CC BY
18
УДК 811.111 '42'373.72 DOI 10.37972/chgpu.2021.113.4.010
D. M. Khuchbarova
PRAGMATIC FEATURES OF CREATIVE USE OF PAROEMIAS IN ECONOMIC DISCOURSE
Moscow University for Finance and Industry "Synergy ", Moscow, Russia
Abstract. The aim of this work is to determine the conditions and mechanisms for the implementation of the communicative and pragmatic potential of English paroemias in economic discourse.
The scientific novelty of the study is that it examines occasional use of English paroemias in economic texts. The review of functioning of English paroemias has identified the possibility of usage of creative forms in economic discourse. Modifications of paroemias actualise basic pragmatic functions such as attraction of attention, expression of author's attitude, assessment, creation of a stylistic effect, thereby influencing readers.
Lack of evidential base and sufficient research of pragmatics of paroemias and study of their functional significance determines the relevance and expedience of the scientific paper.
Structuring and recording a new cognitive content, occasional paroemias represent non-standard usage of paroemiological units. Common cognitive basis of readership and publicists ensures veridicality of printed publications. 200 proverbs and sayings from dictionaries of English and American paroemias have provided material for the research. The results and discussion include a complex analysis of pragmatic, cognitive and systemic functional aspects of creative application of proverbs in economic discourse. In conclusion it is necessary to note that the possibility of contextual modifications of paroemias is predetermined by linguistic (unithood, separate structure) and extralinguistic factors (intention, author 's purpose).
Keywords: economic discourse, communicative-pragmatic, paroemia, transformations, occasional, structural modifications
Д. M Хучбароеа
ПРАГМАТИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ ТВОРЧЕСКОГО ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ПАРЕМИЙ В ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОМ ДИСКУРСЕ
Московский финансово-промышленный университет «Синергия»,
г. Москва, Россия
Аннотация. Целью данной статьи является идентификация условий и приемов актуализации коммуникативно-прагматического потенциала английских паремий в экономическом дискурсе.
Научная новизна исследования заключается в том, что рассматривается окказиональное использование английских паремий в экономическом дискурсе. В результате наблюдения за процессом функционирования английских паремий выявлена возможность их творческого применения в экономическом дискурсе. Трансформации паремий актуализируют их основные прагматические функции (привлечения внимания, выражения отношения, создания стилистического эффекта), воздействуя тем самым на читательскую аудиторию.
Отсутствие необходимой доказательной базы и адекватного количества научных работ, рассматривающих прагматическую сторону английских паремиологических единиц, а также их функциональную значимость, определяет актуальность и своевременность настоящего исследования.
Окказиональные паремии репрезентируют нестандартное употребление паремиологических единиц, структурируя и фиксируя при этом новое когнитивное содержание. Адекватное восприятие печатной публикации обеспечивается благодаря общей когнитивной базе читательской аудитории
и публицистов. Материалом исследования послужили 200 английских пословиц и поговорок, выбранных из словарей английских и американских паремий. Результаты исследования включают комплексный анализ прагматических, когнитивных и системных функциональных аспектов творческого применения пословиц в экономическом дискурсе. В заключение необходимо отметить, что возможность контекстуальных модификаций паремий предопределяется лингвистическими (целостность, раздельнооформленность) и экстралингвистическими факторами (интенция, замысел автора).
Ключевые слова: экономический дискурс, коммуникативно-прагматический, паремия, трансформации, окказиональный, структурные модификации
Introduction. This article examines the communicative and pragmatic potential of English proverbs in economic discourse.
Relevance. The lack of sufficient works on the pragmatic side of the English phraseological units, as well as research on their functional significance, predetermines the relevance of this work. The choice of economic texts as the source of the research material is-relevant as well. The scientific originality of the study is that it attempts to examine occasional use of English proverbs in the economic texts. In Russian linguistics, the language of economic texts is not sufficiently studied in terms of functioning of paroemias.
