CC BY
19
Typological linguistics (UDC 8144)
DOI: https://dx.doi.Org/10.18454/RULB.9.11 Голодная В.Н.
Кандидат филологических наук, Невинномысский институт экономики, управления и права ОБСЦЕННАЯ ЛЕКСИКА В ПОЗИТИВНЫХ СМЫСЛАХ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ ИНВЕКТИВОВ В АНГЛИЙСКОМ И РУССКОМ ЯЗЫКАХ)
Аннотация
В статье рассмотрены и проанализированы прагматические функции и контексты употребления обсценной лексики в русском и английском языках в рамках корпусного подхода. Обозначены причины интенсивного распространения инвективов во всех сферах коммуникации как социально-культурного и семантического явления. Предложена гипотеза употребления инвективов в положительном значении как баланса между коммуникативными потребностями индивида и общественными установками речевого поведения.
Ключевые слова: обсценная лексика, инвектив, антропная метафора, эмотив, бесконфликтное общение.
Golodnaya V.N.
PhD in Philology, Nevinnomyssk Institute of Economics, Management and Law OBSCENE WORDS IN POSITIVE MEANINGS (ON THE EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN
INVECTIVES)
Abstract
The article is devoted to the issues of obscene words pragmatic functions and contexts of usage in the Russian and English languages in the framework of corpora approach. Some reasons for spreading these words in all types of communication have been defined as both semantic and social phenomena. It has been suggested that invectives' positive meaning serves as a kind of balance between individual communicative needs and social rules of speech behavior.
Keywords: obscene words, invective, anthrop metaphor, emotive, non-conflict communication.
Почта авторов / Author Email: [email protected]
Swear words are becoming too great a part of all communication spheres, which has been regarded as a worrisome tendency for quite a long time now. A raising level of tolerance to the very fact of using such words is considered to be a crisis of both moral principles and communicative values [1, P.19]; [2, P. 53]; [3, P. 50].
In this article we are hypothesizing that the changes from "bottom to top" rather than vice versa, which are dominant in today's communication, are not as negative as we are used to thinking. To prove this it would be necessary to pay more attention not to the quantitative, but to the qualitative feature of swear words' expansion. It shows that obscene lexemes and expressions "yield" their prototypical position as means of verbal aggression and are becoming a tool of personal interaction improvement and even one of the "positive politeness" strategies [7, P. 74].
The experimental material for our article has been taken out from the corpora of the Russian (National Corpus of the Russian Language) and the English languages (British National Corpus) and contains sample extracts with the invectives «п*зда» and «c*nt» respectively.
The choice of this very word is influenced by the fact that while the Russian obscenities such as х*й, бл*дь, п*зда, е*ать have more or less the same level of taboo and derogatory meaning, c*nt is considered to be «the most offensive word in the English-speaking world» [6, P. 19].
According to the text material in both languages, this lexeme is used in three meanings: referential (direct) and two figurative ones - emotive and as an anthrop metaphor. Let us start with the contexts of the word «п*зда» in its primary meaning which is «female genitalia, vagina».
(1) Если бы ей лет двадцать пять было, я б женился, а ей тридцать шесть, и она с личика не так чтобы очень, но п*зда горячая... [Михаил Елизаров. Госпиталь (2009)] [4]
The word combination «горячая п*зда» conveys positive connotations and functions a way to express the speaker admiration for a woman's sexual abilities, which compensate some of her flaws, such as age (тридцать шесть) and appearance (с личика не так чтобы очень).
For many English speakers the ban to use the word «cunt» is so strong that they instinctively mark it as negative whatever its context surroundings might be [6, P. 13]. Nevertheless, we have come across a few cases of its functioning in a positive meanings register.
