UDC 811.111(081)

Julia Mishchanchuk

Kam’ianets-Podilsky Ivan Ogienko National University

Scientific supervisor: G.A. Kryshtaliuk

REPRESENTATION OF A WOMAN IN AMERICAN PROVERBS: STRUCTURAL-SEMANTIC ASPECT

There is a great need for wisdom in our society today. Lack of wisdom is destroying the lives of many young people, and making fools out of some who are older. Proverbs guide our thoughts and actions, and warn us of the hidden dangers along life’s way.

Many attempts at defining a proverb have been made from Aristotle to the present time, ranging from philosophical considerations to cut-and-dry lexicographical definitions [3, c. 260]. A proverb is a short, generally known sentence of the folk which contains wisdom, truth, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorisable form and which is handed down from generation to generation [3, c. 261]. The existing definitions do not take into consideration such linguistic aspects of a proverb as its semantics, structure, use, functions and meaning in varied contexts.

The American proverbs, in particular, have been studies from different perspectives: origin, nature, distribution, meaning, significance [3; 4; 7] and genre [6]. The female image in American proverbs mostly from the culturally attitudinal perspective has been studied by Lois Kerschen [1]. The genre problems of American proverbs have been raised by Mineke Schipper [6]. However, structural and semantic representation of women in American proverbs has not been a subject of a special linguistic research that proves novelty of this article.

Topicality of my research is determined by the general modern linguistic direction to the study of proverbs in general and American proverbs in particular and also to the representation of humans with regard to their gender features.

The aim of this research is to define structural and semantic peculiarities of the representation of women in American proverbs.

Being one of the chief concepts, a woman constitutes a separate category, portrayed in proverbs, while there is not a similar set of sayings about men, since everything is observed from their point of view. Having studied American proverbs about women we have divided them into groups according to their semantic and structural peculiarities that represent female life from different angles. The main semantic groups are woman’s nature, evaluation of women and motherhood. Let us look at them in detail.

The group woman’s nature includes proverbs providing a diversity of comments about women’s behaviour. The proverbs of this group are based on the semantic opposition good – bad that can be illustrated with such example proverbs as Nature meant woman to be her masterpiece and Women are the root of all evil [4, p. 395]. The proverb Nature meant woman to be her masterpiece with the structure Subject + Predicate + Complex Object presents a woman as perfect and morally good. This idea is reflected in the meaning of the complex object woman to be her masterpiece. The core of this meaning is represented by the noun masterpiece explained as ‘a very good example of something’ [2, p. 1012]. On the other hand, the proverb Women are the root of all evil with the structure S + Predicative represents women as a source of immorality and wickedness. This meaning is expressed by the predicative the root of all evil with the main element evil defined as ‘something that is very bad or harmful’ [2, p. 538].

The group evaluation of women comprises proverbs representing how women are traditionally and stereotypically judged in the American society. In American proverbs women are evaluated both positively and negatively. Positive evaluation is characteristic of 26 proverbs out of 68 representing the group. Positive evaluation is achieved through the representation of women as non-living objects serving as ornaments (jewel, coat-of-arms) or protective devices (shield), e.g. A simple maiden in her flower is worth a hundred coats-of-arms [4, p. 396]; A woman is a jewel of a man; A woman is a shield of a man [5, p. 127]. The proverbs of the type evaluate women positively because in its structural pattern Subject + Predicative the function of the subject is performed by a noun phrase referring to females (a simple maiden, a woman). The females are given priority due to their comparison with coats-of-arms, jewels or shields.

The positive evaluation of women is realized in the proverbs with the coordinate structural pattern Subject + Predicative, e.g. A woman is a queen; God is a king; the earth is a King [5, p. 126]. In the given above example a woman is put into one category with God and the earth and consequently is given great importance and respect. The respectful attitude to women is conveyed in structural and semantic pattern of the compound sentence, where coordinate nouns a woman, God, the earth function as subjects, putting their referents on the same footing. Therefore, women are represented as creators like God and as providers of the main needs like the earth.

The negative evaluation of women is given in 42 proverbs out of 68. Most of the proverbs belonging to this group evaluate women negatively if to compare with men. The comparison is based on non-living objects that are generally considered valuable or worthless, e.g. A man of straw is worth a woman of gold [4, p. 395]. In the given proverb with the structure Subject + Predicative the public attitude to women is shown through such basic things as straw and gold. As a result a man who equals the straw is more important than a woman equalling the gold.

