Linguistics peculiarities of contemporary feline narrative

The focus of this work is linguistic peculiarities of a feline point of view in textual narratives. Non-human/animalistic narration is barely studied, if it all, in Russian scientific discourse. In western linguonarratology tradition animal focalization is a "work-in-progress" concept that is studied by Genette and W. Nelles among other linguists. Animal focalization is used to conceal the authors' message/ideas behind an imaginary "pet/wild creature" figure in order to lower the barrier of critical thinking and to push social and ethical problems related to both humans and animals to the foreground. An animal narrator allows to combine human and non-human perspectives, which affects the descriptive language choice and requires a "naturalization" of the narrative world. The objectives of this paper are to establish specificity of a feline focalization through "cats" thesaurus, angle of view and "cat" etymology (notion based on folk etymology). The methodology of analysis is based on referential theory, theory of metaphors (metaphor is regarded as a way of conceptualizing the world rather than a trope), linguistic categorization of the world. The feline point of view is characterized by an abundance of "cat" words in the text of work of fiction. The elements of this thesaurus are also incorporated into "human" phrases, thus "translating" them for the narrator and his/her audience. Reinterpretation of human concepts also results in renaming objects in the world surrounding the protagonist based on their functional characteristics for the cat-narrator. Behind the jocular appearance of such new creations the society satire often hides, aimed at criticizing certain unwelcome habits of contemporary humans in the hope that if done "from the mouth" of the "feline rules of the world" the recipient will more favorably accept it.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English (MU)

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Missouri--Columbia

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Kazakov, Andrei

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Gordon, Matthew

Language dc:language.iso

eng, English

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32469/10355/94018

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/94018