THE USE OF ZOONYMS AS EMOTIONALLY-ATTITUDINAL UNITS
FOR THE PEOPLE’S DESCRIPTION IN AFRO-AMERICAN CULTURE
(based on the novel «Sula» by T. Morrison)
The amount of linguistic research, dedicated to the study of lexical units based on the names of animal world’s representatives, grows every year. One of the reasons for this particular interest lies in the lack of sufficient theoretical base which could enable scientists to systematize the necessary cultural and sociolinguistic data. Researchers consider animals’ names in searching for the cultural code of a definite ethnic group, as well as pointing out specifics of the figurative component of thematic groups included in zoonyms. This approach allows them to examine those additional meanings that a certain lexical unit acquires within the stated national culture. The consideration of the corresponding units in the context of African-American writers’ works is of great interest within the originality of the plots themselves, as well as the folkloristic and mythological background found in the majority of the constructions with the zoonym element. The novel «Sula» by an outstanding writer Tony Morrison is one of these works. The writer’s texts are based on unique cultural and historical experience of African-Americans, specifics of their self-knowledge with an inherent belief in magic and myth. This article examines the termbase used for the analysis of zoonymocontaining lexical units. The most frequent nominations used for the evaluation of human characteristics and actions are demonstrated and described on the basis of the selected examples. Three categories of nomination (age, behavior, appearance) are considered in greater detail. The author of the article makes a conclusion about the frequency of the constructions with negative, neutral and positive connotations within the stated groups, as well as their usage for the description of a person's preferred and criticized qualities.