Reversible metaphorical models: semantic and functional asymmetry. Article 1

The article discusses one of theaspects of metaphorical modelling - semantic and functional reversibility of models - on the materialof the Middle Ob dialects.Reversible models are language representations of functionally and semantically correlatedconceptual metaphorical models characterised by reverse correlation of source and target spheres: thecognitive source sphere of the first metaphorical model is the target sphere in the reversible model, thetarget sphere of the first model is the source sphere for another model.The article describes the reversible models "world is man" and "man is world". The thesis ontheir cognitive asymmetry is proved. The variants of its reflection in the system of languagerepresentations are considered.Cognitive asymmetry is expressed 1) in the way of organising the particular meanings within themodel, 2) in the features of semantics and functioning of lexical metaphors formed within the givencorrelated models.Comparison of the aspects of the conceptual sphere "man", which actualise when functioning asthe source sphere and the target sphere in the correlated metaphorical models of the dialects, showedtheir considerable overlapping (8 out of 11 aspects are common). The quantitative analysis of theaspects points that the asymmetry of the models displays in the different degree of their productivity.Thus, names of person, calling a human by the features of appearance, prevail quantitativelyamong other metaphorical person names (20,7%), names with such meanings are second last infunctioning as a source sphere of metaphorical expanse (1,7%).Person's behaviour and mental psychic features (19,9%) and speech behaviour and sound (17,1%)are also metaphorically interpreted, while these spheres are "least" productive as source-spheres whencomprehending the outer world (1,6% and 2,2% respectively).On the contrary, names of parts of human body are the most active source of metaphorical namesof phenomena of the outer world. They make up 36.9% of the total of metaphors based on actualisingthe conceptual sphere "man", and this sphere is not active in metaphorical transferences as a targetsphere.Semantics reflecting the physical aspects of person's being functions most actively as a basis formetaphorical nomination: person's movement in the physical environment (28%), physical action(11,5%), physical and physiological features and states (8,8%). These notional spheres are leastproductive as source-spheres (2,4%, 2% respectively).

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