Precedent figurative words and expressions in The Dictionary of Russian Food Metaphors

This article dwells on the method of describing precedent names in The Dictionary of Russian Food Metaphors. The authors analyze the semantics of precedent words and idioms related to the figurative expression of ideas about various facts and situations through the prism of gastronomic images with the purpose to develop a unified model of lexicographic presentation of precedent phenomena. The research is topical due to the active development of metaphorological and linguocultural trends in modern Russian studies and the frequency of use of precedent words and expressions in the discourse. The object of the research is precedent words and expression motivated by the names of dishes and food products in terms of their lexicographic presentation. As The Dictionary of Russian Food Metaphors includes idiomatic combinations with the literary, art, folklore and mythological origin that retain a strong link with their source, it required development of a unified method of interpretation for this group of linguistic units. The dictionary description of figurative precedent units as given in this article includes the following components: 1) the entry with its varied structure; 2) the field mark indicating the structural and semantic category of the expression (figurative nomination -Fig., phraseological unit - Phraseol.; 3) the field mark indicating the precedent nature of the expression - Prec.; 4) the field mark indicating that the expression belongs to a particular functional style of speech (Coll., Bookish, etc.); 5) the interpretation of the meaning; 6) the mark of style and expressiveness (Iron., Pejor., Express., etc.); 7) the context showing the typical use of the expression in the speech. The source of the quotation is provided in the final part of the linguistic and cultural commentary. The authors provide the lexico-phraseological nest with the apex 'PRYANIK (HONEY-CAKE)' as an example of a dictionary entry that shows the ways to describe figurative words and expressions, including those with the precedent character. The final part of the article includes a series of dictionary descriptions of precedent figurative words and expressions translating images of dishes and food products included in the first edition of The Dictionary of Russian Food Metaphors (21 precedent expression).

Keywords

Authors

References