Materials and Methods. The following linguistic research materials and methods have been used: contextual analysis; method of communicative and pragmatic results analysis, involving a comprehensive interpretation of the meaning and pragmatic functions of paroemias and their transformations, based on a broad context of a communicative and pragmatic situation; linguistic description method that includes techniques of observation, interpretation, comparison, generalization and classification of proverbs; cognitive approach as well as some techniques of statistical processing and compilation.
Results and Discussion. The work presents the results and discussion of a complex analysis of pragmatic, cognitive and systemic functional aspects of creative application of proverbs in economic discourse.
Before studying creative use of English paroemias in modern economic discourse, we should recite our theoretical considerations on problems of phraseological occasionality. The following definition of this term can be found in the dictionary of linguistic terms edited by O. S. Ahmanova: "Occasional is "not usual", which is not consistent with common usage, specified by a specific context or individual manner" [4, p. 284]. Specificity of a context lies in the fact that a formative creating context is necessary for the actualisation of the meanings of occasional units, whereas a reproducing context is necessary for usual units [5, p. 3]. We can assert that the functioning of such units as occasionalism, authorial usage, contextual transformation is justified according to the given definition addressing different aspects of the given phenomena.
"Occasional" is specified by "usual", "common" as occasionality is a universal linguistic phenomenon associated with such categories as standard, language, speech. It should be noted that occasionality is a speech phenomenon "connected with the system of language, it develops semantic, derivational and grammatical aspects of this system and predefines development trends". To our mind, occasional usage of proverbs is predefined by semantic, stylistic, lexical, grammatical and syntactic modifications, i.e. divergence of a norm. It must be noted that in this case the term "norm" means a standard usage of paroemias in usual forms. Nowadays, the term "norm" implies a choice of linguistic means, not a prohibition. "A language system is a set of all capabilities specified by certain regularities of a certain language, and "norm" is a capability implementation of this system" [4, p. 300].
In the course of time, paroemias were subjected not only to formal transformations, but also to semantic modifications. For example, the proverb "strike while the iron is hot" was initially used as a reference to blacksmith craft. The expanding range of its usage was due to metaphorical rcintcrprotation. Using this paroemia, one does not refer to its literal sense. We should
note that modified proverbs are registered in modern vocabularies with new meanings. So modifications of paroemias are not considered as transformations any more.
There are the same problems with the usage of anti-proverbs, which are becoming widespread. Consequently, they are the objects of lexicographical description now. We should point that all the modifications are within the rules and are not departure from the norm. So transformed proverbs in a certain context are the most relevant language means due to norms.
The possibility of contextual changes and individual usage is typical to paroemias. These units are structurally separable and included in a phraseological fund. They have the following specifics: usage in a standard form and a certain structure (they consist of several words and have certain syntactical relations actualised in speech) [2, p. 166]. These features have opposite functions, which means that the unithood restricts variations of phraseological units and retain phraseological system due to the separability [17, p. 41]. So, the separability is an important characteristic of a paroemia as a linguistic unit, specifying its variation. Pragmatic factors, i.e. intentions, a creative concept of an author refer to external non-linguistic factors of proverb modification. We can see the anthropocentricity of a language, which means that linguistic activity of a man is the basis for occasional transformations. A subjective factor determines an expression of an author's thoughts. Anthropocentric approach to a language preconditions the understanding and interpretation of the nature of a human language, non-standard usage of particular linguistic units and proves a significant role of a man in this process.
It's important to highlight the issue of cognitive aspects of occasionality based on the development of cognitive linguistics in phraseological science. Such a cognitive approach to semantics of paroemias as frames, i.e. conceptual frameworks, including cultural and historic information, a set of social attitudes, worldview, social stereotypes offer an insight into a mechanism of occasional conversion of meanings of paroemias. Transformations of linguistic units are caused by the need to denote new concepts, connected with the process of conceptualisation. A special form of structuring and expression of a new cognitive content is an occasional paroemia. Developing her own conception of phraseological occasionality in the cognitive linguistics, E. V. Rizkina notes that language modifications include three aspects: cognitive, i.e. conceptual content; pragmatic, i.e. motives, intentions of language modifications; systemic-functional, i.e. a mechanism of creating a communicative effect [17, p. 47].