(2) Come on, you nasty pervert. Enjoy yourself. I have a perfectly functional c*nt [FIC FantasySciFi ] [5]
(3) She was said to have an incisive perspicacity as well as a c*nt of pure gold [FIC Bk:MinistrySpecial] [5]
In sample (2) c*nt is a signal of intimate interpersonal relations. Beginning from the time of sexual revolution, words and phrases denoting sexual life have been gradually encouraged to be used openly and directly. The invitation for a sexual intercourse explicitly conveyed in this extract is regarded as quite natural (enjoy yourself).
The phrase «c*nt of pure gold» (sample 3) is rather ambiguous: it can be interpreted both as an offence (consuming attitude implication) and as a compliment (sexuality is an effective female weapon).
It should be pointed out, however, that a referential usage of c*nt and п*зда is not very common in the languages under the analysis (in Russian it accounts for 22% from the total number of contexts and in English the figure is only a bit higher - 24%).
The experimental material demonstrates that these invectives are frequent as anthrop metaphors, which account for 48% in Russian and 60% in English. Both c*nt and п*зда can nominate an unpleasant, from the speaker's viewpoint, person (male and female). The negative traits and features conveyed by these metaphors are not related to sex or intimate life.
(4) Луч соскользнул с Петькиной головы и уперся в стену. На стене гвоздем нацарапано: «Гитлер — п*зда». Прямо в кружке солнца. [Андрей Геласимов. Степные боги (2008)] [4]
(5) Еще посмотрим, кто первый стишки читать начнет, Вадим Анатольевич! Ах ты п*зда декадентская! Посмотрим, посмотрим, кто первый вазелину попросит! [Михаил Елизаров. Pasternak (2003)] [4]
(6) [Анастасия З., жен, 19] Просто у меня ещё сумка в картинках / это в картинках / и ещё этот пиджак надену и буду как п*зда. [Разговор двух девушек о выборе одежды // Из коллекции НКРЯ, 2008] [4]
In sample (4) п*зда derogatively nominates a notorious historical figure (Hitler) who is responsible for a great number of crimes against the whole humankind.
The phrase «п*зда декадентская» (sample 5) actualizes its meaning in a non-conflict communicative situation and should be regarded as an attempt of a friendly approach rather than a means of verbal aggression.
In sample (6) the above-mentioned lexeme is formally included in a simile (буду как п*зда), but conveys a metaphorical meaning. It is used as a way of self-identity (nominates the speaker herself) and is positively connoted, marking a person as a high-fashion follower.
According to the analysis results, c*nt has lost a far bigger part of its original semantics in comparison with the Russian analogue. It is proved by a great number of adjuncts (mostly adjectives) modifying it in the word combinations like Adj. + N. These adjectives convey the most relevant, according to the speaker, information about the referent, which can relate to age/size (little c*nt, old c*nt), appearance (ugly c*nt, fat c*nt, blond c*nt, beautiful c*nt), behavior and personality traits (snobbish c*nt, nasty c*nt, shameless c*nt, moody c*nt), mental abilities (silly c*nt, stupid c*nt, ignorant c*nt, dumb c*nt, clever c*nt), etc.
Some modifiers (fucking, bloody, total, real, complete) do not add any information about a referent or an addressee. They are used to intensify the emotive semantics of a key word. A number of adjectives can gain a figurative meaning when combined with metaphor «c*nt». For instance, adjuncts «dirty» and «filthy», which convey the features of appearance in their primary meanings, are used with the phrases «dirty c*nt» and «filthy c*nt» to express the negative attitude towards people's deeds and behavior. Adjective «poor» refers to one's financial standing. When combined with c*nt, however, it highlights emotive connotations of pity, sympathy or affection, due to which the dominant negative semantics of the key words transforms into positive one.
Negative connotations, conventionally associated with metaphor «c*nt», can be destroyed in the situations of non-conflict communication. Let us consider some text examples.
