The Use of Connotations with a Specific Subject Meaning on the
Example of the Lexeme «Dog»
Maria V. Suntsova
Kaluga State University Named After K. E. Tsiolkovski, Kaluga, Russia
Keywords: Language, Word, Connotation, Denotative Meaning, Connotative Meaning.
Abstract: The names of animals are associated with history, ethnography and thinking of people, since the outer world
and its internal interpretation are the factors that give rise to the linguistic picture of the world of any national
language, as far as the natural environment is also an important part of the linguistic picture of the outer world.
Consequently, the study of the connotation of the word "dog" is of interest in both nominative and
communicative respects, as it has additional meanings. When determining the meaning of a word, a certain
notion is used. At the same time a word can have a different meaning, which has nothing to do with the
scientific definition. In particular, it can not only denote a phenomenon or thing, but also serves as an
evaluative notion; helps a person express his feelings or his attitude to the surrounding reality. Given all of
this, national features of society and of a particular individual, emotiveness, evaluative component,
expression, social status of a group or individual play an important role.
1 INTRODUCTION
The image of a dog in modern Russian culture is
perceived in two ways. On the one hand, the lexeme
«dog» has a positive connotation: «dog’s loyalty», «a
dog is a friend of man». Moreover, there is a common
Russian phraseological unit « zazhivaet kak na sobake
», meaning that an injury or wound heals very
quickly, without any complications. The derivative
verb « nasobachit'sya » also has a positive
connotation with the meaning «to get the hang of
something, to get used to something». But on the
other hand, the dog personifies meanness, difficulty
and unbearable situation («life of a dog», « holod
sobachij» in the meaning of «freezing cold»).
2 MATERIALS AND METODS
There has been carried out a comparative analysis of
the word "dog" in comparison with the dictionary
meanings of the Big Academic Dictionary, the
Explanatory Dictionary, as well as the data of the
information and reference system - National Corpus
of the Russian Language.
1.1 Problem Statement
Taking into consideration the widespread
phenomenon of connotation in various fields of
scientific knowledge, it is unthinkable to speak about
the lexical meaning of a word without its additional
meanings; therefore it is necessary to study
phraseological units with the meaning «dog» in order
to understand which properties of the lexeme are
relevant for the speaker of a particular language
1.2 Research Questions
To compare the direct meaning of the lexeme «dog»
and to characterize its connotative meaning?
To exemplify by the lexeme «dog» why certain
peoples have formed worldview positions associated
with this lexeme?
1.3 Purpose of the Study
As a rule, when forming the so-called active-type
dictionaries, scientific information is not used,
therefore it is so important to exemplify not only the
direct meaning of the word "dog", but to explain the
connotative one.
Suntsova, M.
The Use of Connotations With a Specific Subject Meaning on the Example of the Lexeme Â
´
nDogÂ
˙
z.
DOI: 10.5220/0011609100003577
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Actual Issues of Linguistics, Linguodidactics and Intercultural Communication (TLLIC 2022), pages 173-175
ISBN: 978-989-758-655-2
Copyright
c
2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
173
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In different cultures dog was perceived differently, it
had different functions in the mythological system. In
every culture the image of the dog was not
unambiguous. Our culture has been influenced by
both Eastern and Western cultures. In the East the
mythological role of dog was embodied in both
positive and negative images. In particular, according
to Chinese folk legends, it follows that dog
personifies more than one symbol. First of all, a dog
can symbolize the spirit of an ancestor, a famous folk
hero, as well as a being that connects several
dimensions; very often a dog is a constant companion
of a personage; sometimes a dog can even represent a
negative monster.
Let's turn to European culture. Ancient Greek
culture is considered to be the source and fundament
of Western culture. Homer’s works the «Iliad» and
«Odyssey» are the most recognized monuments of
ancient Greek culture. In his work «The Deciphered
Iliad» Lev Klein claims that dog was one of the
animal species that was assigned a corpse-eating role.