Our follow-up study is devoted to analysis of mechanisms of transformations of English proverbs in economic discourse, disclosing a pragmatic implication too.
Techniques of occasional transformations of paroemias in economic discourse
Techniques of transformations of phraseological units have been described and researched by many scientists. We would like to briefly address to several approaches. A. A. Izotova researches simple techniques of transformations of English idioms (ellipse, compounding, substitute components) and complex techniques of doubled actualisation, creation of metametaphors [12].
I. Y. Tretjakova identifies three groups of transformations: internal (semantic) transformations, referring to semantics of phraseological units; external (structural) transformations, including change of form and retaining semantics; complex (structural and semantic) transformations, including modifications of a structure and meaning [19]. A. M. Melerovich and V. M. Mo-kienko propose two types of modifications of phraseological units in the Russian language [14]. A. A. Alekseeva develops and broadens the given approach, researching occasional usage of winged words in the German language [1]. N. L. Buneeva considers techniques of structural conversions of English proverbs in the research work [6].
To our mind, there is no point in focusing on structural modifications of paroemias because any formal modification implies a change in semantics, even if it is insignificant. The given examples of factual material prove the fact that modifications of English paroemias and creation of new expressions in economic discourse are actualised according to uniform rules. This equates to classify variety of approaches of proverb transformations in economic discourse into
two groups and describe the following subcategories of occasional transformations of paroemi-as: semantic and structural - semantic.
I. Semantic transformations, i.e. semantic and stylistic transformations, which do not involve lexico-grammatical structure of paroemias [15, p. 17]. We can see that dictionary meaning is actualised through "usual" usage of paroemias, whereas occasional usage involves meanings predetermined by an author and his intention. But these semantic changes of paroemias are only contextual. V. N. Vakurov observes that "dependence of a free collocation meaning on the context is relative, because a meaning of this collocation is implied from meanings of constituents. Whereas the meaning of phraseological unit is connected to other words in the context. In this case, there is a complete dependence of the perception of the word combination on the text environment [9, p. 40].
The range of occasional semantic modifications of paroemias is wide, which includes the transformation of logical content of their meaning as a result of narrowing or broadening the scope of concept is possible; modification of one or two components of proverbial connotation and significant change of phraseological meaning (simultaneous actualisation of phraseological and direct meanings of paroemias, prioritisation of direct meaning, complete rethink of meanings of paroemias. We have revealed the following techniques as a part of our research work:
1. Acquisition of additional semantic connotation
a) ... The letter was signed by a Mr Graham Lytham and had been written on notepaper with the heading Granby, Hemingford and Bowles, Solicitors.' I've never heard of the firm and simply can't imagine what this is all about,' Harry said.' What's your opinion, sir?' Wendell smiled.' For a start, I go right along with the "never look a gift horse in the mouth " proverb,' he said.' If you 're to come into money, then it couldn't be at a more appropriate moment, could it? At the same time, I'm curious as to what this' condition' is. Why, I ask myself this legal reticence? [6]. Apart from a dictionary meaning, this proverb acquires additional semantic connotation, denoting the necessity of taking any chances in one's life.
b) ... But Mr Trussler ruled out any more building in the commercial property sector. Prophet and loss "Profits before people ", to quote the Bishop of Durham. The not always Rt Rev David Jenkins speaks out without giving much thought to what he says. He blames the Government's concern with short-term profit at the expense ofpeople's jobs. What about the organisation he represents, the Church Commissioners who own the Metro Centre and a large chunk of Nestles, not forgetting 3,000m worth of stocks and shares. Very enterprising indeed. People who live in glass houses should avoid throwing stones. Such outbursts by Dr Jenkins seems to me yet another example of preaching socialism while thriving on the rewards of the capitalist system of government. [6]. In this context, the proverb takes on a new meaning, connected with the disadvantages of socialism and advantages of capitalism. The author uses semantic constraint in this case.