(7) Oh Christ, I love you, c*nt, she said. [HTS W_fict_prose ] [5]
(8) You don't drive a boat, you ignorant c*nt, chuckled Morton. You pilot it. [G01 W_fict_prose ] [5]
(9) Oi Tramp. What's going on here, c*nt? Fucking lovely modulation [KDA S_conv ] [5]
(10) But every once in awhile... you can be a real c*nt. They smile at each other [FIC Mov:KillBill ] [5]
The recessive module of cunt meanings emerge under the influence of positive contextual units: verbs «love», «chuckle», «smile» (samples 7, 8, 10) and adjective «lovely» (sample 9). All the above given extracts have a positive modality, and the metaphor «c*nt» conveys non-prototypical emotions and attitudes: a feeling of love (sample 7), protectiveness (sample 8), approval (sample 9), friendly reproach (sample 10).
The component of strong feeling, realizing both negative and positive potential depending on a communicative situation, is one of the most relevant semantic peculiarities of many swear words. Let us consider the emotive meanings of the invectives «п*зда» and «c*nt» with the help of semantic primitives method introduced by Anna Wierzbicka [8, P. 111].
1. I am thinking about something or somebody
2. I feel something because of this
3. I say this
4. You know what I am talking about
5. Many people would say it is a bad thing to say
6. I say this because I want to show how I feel about
this
This definition suggests the usage of the invectives in both negative and positive axiological registers. Thus, components (b) and (f) are focused on the emotion presence and the necessity of its verbal expression, rather than on its description. Component (d) makes it possible to believe that a listener/a reader knows what/whom the emotion is caused by. Finally, component (e) points out the potential offensiveness of such words (a bad thing to say); at the same time it implies that the reaction on swear words is not universal (many people would say).
(11) Ну все. Счас тебе п*зда будет. Быра вскакивает и бежит в комнату. [Владимир Козлов. Гопники (2002)] [4]
(12) Пасмурно и холодно. — Бля, п*зда, лето прошло, — говорит Бык. — А ты только заметил? [Владимир Козлов. Гопники (2002)] [4]
(13) Ну, п*зда, Саша, — признал Олег, немного захмелевший, — нервы у тебя чудесные. [Захар Прилепин. Санькя (2006)] [4]
(14) [Журналистка, жен, 35] До свидания. [Киркоров, муж, 40] Да свидания. Да. П*зда. [Отрывок из пресс-конференции Ф. Киркорова // Из коллекции НКРЯ, 2004] [4]
The text extracts show that by means of п*зда people can express both negative (anger - sample 11, disappointment -sample 12) and positive (admiration - sample 13) emotions. As for sample (14), this word is used here as an ostensive stimulus1, i.e. as a means to attract attention. Its usage in an inappropriate situation (during a press-conference) is sure to make the speaker (a famous pop-singer Philip Kirkorov) a genuine fans and media pet.
In English, c*nt (emotive) can express irritation. It can be included in the exclamation (sample 15), intensify the source of irradiation (sample 16) or just convey speaker's negative emotions in general (sample 17). It should be mentioned that in some contexts the negative semantics of this word can contribute to positive communicative intentions such as relieving an emotional pressure due to an embarrassing situation (sample 17). In sample (18) c*nt conveys a pleasant surprise by an unexpected meeting.
(15) I won't be able to drive this tonight it's got no fucking petrol in it, what a c*nt [KE5 S_conv ] [5]
(16) Wash these c*nt dishes! [KE1 S_conv ] [5]
(17) John! Great to see you! Sorry about the c*nt at reception. This is my fiancee Maxine [FIC Mov:Manchurian ] [5]
(18) Hi, mate. What the c*nt are you doing here? [KPG S_conv ] [5]
It cannot be denied that social and historical events do promote invectives into different spheres of communication and make us as participants and speakers change our attitude to them. Among these factors morals and manners emancipation, social democratization and sexual revolution are traditionally listed. As the result of social changes, moral principles and communicative values are re-considered and sometimes even transformed.
Nevertheless, it is semantic factors that are to be «responsible» for obscenities expansion. It is due to their semantic and emotive diversity that invectives are so widely spread in non-conflict communicative situations.
