Когнітивно-ономасіологічна реконструкція англійських та німецьких фітонімів асоціативно-термінального типу мотивації

Abstract

У статті виконано когнітивно-ономасіологічну реконструкцію оцінного компонента семантики назв лікарських рослин у німецькій та англійській мовах. У дослідженні було виділено ключові донорські зони, знаки з яких запозичують під час метафоричного перенесення у процесі номінації лікарських рослин, та обґрунтовано їх кореляцію зі значеннями відповідних видів оцінок. Було проведено зіставлення даних, отриманих у досліджених мовах, та з’ясовано спільні й відмінні когнітивні механізми формування семантичного компонента оцінки в зоні ознаки фітонімів.

Background. Cognitive onomasiological analysis of language units is one of the most studied theories of linguistic science today, especially in the field of the study of phytonyms as a lexical-semantic class of language units. However, the mechanisms, according to which these names are generated, are still waiting to be explained, which, in its turn, will explain both the complex interrelations between the conceptual and linguistic levels, and processes of obtaining, processing and processing information that is acquired through sensual experiences. Therefore, the article is devoted to the comparative cognitive-onomasiological analysis of the evaluative semantic component of medicinal plants names. Purpose. The purpose of this research is to establish the motivational base of German and English phytonyms with an evaluative semantic component belonging to the associative-terminal type of motivation and to reconstruct evaluative semantics that is inherent in the designator as a result of this type of motivation. Methods. Cognitive-onomasiological analysis, cognitive reconstruction, onomasiological reconstruction, semantic reconstruction and comparative method. Results. The study presents the results of the analysis of 520 names of medicinal plants in two languages of the Germanic group (German and English), onomasiological structures of which contain designators of associative-terminal type with evaluative semantics. It has been indicated that phytonyms with evaluative semantics are motivated by metaphorical signs borrowed from the donor areas such as “natural factor”, “person”, “animal”, “mythological creature” and “artefact”. Conceptual sphere “plant”, which is a part of the broader conceptual sphere “natural factor”, has the largest number of examples of use as a donor area. Correlations between different types of evaluative components and metaphoric donor spheres have been reconstructed. Discussion. Comparing results of cognitive and onomasiological analysis of medicinal plants’ names in German and English revealed donor spheres and mechanisms of associative-terminal motivation, that are common for both languages. Metaphorical motivators have been indicated both in plants’ names motivated according to the associative-terminal type, and in those belonging to mixed motivation type. Since a comparative cognitive-onomasiological analysis of two closely related languages naturally reveals common tendencies rather than differences, we see prospects for further exploration in conducting a similar study with languages belonging to different groups and compare results for languages, that would be unrelated or distantly related