2. Change of connotative meaning of a paroemia or creation of occasional connotations
Connotation is a stylistic aspect of the meaning of language units, enlarging its denotative
content. V.N. Telia describes subjective and modal characteristics of a connotation: "its connection with a speaker makes it pragmatic; rational and attitudinal, social and verbal features enable expressive and appraisive functions of a language" [18, p. 107]. Components of connotation are subjected to qualitative and quantitative changes. Qualitative changes involve expanding or reducing of emotional response, expressiveness. An emotional-attitudinal plan is renewed and modified due to qualitative changes. Connotations can be usual or occasional.
a) Make haste slowly
China's rush to build nuclear power plants is dangerous (heading)
COAL kills, especially in China. Up to half a million people die prematurely each year as a result of the country's infamously foul air. Coal, from which China gets roughly four-fifths of
its electricity, is the main contributor to that deadly pollution. And since the country's powergeneration may need to double by 2030 to keep pace with economic growth and more affluent lifestyles, the damage from coal will get worse before it gets better. Given that grim picture, it is understandable that the government wants to diversify its energy sources [21].
Ancient Roman proverb Make haste slowly is interpreted as advice, which is usually used without any emotional content. In this case, the proverb is used to express a negative attitude of an author to the government policy as it involves health problems of the population.
b) Like father, like son ?
The Chinese president's late father rises again (heading)
Ask a resident of Fuping county in rural Shaanxi province what the Chinese president has done for them, and they point to the smooth asphalt road beneath their feet. Since Xi Jinping came to power, the birthplace and burial site of his father has become a national tourist attraction. Xi Zhongxun was a revolutionary hero in his own right; since his son assumed power, he has been promoted further [21]. Expressiveness and emotiveness of the proverb Like father, like son is expanding in this case, as this proverb is used for negative perception of political activities of Chinese presidents, significant persons in the history of China.
c) ...on hold, and the transfer is not expected to be completed until the weekend. Forest assistant manager Ron Fenton said: "The knee has swollen up, and it necessitated him going to hospital. We don't expect it to cause any problems, and we will still be meeting him for talks some time over the next couple of days ". Crucial Forest envisage the return of Webb, who left them in a Pounds 1.5 million deal three years ago, as a crucial step along the road to safety. Fenton said: "Better the devil you know, and we know Neil Webb. We had good times when he was here before. It will be great to bring him back into the club, and his experience will help us. With the addition of another player on top of this one, we definitely believe we'll be back on track again. We hope it will rekindle the atmosphere of old" ... [6]. This proverb refers traditionally to an ugly customer (or situation), but familiar, because all unknown things are considered dangerous, it poses a risk. In this context, a "devil" is a financial partner. It is easier to book transactions with someone familiar, despite differences.The proverb has a touch of irony in this context.
3. Creation of a phraseological context
This approach involves usage of two or more proverbs. This fact adds to an emotiveness and expressiveness of a statement and pursues a pragmatic aim to attract attention and influence a reader emotionally. The following examples were identified in our research:
a) Synonymous paroemias are often used:
"... radiation may not have to worry too much longer - James Plante, head of Dynaspek Inc of Westmont, Illinois says he plans to market a copper alloy shield that fixes to the antenna and protects users from radiation... Atlantic Richfield accused of misleading Siemens. Did Siemens AG buy a pig in a poke - the German's, ever literal, call it a cat in a sack, which of course is what a pig in a poke usually turns out to be - when it bought Atlantic Richfield Co's Arco Solar Power subsidiary in Camarillo, California for $35.9m in 1990? The Mnchener is suing Atlantic Richfield for nearly $150m, alleging that the company knew that the products the unit was developing would never be commercially viable... " [6]. Proverbs "Buy a pig in a poke" and "buy a cat in a sack" are synonymous and instructive in meaning in the given example. So, they warn about the consequences of risky propositions.
b) Paroemias can be organised thematically:
The following example is a letter to the newspaper The New York Times where she expresses her opinion about the publication: "What? Is Daniel Gilbert saying money can't buy happiness; time heals all wounds; It's the little things that count; look before you leap; act in haste, regret at leisure? Good lord, what will psychologists think of next? A stitch in time saves nine? " [16]
Proverbs are not connected semantically or thematically in this context. But they saturate the speech with expression and emotions and at the same time the author uses linguistic means "economically". A proverb "a stitch in time saves nine" has an ironic effect and shows the author's attitude to the fact.