In the «Iliad» there are repeated descriptions of the
death of a person followed by the process of eating
remains by dogs (Klein, 2014)
In those times it did not make dogs a dirty animal,
on the contrary, it put them above the rest, since
people tried to protect themselves from infection and
this way of burial was believed to be normal. The
dead bodies of the poor were eaten by public dogs,
whereas wealthy citizens raised personal dogs for this
occasion. The process of eating remains by dogs was
replaced by burning the bodies but the situation when
the dead bodies were torn apart by dogs was not
believed to be normal anymore and was described as
a disgrace to a man. Consequently, there was a re-
consideration of the significance of dog in the cultural
paradigm in ancient Greece. If we turn to J. Cooper's
«Encyclopedia of Symbols», we will find out that the
significance of this animal in different cultures is very
different (Cooper, 1995)
For a Russian person, the most relevant
associations are those of Christian and ancient Greece
culture - the cradle of European culture. According to
J. Cooper, among Christians dog signifies
«allegiance, devotion, fidelity». In the role of a flock
guardian dog personifies «the Good Shepherd,
bishop, or preacher».
It should be noted that apparently it refers to
Catholics. There was a different attitude towards dogs
in ancient Greece: in the Greek language the word
«dog» was refered to a derogatory term supposing
arrogance and adulation. Thus, the controversial
attitude towards dog finds confirmation in various
sources; this fact is also confirmed by the scientists
who studied them.
Now we will consider the modern times semantic
content of the words denoting dogs. Let's start with
the fact that all the words denoting a given animal,
including the most neutral ones - mutt, dog, puppy, as
well as female dog, male dog - can be used as a
metaphor with a negative connotation in relation to a
person: firstly, dog (figuratively) - with some
disregard for a person who is unduly eager for
protecting the interests of someone, serving someone,
something; secondly, about an evil, cruel, bad person
and so on ( Ozhegov, 1993). Dog – firstly, it is about
a person who provokes indignation, who deserves to
be despised for his behavior, actions; secondly, it is a
swear word; thirdly, a watchdog, a service dog, etc.;
fourthly, it is about a person who zealously serves the
reactionary forces of society, etc. Puppy (colloquial)
- about a young, inexperienced person. Male
(colloquial, abusive) - about a healthy, lascivious
man. Female dog (colloquial) is used as a swear word
(usually in relation to a woman). The word mongrel
has a neutral meaning: a small dog, usually a non-
pedigree dog. (Big encyclopedic dictionary, 1998,
1999, 2002)
Nevertherless, it is the Russian word «shavka»
(mongrel) that serves as a reason why zoorealists use
the Russian slang words «shavlo, shavkal»
(mongrel+jackal) and «shanus» (a combination of the
names of two famous stray dogs Shanya and Bonus)
when naming stray dogs. Really huge sums of money
were raised for their treatment. As a result, the word
«shanus» began to be used to refer to the collective
image of stray non-pedigree dogs, found by
volunteers; the dogs the money is raised for. This
word has negative and disdainful connotative
meaning.
Those who advocate for euthanizing or any other
way of getting rid of these creatures use a big number
of specific lexemes and phrases when speaking about
dogs: «BS» (stray dogs), «blohovoz» (a compound
word formed from the combination carries fleas, the
semantics - dirty and contagious), «mehovoy
chesanism» (a modified sentry mechanism, semantics
- the presence of diseases, parasites, contagiousness),
«blochozavr» (a compound word, a modified
dinosaur and fleas), «sobanya» (sarcastically). The
existing words in the language are not bypassed by
the attention of zoorealists, for a example, the word
«kabyzdoh» for denoting a domestic dog, referring it
to a pitiable, unsightly animal, mainly a dog or a
horse.
TLLIC 2022 - I INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "ACTUAL ISSUES OF LINGUISTICS, LINGUODIDACTICS AND
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On the other hand, radical animal rights activists
have different names for the same animal. There are
not so many of them and they are most likely
connected with the desire to alleviate the negative
effect from the words naming the dogs; we found that
it is clearly present in the semantics of these lexemes
when working with the material from dictionaries.
For example, these are the words «pesel, sobaken»
which refer to aggressive dogs: only yesterday I saw
someone's or nobody's dog running around, an
absolutely calm. «sobaken». Very often the words for
naming people can be used for naming dogs: child
(puppy), boy, girl, baby, guy.
