Somatic Code in Russian Proverbs

About the authors:

Svetlana M. Belyakova, Dr. Sci. (Philol.), Professor, Department of General Linguistics, University of Tyumen; s.m.belyakova@utmn.ru

Nadezhda A. Sychyova, Postgraduate Student, Department of General Linguistics, University of Tyumen; n.a.sychyova@gmail.com

Abstract:

The Paremiological fund has attracted researchers since ancient times, as it reflects the experience and wisdom of the people, as well as stereotypes of behavior in certain life situations. Cultural codes are an important part of the paremiological system as it is a very significant fragment of the worldview of many people. The representation of the Russian people’s worldview is the appeal of researching the paremiological units. This linguocultural aspect includes working in the problem field of modern linguistics, as well as studying the linguistic picture of the world and ways of translating culture into a linguistic sign.

The authors’ goal is to analyze the specifics of using somatic cultural code in Russian proverbs, based on the lexicographic sources of the Russian language. This study’s material includes proverbs with somatic components. The main method of our research is a descriptive method, which involves various methods of linguistic analysis (the method of component analysis and the method of linguocultural commentary), the acceptance of quantitative study, and the methods of observation, interpretation, classification, comparison, and systematization. When collecting material, the authors have used the method of continuous sampling. They also provide the definitions of the terms “proverb” and “cultural code” from the point of view of Russian and Western researchers. Particular attention is paid to the somatic cultural code, as the most ancient and universal means of expressing the anthropocentricity of the world picture. The analysis distinguishes the main classes of proverbs, which contain the following somatic components: “head” (face) and its components (“ear”, “nose”, “mouth”, “eye”), “arm”, “leg”, “internal organs of a person”, and “human protective covers” among others.

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