie aus (mit) GieBkannen (Kannen, Eimern); (French) il pleut comme des arrosoirs, etc.), and others; • Russian: vertet'sya (kruzhit'sya, krutit'sya. Bryansk, Novgorod, Tomsk. koryachit'sya. Mordovia) kak belka (belkoy) v kolese [to run like a hamster in a spinning wheel]; Kak vstrepannyy (ustrepannyy) [full of beans]. Oryol, Pskov, Tomsk; staree (stare, starey, starshe) popovoy (popovskoy) sobaki [older than the hills], etc. • North Russian: kak na opare kisnut'; klsnut' kak na opare [to brew]. 1. Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk (1967), Perm, Tomsk. 2. Vologda, Siberia. 3. Karelia. 4. Arkhangelsk. 5. Yenisei; kogo gde kak murashey na kochke [very many]. Novgorod, Tomsk, Kak bad'ya [as a tub]. Perm, Tomsk. Ins. About a fat, clumsy woman; volosy u kogo [vstavayut, stali, stanovyatsya, staytit, zapodnyalls'. Arkhangelsk] shishom [smb.'s hair stood on end]. etc.; • Middle Russian: zdorovaya (krasnoshchekaya) kak est' sblten' [healthy (red-faced) as sbiten]; (Ogurtsy) kak drova [(cucumber) as firewood]; Kadit' kak kadllom pop (kak pop kadllom) [to cense like a priest], etc. • South Russian: glaza u kogo prorezannye [smb.'s eyes are slotted]. Bryansk, Tomsk; trepat'sya kak treptishka [to be a chatterbox], etc. This demonstrates the overall Russian nature of comparative phraseology recorded in Tomsk Oblast. Particular attention is paid to proper Tomsk dialect units characterized by semantic and areal features. The possible cultural, historical and etymological comments to them are made; the semantics of the comparative constructions and of their components is interpreted. The variety of areal features of Tomsk comparisons is due to the language mix in this area, specific sources of which are analyzed in some cases. The rich dialect material compiled by Tomsk lexicographers allows making an accurate and detailed areal description of stable comparisons.

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