VOL. 49, BOOK 1, PART А, 2011, pp. 118 – 134 Full text (Bg)
Author: Борян Янев
Affiliation: Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv
Abstract
This article discusses oxymoronic figurative comparisons (similes) consisting of a verb and an adjective as a base in two Indo-European languages sufficiently different in ontogenetic terms – Bulgarian and English. The left side of the comparison, the adjective marker, is a cultural universal, revealing the man as a standard object of study. The right side, the compared word (the ironic image, the figure of speech), is this particular semantic component that helps highlight the similarities as well as the subcultural specificities in both the English and the Bulgarian speakers presentation of those human physical and mental characteristics that have left their mark in the expressive (illogical) language practices.
Key words: ironic, figurative comparisons, Bulgarian, English, subcultural specificities, mental characteristics, physical characteristics
