Gender metaphor: typology, lexicographic interpretation, context representation

The article characterizes one of the gender metaphors types - men and women figurative nominationbased on reconsideration of other conceptual spheres. The object of research is types of genderasymmetry presentation in metaphorical nominations of a person and character of its fixation in generalglossaries and specialized dictionaries of figurative vocabulary of the Russian language, in thematerials of the Russian national corpus. The analysis revealed that all figurative metaphorical nominationsare divided into two groups, which are either marked by gender or not. Not marked by genderare those metaphors, which have the person as the target-sphere in general, without any differentiationbetween men and women (агнец - lamb, innocent person). Metaphors are considered as marked bygender when the person of a definite sex, either male or female, is the target-sphere (баба - milksop,weak, irresolute man, баран - blockhead, silly, confused man).The status of the semantic components fixing gender restriction of the sign is different in metaphoricalmeaning: it can be a differential component of meaning or a component of weak semantics.The author understands components of weak semantics as elements, which are not realised in all contexts.There are two types of gender asymmetry actualisation in the group of gender marked metaphors:strict and non-strict marking of gender semantics. In strictly marked metaphors target-spheres manand woman are assigned to definite source-spheres. In non-strictly marked metaphors the targetspherecan combine with various source-spheres (man, woman, person), and the basis for assimilationor identification can change. Integral seme indication in dictionary notes by using the term personmeans relating to the weak opposition member: the person can be either a man, or a woman. This is thebroadest corpus of evaluative metaphorical nominations of the person. This type can be singled outonly when analysing a range text corpus, which is proved by Russian national corpus data analysis.Researching the bases of metaphorical comparison, descriptive and axiological senses, is the wayof learning the system of gender stereotypes, which are not actively reflected by speakers, still existingand forming ideal cognitive models of men and women in linguoculture.

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