There are really hot discussions on the Internet
about who is right in their attitude to stray (and
domestic) dogs; the language of the opinions is quite
expressive. It is not difficult to determine the position
of this or that author. For example, this
advertisement:
Timokha is looking for the parents. The puppy is
6 months old. Very affectionate and obedient baby.
Doesn't damage anything at home. It will be a real
beauty when it is grown up. Treated against
parasites. Learning to walk ouside. Even now
displays protective qualities. Would suit a flat or a
private house (not on a chain). The baby is waiting
for his mum and dad. Get yourself a plush friend and
you won't regret it! (National corpus of the Russian
language, 2021).
As can be seen in the above example of the
advertisement, the dog is named by the lexeme
peculiar for naming a person (baby). The prospective
owners are expected to become the parents (looking
for the parents). Special attention is given to the
beauty of the animal (it will be a real beauty when it
is grown up, to its cleanliness and safety and even
usefulness (doesn't damage, treated against parasites,
protective qualities). The dog is given a human name
Timokha; it is attributed some human qualities
(affectionate and obedient). Finally, it turns to be a
lovely toy (plush friend).
In contrast to this position, the author of the
following example draws our attention to the other
side of these creatures and their supporters; thereby,
he uses different vocabulary:
It will be a good idea for «zoobaby» (animal
rights activists) to take all the «shavki» (mongrels)
home and not to shift the responsibility for «shavlo»
(mongrel+jackal) to the people around. Why do they
demand to build shelters AT OUR EXPENSE for
keeping the dogs for life, whereas there are people
who are in need of this money more than dogs? Or
probably there are no problems in medicine, the level
of life, pensions? иях? It is a kind of cancer. It is a
pity that this cancer is not «sterilized» in order to
prevent further reproduction.
P.S. If a dog is outside not wearing a muzzle,
without a leash or an owner – you have the right to
kill it for self-defense, because it is an wild animal
that tried to attack you, am I right? (National corpus
of the Russian language, 2021.)
Here the dogs are named by the words with
negative connotation (shavki, shavlo). The radical
animal rights activists are also judged negatively
(zoobaby). The given position can be explained by the
fact that ideological enemies equate man with animal.
The author notes the tendency of the opponents to
anthropomorphise animals. Special attention is given
to the danger to others; the author emphasizes that an
animal is not a part of the society (wild) and it is
dangerous for people (tried to attack you). Here we
can speak about a tactic to humiliate, diminish the
status of the opponent. The author also uses a tactic
«friend-foe», when he is together with the readers (at
our expense).
4 CONCLUSIONS
Thus, the value worldview in the language is
reconstructed in the form of interrelated value
judgments, correlated with legal, religious, moral
codes, commonly approved judgments of common
sense, typical folklore and famous literary plots. The
system of moral values and ethical norms of the
conflicting parties differ radically, in the linguistic
expression it is focused on the meaning of the lexeme
«dog» (Tripolskaya, 1999).
REFERENCES
Big encyclopedic dictionary, 1999. Great Russian
Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. p. 617.
Big encyclopedic dictionary, 1998. Linguistics. p. 1117.
Big encyclopedic dictionary: philosophy, sociology,
religion, esotericism, political economy, 2002. p. 911.
Klein, L., 2014. Deciphered "Iliad". p. 574.
National corpus of the Russian language, 2021.
http://www.ruscorpora.ru/new/index.html
Cooper, J., 1995. Encyclopedia of symbols. Series
"Symbols". Book IV. Association for Spiritual Unity
"Golden Age". p. 401.
Ozhegov, S. I., Shvedova, N. Yu., 1993. Explanatory
dictionary of the Russian language: 80,000 words and
phraseological expressions. 4nd ed. Higher school.
Tripolskaya, T. A., 1999. Emotive-evaluative discourse:
cognitive and pragmatic aspects / T. A. Tripolskaya. -
Novosibirsk: Publishing house of NGPU. р. 166.
The Use of Connotations With a Specific Subject Meaning on the Example of the Lexeme Â
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