Refereed journal article or data article (A1)

The metaphors and metonymies of domination: explaining the different meanings of the Russian prefix pod-




List of AuthorsViimaranta Johanna

PublisherSpringer

Publication year2012

JournalRussian Linguistics

Number in series2

Volume number36

Issue number2

Start page157

End page174

Number of pages18

ISSN1572-8714

eISSN1572-8714

DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11185-012-9090-6


Abstract
The Russian prefix pod- has, first of all, concrete spatial meanings that describe
being or going under something and approaching something. It also has spatial meanings that
define the notion of ‘under’ more precisely. Besides this, pod- has various meanings that are
either not only or not at all spatial. I claim that the common denominator of these meanings
is the notion of domination. I have also defined the conceptual basis of domination as being
both metaphorical and metonymical and have discussed the difficulties that we have had in
differentiating between the two. As a result of having analysed 1,191 examples from a comprehensive
dictionary, I claim that the conceptual metaphors and metonymies that are able
to explain the use of the Russian prefix pod- are: important is up, less important is down;
doing in secret is down; harmer is up, harmed is down; taking completely off a surface
is down and getting abstractly closer is going down. These conceptualizations
are submetaphors of the Domination Metaphor and they have further subcategories which
are also discussed in this article.

The Russian prefix pod- has, first of all, concrete spatial meanings that describe
being or going under something and approaching something. It also has spatial meanings that define the notion of ‘under’ more precisely. Besides this, pod- has various meanings that are either not only or not at all spatial. I claim that the common denominator of these meanings is the notion of domination. I have also defined the conceptual basis of domination as being both metaphorical and metonymical and have discussed the difficulties that we have had in differentiating between the two. As a result of having analysed 1,191 examples from a comprehensive dictionary, I claim that the conceptual metaphors and metonymies that are able to explain the use of the Russian prefix pod- are: important is up, less important is down; doing in secret is down; harmer is up, harmed is down; taking completely off a surface is down and getting abstractly closer is going down. These conceptualizations are submetaphors of the Domination Metaphor and they have further subcategories which are also discussed in this article.


Last updated on 2021-24-06 at 08:19