Women are also evaluated negatively as troublesome objects that can be illustrated with an example proverb Grasp at a woman and hold a nettle [4, p.  396]. The given proverb is structured on the coordinate pattern Predicate + Object. The coordinate structure shows that any action towards a woman has an unpleasant effect because in place of objects are nouns a woman and a nettle.

Incomplete structures like Object + Object with hidden condition show the mutual dependence of the number of women and the amount of trouble, e.g. The fewer the women, the less the trouble [3, p. 397]. In the given example adjectives in the comparative degree the fewer and the less define the place of women in relation to trouble in terms of quantity.

Proverbs about motherhood show great respect for a fertile woman and disrespect for a barren one accordingly. The analysis of American proverbs proves that even physically and morally ill mothers or poor ones are better than not having a mother at all. The proverbs of the kind have a semantic element ‘good’ that can be explicated at the syntactic level mostly by the adjective good in the comparative degree, e.g. A mad mother is better to a dead one [8, p. 88]; To have a destitute mother is better than not having a mother at all [8, p. 89]; A worthless (bad) mother of one's own is better than a friendly (good) step-mother [8, p. 89]. The given examples are structured on the same pattern Subject + Predicative with a noun mother functioning as a subject that allows to focalize and neutralize bad features of a mother and highlight her real sacred status in our society.

The principal role of a mother in our life is stressed in the proverbs comparing her to God, e.g. To have a mother is to have God [8, p. 89]. In the given proverb with the syntactic structure Subject + Predicative mothers are represented as perfect, omnipotent originators and rulers of the universe who must be worshiped, idealized and followed like God.

In American proverbs women-mothers are represented also as close, intimate objects that can provide cover and protection, e.g. A mother is one's own dress (shelter) [8, p. 90]. In the given proverb MOTHER is metaphorically represented as SHELTER.

Thus, most of the American proverbs about women are structured according to the pattern Subject + Predicative. Coordinate patterns are also productive. In the syntactic structures of the kind nouns and noun groups naming women are put in the initial position and function as a subject of a sentence and a predicative characterizes women in a different way. From the semantic perspective proverbs about women have been divided into three main groups, describing women’s nature in general, evaluating them and representing them as mothers. The structural-semantic analysis of proverbs shows that they give a contradictory representation of women both as important, respectable, perfect, superior and inferior, or imperfect, unimportant members of a society if to compare with men.

The prospect of the further research is to study American proverbs about women from a linguo-cultural perspective.

References

1. Kerschen L. American Proverbs about women : [a reference guide] / L. Kerschen. – Westport : Greenwood Press, 1998. – 212 p.

2. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English / [ed. D. Summers]. — 4^th ed. — Harlow : Longman, 2005. — 1949 p.

3. Mieder W. Proverbs : [a handbook] / W. Mieder. – London : Greenwood Press, 2004. – 305 p.

4. Mieder W. Proverbs as cultural units or items of folklore / W. Mieder // Phraseologie / Phraseology : Ein internationals Handbuch zeitgenossischer Forschung / An International Handbook of Contemporary Research. – Berlin ; New York : Walter de Gruyter, 2007. – Vol. 1. – P. 394-413.

5. Norrick N. R. How Proverbs Mean. Semantic Studies in English Proverbs / N. R. Norrick. – Berlin ; New York ; Amsterdam : Mouton Publishers, 1985. – 213 p.

6. Schipper M. Never Merry a Woman with Big Feet. Women in Proverbs from Around the World / M. Schipper. – Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2006. – 350 p.

7.  Stone J.R. The Routledge Book of World Proverbs / J.R. Stone. – UK : Routledge, 2006. – 495 p.

8. Taylor A. The proverb and index to "the proverb” / A. Taylor – Copenhagen : Folklore Associates ; Rosenkilde and Bagger, 1962. – 105 p.

The article looks into the structural and semantic representation of women in the texts of American proverbs. It has been found out that most of the analyzed American proverbs about women are built on the syntactic structure Subject + Predicative giving space for different female characterization and categorization. Taking into account the prevailing semantic features American proverbs represent women as precious or worthless objects, important or unimportant, perfect or imperfect emphasizing their different physiological, psychological or social abilities and capacities.

Key words: structural and semantic representation, women, texts of American proverbs.