Figurative Means in the Structure of Russian and Chinese Entomonym Definitions

The subject of this research is the dictionary definitions of insect names in the Russian and Chinese languages. Insects occupy a very important place in the national worldview; therefore, their names are regularly explained through various images based on appearance or behavior. In dictionaries, such images become part of the official definition of a word. The purpose of the work is a detailed comparative analysis of such figurative means and the creation of their typological classification. The research material consisted of 69 Russian and 90 Chinese lexical items selected from authoritative explanatory and ideographic dictionaries of the modern Russian and Chinese languages. This material allows for an objective evaluation of the role of figurativeness in lexicography, where a dictionary entry is considered a reflection of a nation's cultural experience. The research methodology includes the method of dictionary sampling, as well as the methods of component analysis and step-by-step identification, which help to accurately identify differential features in word meanings. The scientific novelty of the research consists in identifying ethnocultural specificity within strict dictionary entries and demonstrating the reflection of the naive worldview in lexicography. The results show a significant quantitative discrepancy: figurative components are present in 40% of Chinese definitions, while in Russian dictionaries this figure is only 20%. At the same time, comparison serves as the basic means of creating an image in both languages. The conclusions confirm the difference in national approaches: Russian dictionaries strive for objective biological accuracy and scientific terminology, whereas Chinese definitions actively use associative thinking. In the Chinese tradition, which relies on the cultural knowledge of the people (a striking example of which is the aestheticization of singing insects), auditory and dynamic metaphors are systematically presented. The obtained results have high practical significance and can be successfully applied in comparative semasiology, as well as in lexicographic practice when compiling bilingual dictionaries

Lexicology · Literal and figurative language · Novelty · Terminology · Discourse Analysis and Cultural Communication · Language, Communication, and Linguistic Studies · Psycholinguistics and Behavioral Studies

• On Specifying Metaphor

  R Moon•International Journal of…•2004

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