4. Semantic transformations based on figurativeness of paroemias
Metaphorical proverbs have some specifics such as figurativeness, imagery, semantic two-fold nature. A sensory image of an object is expressed by a language sign in direct meaning. Many scientists point out that figurativeness and expressiveness are eliminated due to long-term usage. So occasional modifications allow to renew an imagery, to enhance expressiveness of proverbs, to suit metaphorical meaning to certain context and produce a stylistic effect [13, pp. 159-160]. The inner form of paroemias preconditions different occasional transformations of their semantics. Though an image-structure and an inner form of paroemias coincide partially, these notions are not identical. According to A.M. Melerovich and V.M. Mokienko "an inner form of phraseological units represents a semantic content composed of basic meanings of components, which are derivative with regard to phraseological meaning" [15, p. 18]. Some scientists identify such a technique of transformations of semantics as a phraseological wordplay [9; 158]. Our aim is to describe the effect of dual actualisation and literalization of proverbial meanings with reference to special features of proverbial semantics.
4.1. Dual actualisation
Dual actualisation is "a combination of phraseological meaning of a fixed phrase and its imagery or inner form [11, p. 20]. A stylistic effect is achieved through simultaneous actualisation of literal and phraseological meanings (a figurative meaning contradicts with the perception that is unexpected for a listener and a reader. Let us illustrate this with the examples from the newspapers.
a) All that glitters is not gold. A lesson in how not to invest (heading)
MANY are seduced by gold, but its less illustrious cousin, silver, is now attracting considerable attention. On September 30th, demand from investors and industrial users helped push the price of silver to $22 per ounce, a value not seen for over 30 years. But unlike record-breaking gold, it is extremely unlikely to surpass its peak of 1980. That was when the Hunt brothers, Texan oil barons who were at one time the world's richest men, tried to corner the silver market in the belief that inflation would destroy the value of the dollar. Buying up around a third of the world's silver supply, they pushed its price up from a low of $1.26 in 1971 to nearly $50 in 1980 ($140 in today's prices) [21].
The effect of conversion is based on parallel actualisation of phraseological and literal meanings. A proverb has two meanings in this context. Dual semantics is created due to the fact that the proverb is perceived in direct or idiomatic meanings simultaneously. On the one hand, it is a question of jewelleries, valuables, on the other hand, the author informs us about risks of investments, actualizing a phraseological meaning of a proverb "nothing is as it seems". Thus, it is necessary for a reader to analyse two contexts where two meanings are foregrounded in order to interpret the case of dual actualisation.
Sometimes an author himself helps a reader to identify dual semantic plan:
a) The ings alongside the lower Derwent valley are alive with tractors-mowing, turning and baling, as the farmers literally make hay while the sunshines. Normally, they would start cutting immediately after July 1, the date agreed with English Nature, which manages the ings as part of the Lower Derwent Valley national nature reserve. By then, the wild flowers have set seed, ensuring a continuing bloom of meadowsweet, great burnet and meadow crane's bill. Groundnesting birds will also have got their chicks off by then [10].
You can see overlapping of an inner form and phraseological meaning of the proverb.
4.2. Literalization of the meaning of a paroemia
a) Horses for courses. The beauty of an equine heritage (heading)
IT IS late July in Galway, and there is not an empty hotel room or bar stool in sight. The annual Galway races, one of the top spots in the Irish social calendar, are also a big political occasion: the Fianna Fail tent at the races heaves with property developers and other campaign contributors. The races themselves often seem less important than the champagne (this is not the place for Guinness), the talk and the wheeling and dealing. [21].
