Food metaphor in conceptualization, categorization and verbalization of representations about the world

The article is concerned with the analysis of the Russian food metaphor world modeling function, its role in conceptualization, categorization and verbalization of representations about the world. Food metaphor denotes a cognitive metaphoric model which enables to perform conceptualization of cognizable phenomena from different extra-linguistic spheres by analogy with phenomena from the sphere "Food". At the linguistic level it is embodied in figurative lexis with a metaphoric internal form (kislyy (literally: acid) 'dissatisfied, sad', nakhlebnik (lit.: someone on bread) 'person who lives at others' expense), phraseological units of different structure (tochno varenyy (lit.: as if boiled) 'about a slow, weak, apathetic person', medom namazano (lit.: smeared with honey) 'attractive for many people'), proverbs (kto uspel, tot i sjel (lit.: someone, who was in time, ate something) 'a person who was the first in taking advantage of a situation gets a benefit'). At the speech level it is presented by author's expressions with a metaphoric character. The procedure for reconstruction of the figurative fragment of the Russian linguistic world view is presented including semasiological and cognitive analysis techniques. In the structural and semantic aspect the semantics of figurative units embodying food metaphor are analyzed; the lexical structure of the metaphoric field "Food" reflecting results of reality linguistic categorization by means of food metaphor is modeled. For this purpose the figurative words and expressions are combined into category-figurative paradigms presenting series of figurative nominations naming a certain phenomenon from one conceptual sphere which is analogized with different phenomena from the common source sphere with the same basis of figurative analogy. The procedure for description of category-figurative paradigms of the field "Food" is presented in the article on the material of units representing the conceptual sphere "Society", including thematic areas "Politics", "Economics", "Culture", "Social Life". In the cognitive aspect particular metaphoric models, frames and slots involved in metaphoric interaction are described; bases of figurative adaptation and typical figurative representations specific to Russian culture are determined. A successive description of category-figurative paradigms demonstrated that food metaphor of objective type takes part in characteristics of such reality spheres as "Human Being" (42 % of linguistic figurative units total number), "Material World" (22 %), "Society" (19 %), "Non-Material World" (12 %), "Environment" (2 %), "Scent" and "Sound" (2 %). The bases for figurative adaptation are presented by food product properties (form, structure, color, size, texture, flavor, nutrition value), food processing character during cooking, food intake specifics and others. Systematization of the linguistic material into category-figurative paradigms allowed presenting the fragment of the Russian linguistic world view as a result of metaphoric world-modeling.

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