Lecture 5. Image and its semantic structure. Symbol.

The most essential feature of the word is that it expresses the concept of a thing, process, phenomenon, naming (denoting) it. The meaning of verbal symbols has traditionally been regarded as some kind of inherent property belonging to a word (“the word has a meaning”). But meaning is not a possession; it is a setof relations for which a verbal symbol is a sign. Sometimes the meaning is treated as a relation to sth in a practical world (the meaning “chair” is a relation of the verbal symbol “chair’ to a unit of furniture). In reality, however, the referent of a verbal symbol is not an object but a concept of a set of concepts people have about the objects, abstracts, events and relations. (that’s why we have worlds for unreal objects – mermaids, the gods of Olympus).

Acc. to L. Vygotsky, meaning is the unity of generalization, communication & thinking. 2 main types of meaning – referential(denotative) & pragmatic (connotative). Denotative displays the interdependence between the word and the concept (denotate) it stands for; it informs of the subject of communication. Connotative meaning reflects relations between the sign and the person using it. People attach their attitude to the lingual signs and through them to the referents they denote. The list and classification of connotative meaning varies within different schools & individual scholars and may be generalized as follows:

Ø attitudinal meaning that consists in some widespread attitude to the referent (The police – the fuzz – cops);

Ø associative meaning that consists in stereotypical psychological expectations rightly or wrongly associated with the referent (“nurse – female);

Ø affective, revealing the emotional layer of cognition & perception; emotive effect produced on the addressee by the very choice of expression, it hints at some attitude of the speaker towards the addressee (linguistic politeness, flattery, insult (Would u mind not talking – Will u belt up; Oh, Ducky, that’s my seat – Move on).;

Ø reflected meaning whose form is reminiscent of completely different meaning of a homonymic or near homonymic expression (Holy Ghost – Holy Spirit; not ideantical);

Ø collocative meaning attached to the word by the other word it typically collocates with (pretty girl – handsome man);

Ø allusive meaning is present when an expression evokes some associated saying or quotation

Ø evaluative meaning stating the value of the referent;

Ø conceptual meaning revealing political & social preferences of the user.

Both connotative & denotative meanings are communicatively relevant only when actualized in the context. Moreover, the context is capable of adding new denotations and connotations to the word, deviating rather considerably from that registered in the dictionary. All contextual meanings cannot be exhausted or enumerated.

Thus, the very meaning implies generalization & abstractness. The problem of abstractness is the vital one in stylistics that studies means of producing impressions in our mind. Impression is the first & rudimentary stage of the concept. But the concept through a reverse process may build another kind of impression. Impressions that are born by concepts are called imagery.

Image is the main means of an artistic generalization of the extra-lingual reality with the simultaneous reflection of an emotional attitude to this reality. It presents a certain model of reality which is reinterpreted and moulded as a new essence. Functions: cognitive, communicative, aesthetic & didactic.

Certain authors ascribe structural hierarchy to images: microimages- macroimages – conceptual image of the artist. Ch. Bally’s classification: fresh, specific & evocative images; images with a weakened specific content, in which emotions prevails; “images morte”, dead images or phraseological units.

From a linguistic viewpoint images are mainly built on metaphor, metonymy & simile. Images may be subdivided into 3 categories: two concrete (aural, visual) & one abstract (relational image – shows the relation between objects through another kind of relation). The strict subdivision is blurred as a result of synesthesia, a shift of the image due to a spontaneous association of sensations of different kinds (sharp color, warm colour, soft light).

Autosemantic images, represented by lingual units with certain meanings in the autonomous function of information; synsemantic images, based on the peculiarities of rhythmical, compositional & euphonic arrangement of the texts; they are often intertwined (convergence).

Functions of verbal images in the text: singling out key themes & leitmotifs of the work; revealing the motivation of events & deeds; rendering emotional, estimative & expressive attitude; incarnating philosophical ideas; encoding the emotional experience that cannot be expressed directly.

Verbal image has a twofold structure: it is a sign reflecting reality, and a way of an emotional impact, interpreting this reality and expressing the author’s estimation of it. As a trope, verbal image consists of the tenor /topic (the object described), the vehicle (the object compared with the tenor) and the ground (their common property, the relation between the tenor and the vehicle).

Semantic structure of the verbal images consists of 3 hierarchical layers.

ü External manifestation of the verbal image. As a polylexemic unit, verbal image combines lexemes with their grammatical and morphological structure, and meanings. An unexpected combination of 2 or more words changes the ordinary notional foundation and combinability of words, thus, taking out some semantic components of each word.

ü On exfoliating, these semes constitute components of the perceptible and mental image with its denotative figurativeness resulting in a new semantic figurativeness. This mediating layer, an inner form of the verbal image, intensifies the connotative semantics of each word and obliterates their denotative meaning (denotation destructs itself).

ü Distinctly outlined, almost visible perceptible and mental image seems free of its verbal frame and turns to the integral semantic meaning of the verbal image. This new semantic meaning constitutes a semantic whole based on the interrelation of separate semes.

The unity of layers is accounted for by the interrelation of form and content. The verbal image is closely connected with national and social context of a certain literature, with national mentality reflected in the l.

When the connection between the tenor and the vehicle involves the element of a puzzle the image is a symbol or an emblem (16-17^th c.).

Symbol is the most complicated and generalized manifestation of the image; it is a traditionally or textually fixed image. Universal and national symbols are usually reinterpreted in a creative work; individual symbols, repeated in a work or a number of works of a certain author. The symbol has its meaning only within the constrains of a certain poetic system, even the place of an action can be a symbol, say, of the universe.

The relation between the tenor and the vehicle in a structure of the symbol is most indefinite and indistinct. It is so laden with meaning that it can point to several meaning in a tenor or to several tenors. The image is an auxiliary element intended to represent an aspect of some thing; the symbol is an image that stands in its own right and attracts meanings and associations from different planes of a text. The category of symbol is unlimited (Shevchenko’s village as a symbol of the universe, Ukraine, our glorious past, our ignominious present and bright future, of soul, love, purity, corruption etc).