The proverb "Horses for courses" is used in direct meaning in this article; so the dictionary meaning is relegated to second place here. In this example the author himself helps a reader to identify semantic transformation by paraphrasing the proverb: "everybody has got his passion".
The scientists point out that literalization is used for comic effect [19; 7]. In all given extracts, all proverbs are used in a traditional form (apart from lexical expansion). Despite literalization of the meaning, all proverbs are perceived as lexical phrases, not free collocations.
4.3. Contextual actualization (phraseology)
Actualization of a fixed collocation as a free phrase is found in the given context.
Out of the mouths of babes
What thousands of milk teeth reveal about radiation (heading)
They were locked away in an old ammunition bunker near St Louis, in dozens of cardboard boxes. Each was in its own manilla envelope, with an index card identifying the donor. These 85,000 baby teeth were collected in the late 1950s and early 1960s from children in the St Louis area to study the effects of radioactive fallout in the environment. The fallout came from hundreds of above-ground nuclear tests in America and other parts of the world. The radioactive isotope Strontium-90, one of the by-products of the bombs, spread into the atmosphere, fell onto the land, was ingested by dairy cows and passed into the milk supply [21].
In this context, a dictionary meaning of the proverb "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings" is eliminated. It contributes to ironic tone of the statement.
II. Structural-semantic transformations of paroemias
These transformations relate to the message (meaning) and are connected with the change of a lexical composition or a grammatical form. Here we wish to emphasize the dependence of occasional transformations of linguistic units on a context, arising from the objectives of a communicative situation or an author's idea. So they are caused by communicative and pragmatic factors. That's why we give a necessary length of a text for every occasional usage of paroemias as an example.
Within our factual material, we would exemplify changes of component structure of paroemias, morphological modifications and transformations of syntactic structure of paroemias.
1. Changes of component structure of paroemias
1.1. Expansion of component structure
Expansion of component structure, i.e. use of free phrases or components of phrases in set expressions. You can see strengthening, reducing of the meanings or clarification of the meaning, information transfer, enhancement of expressiveness and emotiveness as a result of broadening of fixed collocation. Within our factual material, broadening is actualised through external expansion, inner expansion (lexical enhancement) and addition of an element.
1.1.1. Addition of an element
a) a word
- Why honesty is the best policy (heading)
Corporate deceit is a slippery slope. Deceit demands more deceit until eventually the pile collapses under the weight of its own incredibility. As Warren Buffett puts it, "Once a ... [21]. (compare with: honesty is the best policy).
- Good practice makes perfect (a heading) [21]. We can see specifications in these examples, (compare with: practice makes perfect)
- Funny how the grass is always greener on the other side (the grass is always greener on the other side). The American Senate is currently considering the merits of the Transparent
Airfares Act, which has already been passed by the House. If it makes it through—by no means a formality - the bill will allow airlines to strip out government tax from their advertised fares [248]. Here we can see a substantiation.
b) Two wrongs can make a right (heading) Waste products from two different industries could cancel each other out [21]. (compare with: two wrongs don't make a right).A word combination
- Very early bird had a way to catch worms in a beak [21] (compare with: early bird catches the worm)
- In mining, it seems, opposites attract. On Monday June 22nd Anglo American, a mining firm listed in London and Johannesburg, sent Xstrata packing, after the Swiss firm proposed a £40 billion ($65 billion) merger [16].
c) A sentence
- Seek and you will find why curiosity is key to personal and national success. Calls for innovation in our economy are commonplace, but how we nurture inquiring minds is too often overlooked [19]. (explicitation)
-Managers earn their money when the going gets tough [21]. (explicitation) (compare with: when the going gets tough the tough get going)
- If opposites attract, Ford's sale of Volvo to a Chinese upstart, Geely, for $1.8 billion ought to be a marriage made in heaven. Sweden's Volvo is the epitome of good middle-class taste... [21].