A high level of tolerance to swearing and invectives cannot be limited to the decrease of speech culture only. The success of communicative acts, in which they are used (as a rule, in positive meanings) is much more likely to be the reason. A conscious preference of invectives to their euphemistic synonyms speaks in favor of our ability to use the language in accordance with the situation.
Positive connotations gained by the invectives can be looked upon as a kind of balance or compromise between an individual wishing to say what he/she wants and how he/she
wants and social rules of speech behavior tabooing certain words.
*The term was introduced by J. Sperber and J. Wilson as «phenomenon whose purpose is to achieve cognitive effects» (Шпербер Д. Релевантность / Д. Шпербер, Д. Уилсон. // Новое в зарубежной лингвистике. Вып. 23. Когнитивные аспекты языка. - М., Прогресс, 1988. - С. 229).
Список литературы / References
1. Козырева М.М. Обсценная лексика в речи образованных носителей английского и русского языков: функционально-прагматический аспект: автореф. дис. ... канд. филол. наук / М. М. Козырева - М., 2013. - 21 с.
2. Клушина Н. И. В какие игры мы играем / Н. И. Клушина // Русская речь. - №1. - 2003. - С. 53- 54
3. Колтунова М. В. Что несет с собой жаргон? / М. В. Колтунова // Русская речь. - №1. - 2003. - С. 50-52.
4. Национальный корпус русского языка [электронный ресурс] // URL.: http://www.ruscorpora.ru/search-main.html (дата обращения 15.01.2017)
5. British National Corpus (BNC) [Electronic resource] // URL.: http://corpus.byu.edu/BNC/ (accessed: 12.01.2017)
6. Gressor M. The nouvelle vile (Review of Dale Peck's Fucking Martin and Euridice's f/32 / M. Gressor. - Sydney: Morning Herald, 1993. - P. 13-26
7. Marlangeon Kaul de, Alba-Juez Silvia and Laura. A typology of verbal impoliteness for the English and Spanish cultures / Kaul de Marlangeon, Silvia and Laura Alba-Juez. - RESLA. - № 25. - 2013. - P. 71-74
8. Wierzbicka A. Semantic primitives and lexical universals / A. Wierzbicka // Quaderni Di Semantica 19, Amsterdam, 1989. - P. 103-121
Список литературы на английском языке / References in English
1. Kozyreva M. M. Obszennaya leksika v rechi obrazovannykh nositeley anglyiskogo i russkogo yazykov: funktsional'no-pragmaticheskyi aspect: avtoref. diss.kand. filol. nauk [Obscene words in the speech of educated English and Russian speakers: functional and pragmatic aspect] / M. M. Kozureva - M., 2013. - 21 p [in Russian]
2. Klushina N. I. V kakiye igry my igrayem [What kind of games we are playing] /N. I. Klushina // Russkaya rech'[Russian speech] . - №1. - 2003. - P. 53- 54 [in Russian]
3. Koltunova M.V. Chto neset s soboi zhargon? [What is jargon bringing by?] / M. V. Koltunova. - №1. - 2003. - P. 5052 [in Russian]
4. Natsional'nyi korpus russkogo yazyka [National Corpus of the Russian Language] [Electronic resource] // URL.: http://www.ruscorpora.ru/search-main.html (accessed: 15.01.2017) [in Russian]
5. British National Corpus (BNC) [Electronic resource] // URL.: http://corpus.byu.edu/BNC/ (accessed: 12.01.2017)
6. Gressor M. The nouvelle vile (Review of Dale Peck's Fucking Martin and Euridice's f/32 / M. Gressor. - Sydney: Morning Herald, 1993. - P. 13-26
7. Marlangeon Kaul de, Alba-Juez Silvia and Laura. A typology of verbal impoliteness for the English and Spanish cultures / Kaul de Marlangeon, Silvia and Laura Alba-Juez. - RESLA. - № 25. - 2013. - P. 71-74
8. Wierzbicka A. Semantic primitives and lexical universals / A. Wierzbicka // Quaderni Di Semantica 19, Amsterdam, 1989. - P. 103-121