1.1.2. Lexical extension
This technique involves modifications of lexical components of a paroemia including accession of contextual words to the core component of a paroemia by means of stem composition.
a) Don't get mad, get even-tempered, (compare with: Don't get mad, get even)
After Italy's constitutional court had thwarted his efforts to make himself immune from prosecution, Silvio Berlusconi certainly got mad. But the Italian prime minister gradually simmered down - and has now turned his attention to how to get even [21]. So the extension let authors and publicists to achieve expressiveness and emotiveness of speech, emphasis of ideas. Journalists often resort to the use of such emphatic elements as:
b) Old habits do, in deed, die hard (compare with: old habits die hard)
A giant brokerage promises to treat its retail clients better. It cleaned up the mess after scandals had sent clients fleeing, and made its way back into profit after huge losses in America and Russia [21].
c) Indeed, CTF could even profit by offering global rivals a distribution channel in remote regions. Local knowledge matters, for tastes differ widely... [21].
1.2. Replacement of component or components of a paroemia
This technique (like a lexical extension) is widely used in the framework of our factual material; both techniques go hand in hand. These transformations can be studied in quantitative and qualitative aspects. In quantitative terms, a substitute is possible:
- A substitute of one component:
a) Jack of all trades and a master of one [10] (compare with: Jack of all trades and master of none).
b) Department administrator - we probably deduce from this that the role is nontechnical, for which read simple, straightforward, easy to fulfil. The title alone -when applied to women - suggests service, subordination, and a lack of special skills. Jill of all trades, master of none. A woman [10].
In this case, there is a connection with the substituted component "Jack", since this element of "usual" proverb is used in the text and is opposed to its phoneme substitute "Jill". Opposition of two folklore names, defining a man and a woman, is the form of expression of the main idea of the author - gender inequality.
- A substitute of two or more components
a) Hope springs eternal among American investors (compare with: hope springs eternal)
Investors are optimistic but 2013 is unlikely to be a bumper year. Markets are beginning the new year on an upbeat note [21].
The following forms of substitution were identified in a qualitative sense.
- Antonymic
a) Like father, unlike son (heading)
These days economists use more sophisticated gauges. They measure mobility over a lifetime... [21] (compare with: like father, like son).
- Synonymic
So, back to reality, which is already stranger than fiction, (compare with: facts are (truth is) stranger than fiction) [10].
- Substitute of abstract noun with physical
Road to hell is paved with efficient markets, (heading) A superb article on Nobel Prize winners in economics [21]. (compare with: road to hell is paved with good intentions)
According to examples, occasionally transformed paroemias retain links with "usual" elements. They can be used independently or singled outin the text:
It is profits, not hope, that springs eternal. Corporate profits for the SP 500 have risen a remarkable 64% year-on-year, according to Societe Generale [21] (compare with: hope springs eternal in the human breast).
The example of a traditional proverb "'Many hands make light work" exemplifies the other proverb "Seek and ye will find' in author's manner: "Many hands make light work. Which MBA? How is the modern-day MBA made? At the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, many hands make light work... Seek and ye will find [21].
So, the substitutions considered, enhance semantic flexibility of paroemias, promote to their "dissolution" in the context, according to E. V. Tjumenceva [20, p. 110]. They are means of attracting attention of readers, introducing something new in the speech and achieving imagery, expressiveness and emotiveness. We can say that paroemias contribute to the creation of an individual style of an author.
1.3. Reduction of components of a proverb, ellipsis
According to scientists A. M. Melerovich. and V. M. Mokienko, a substantive content of paroemias is preserved when implementing this method. However, expressiveness and imagery become less dramatic and less effective. Based on the content analysis, we would agree with T. V. Gridneva that "an elliptical version is more expressive due to uniqueness and unusual nature of a phraseological structure" [11, p.9]. As a part of our research, we can see the following abbreviations:
- The beginning of a proverb
The mice will play (heading) (compare with: when the cat's away, the mice will play)
Challenges ahead for Gates Foundation's new CEO. Unlike most other foundation CEO jobs, this is unlikely to be a comfortable pre-retirement sinecure. The Gates Foundation is by far the biggest charitable organisation in the world, and growing quickly. Next year, it is expected give away at least $3 billion, up from barely $1 billion a couple of years ago. Some insiders expect that number to rise as high as $6 billion in the near future [21].
So, a proverb in the heading is very attractive and catchy for a reader.
Abbreviation of the paroemia was necessary due to the author's intention in the case under review. This intention was interpreted directly in the text. We can point out that the down-sized version of a paroemia was recreated in the context. The author stresses that people got a chance to benefit from charity(they are represented as mice). Thus, the author reduces the proverb in the heading in order to renew the image in the text, involving readers in an intellectual game.
- The ending
Ask a silly question (heading)
Shoppers at a London supermarket on May 31st received, along with their groceries, the chance to tell Alan Milburn, the health secretary, how they thought the largesse devoted to the National Health Service at the last budget should be spent. The last day in May was "census day" in the government's public consultation on the future of the NHS. As well as the inevitable photo opportunities, the consultation involves NHS staff and members of the public filling in questionnaires... [21].
In this particular case, the reduced proverb is intricately woven into the emotional story of the author. An ellipsis promotes to the author's narrative style and brings more emotional intensity, resulting in close interaction of the author and readers.Examining and reviewing functioning of English paroemias in economic discourse revealed that authors resort to both standard and creative usage of paroemias in usual forms in order to achieve a pragmatic objective. At the same time, taking into consideration the second participant of the communication, i.e. readership, within economic discourse is also necessary. The correct choice of linguistic means predetermines the achievement of the objective and commercial success. According to our study, usage of paroemias in economic discourse is predetermined by a specific goal formulated in terms of actualization of the main pragmatic functions of paroemias, i.e. to attract attention, to declare, to create stylistic effects (an increase of expressiveness and emotiveness, creation of an individual style).
Our research has proved the fact that occasional usage of paroemias is the main form of functioning of English proverbs in economic discourse. It was concluded that a creative usage of paroemias is a universally applicable approach for influencing an addressee. We consider that examination of such phenomenon as occasionality in terms of cognitive linguistics is the most functional and constructive. Transformations of linguistic units are often motivated by the need to identify and denote new or updated concepts. Consequently, occasional paroemias represent the form of structuring and expression of a new or updated cognitive content. Due to this common cognitive base of authors and readership, an addressee can perceive information adequately. Consequently, it is the main condition of effective functioning and actualization of the communicative-pragmatic potential in economic discourse. Possibility of contextual modifications of paroemias, apart from such extra-linguistic factors, as intention, concept, ideas, is attributable to characteristics of phraseological units (separability, unithood of components, recognisability).
Modification of subject and logical content as a result of reduced and increased availability of designated notion; modifications of one or more components of connotation of proverbs; a significant change of phraseological meaning, such as simultaneous actualization of direct and idiomatic meanings; reinterpretation of meaning; prevalence of direct meaning of proverbs are possible, according to our research.
A recent research has indicated that authors can unlock their creative potential, creating author's expressions and aphorisms, based on paroemias. An interplay of linguistic and extra-linguistic factors in the process of using paroemias in economic discourse is evident in the research.
Conclusion. In conclusion we can state that the main form of functioning of English paroemias in economic discourse is their creative modification. The possibility of contextual modifications of paroemias is predetermined by linguistic (unithood, separate structure) and ex-tralinguistic factors (intention, author's purpose). A variety of techniques of occasional transformations of English paroemias in economic discourse can be divided into semantic and structural-semantic.
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The article was contributed on November 8, 2021 Сведения об авторе
Хучбароеа Джамиля Махмуддибировна - кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры иностранных языков Московского финансово-промышленного университета «Синергия», г. Москва, Россия, https://orcid.org/ 0000-0003-1255-7626, lAuchbarova2710@mail.ru
Author information
Khuchbarova, Dzhamilya Makhmuddibirovna - Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages, Moscow University for Finance and Industry "Synergy", Moscow, Russia, https://orcid.org/ 0000-0003-1255-7626, khuchbarova2710@mail.ru
