Metaphorization of Regionalisms as Regional Identity Realization

Svetlana Pitina

, Svetlana Pesina

, Anna Taskaeva

3 c

and Elena Kharchenko

4 d

Chelyabinsk State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Magnitogorsk State Technical University Named After G.I. Nosov, Magnitogorsk, Russia

South Ural State Institute of Arts Named After P.I. Tchaikovsky, Chelyabinsk State University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

South Ural State University (National Research University), Chelyabinsk, Russia

Keywords: Regionalism, Metaphor, Official Regionalism, Unofficial Regionalism.

Abstract: The aim of the article is to study metaphorical regionalism of Chelyabinsk region as an important marker of

the local picture of the world and regional identity manifestation. The authors argue that regionalisms formed

by metaphorical transformations of the word meaning reflect unique characteristics of regional lexicon. The

integral approach to research regionalisms is justified as it includes cognitive, sociolinguistic, language and

cultural methods of analyzing empirical material retrieved by continuous sampling and the survey of the 250

residents of Chelyabinsk region. The reasons of regionalisms appearance and the main types of metaphorical

regionalisms have been outlined. Regionalisms under study include official and unofficial place names and

minor place names as well as official commercial names. This relevant research is a part of the work of

Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk linguists targeted at compiling Russian-English dictionary of regional words

and word combinations.

1 INTRODUCTION

The present paper is targeted at studying metaphorical

regionalisms of Chelyabinsk region as markers of

regional identity. Regional identity is understood as a

part of collective identity (Paxman, 1999; Storry &

Childs, 2001; Fox, 2005). M. Storry and P. Childs

argue that «identities are the names we give to the

different ways we all are placed by, and place

ourselves within, our culture” (Storry & Childs,

2001). We agree with A. E. Murzin (Murzin, 2016)

that regional identity forms and reflects the attitude of

the residents to themselves and reality. It is revealed

in the existing regional type of people, values,

mentality. We should add that the formation and

functioning of regiolect should be viewed as a special

type of the national language possessing important

markers of regional identity and providing unique

material for studying national and cultural

peculiarities of a certain territory as it clearly

manifests the difference of one regiolect from

another. Regiolect is realized on all language levels,

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lexicon being the most evident illustration of its

specific characteristics. Regional lexemes are marked

as colloquial or local words or not included in

dictionaries. The authors of this paper use the term

‘regionalism’ after T. Yu. Zagryazkina (Zagryazkina,

1995) and I. S. Zvarykina (Zvarykina, 2013) because

we suppose that it reflects unique words and word

combinations of a certain region. However,

representatives of Perm sociolinguistic school and

some other linguists prefer to use the term ‘localism’

(Erofeeva, 2020; Popov, 2019), etc. We shall mention

only a few of the numerous works analyzing

regionalisms. Local words of Perm region are

analyzed in the work by T. I. Erofeeva and S. V.

Shustova (Erofeeva & Shustova, 2020). Unofficial

names of Yekaterinburg are researched by E. N.

Klimenko and T. V. Popova (Klimenko & Popova,

2012). Urban localisms in regional speech of

Severodvinsk are viewed by R. V. Popov (Popov,

2019). Productive models of urban unofficial place

names and colloquial micro-urban place names are

viewed by I. N. Potanakhina (Potanakhina, 2008).

196

Taskaeva, A., Pitina, S., Pesina, S. and Kharchenko, E.

Metaphorization of Regionalisms as Regional Identity Realization.

DOI: 10.5220/0011636900003577

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Actual Issues of Linguistics, Linguodidactics and Intercultural Communication (TLLIC 2022), pages 196-200

ISBN: 978-989-758-655-2

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Works by M. V. Golomidova (Golomidova, 2012), I.

V. Kryukova (Kryukova, 2017), O. S. Issers (Issers,

2017) are aimed at the analysis of local naming. M.

A. Borodina differentiates between narrow and broad

regionalisms. If narrow regionalisms are used only on

the concrete territory, broad regional words and word

combinations can be found in several regions

(Borodina, 1982).

There are still many aspects of regional words

study that are open to discussion. One of such

constituents of regiolect is connected with

metaphorical regionalisms which we consider a

bright marker of national identity.

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

The research is aimed at studying metaphorical

regionalisms as a part of Chelyabinsk region

regiolect. The tasks of the research include:

1. Study of historical and cultural reasons of

regionalisms formation in general and

metaphorical regionalisms in particular.

2. Classification of metaphorical regionalisms.

3. Analysis of the universal and specific

characteristics of metaphorical regionalisms.

Metaphorical regionalisms as a constituent of

regiolect are analyzed in the paper from the point of

view of cognitive, sociolinguistic and language and

cultural methods which form an integral approach to

their study. Cognitive method is used to reveal

cognitive mechanisms of transonimization and

metaphorization, it helps reveal regionalism

understanding on the level of consciousness of the

region residents. Sociolinguistic approach clarifies

the distribution of the studied regionalisms among

various social groups taking into account age and

occupational parameters, while language and cultural

method actualizes national and cultural peculiarities

of the regional picture of the world on the example of

Chelyabinsk region. About 350 metaphorical

regionalisms have been analyzed in the paper.

Material has been retrieved from official websites of

Chelyabinsk region official and unofficial place

names and minor place names by the method of

continuous sampling and 250 answers to a survey

conducted in May 2022.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The hypothesis that metaphorical regionalisms are

unique markers of regional identity is to be confirmed

in this paper. The reasons of regionalisms appearance

in regiolect include:

1. Multicultural environment of the region with

the population of 3,442,810 (URL:

http://www.statdata.ru/naselenie/chelyabinsko

j-oblasti). The region is represented by about

40 ethnic groups (Figure 1), the largest being

Russians (82.31%), Tatars (5.69%), Bashkirs

(4.62%), Ukranians (2.14%) (URL:

http://worldgeo.ru/russia/lists/?id=33&code=7

4).

2. Dialectal and sociolectal influence on

regionalisms.

3. Areal contacts and interaction due to the

favorable geographical position on the territory

of the two continents, Europe and Asia.

4. Migration processes from other Russian

regions, post-Soviet space and Asian countries

targeted at job search, family reunion, etc.

Figure 1: Ethnic groups of Chelyabinsk region.

Metaphorical regionalisms are characterized, on

the one hand, by universal tendencies of

metaphorization based upon the image character of

metaphor in general. On the other hand, metaphorical

regionalisms are unique, creative, recognized mainly

by the local residents, subjective, ambivalent in

perception and duration (they can be short or long

lived, can sometimes transfer from unofficial to

official), reflect the principle of language economy.

The analysis of empirical material has shown that

metaphorical regionalisms are most productive in

official minor place names, unofficial place names

and minor place names.

Unofficial metaphorical place names include

numerous associative nominations of Chelyabinsk:

Chicago, Chicaginsk to indicate the high level of

crime in the city on the analogy with the American

city. Metaphors Che, city Che are ambiguous because

they denote both initial abbreviation and danger

(compare with the precedent word combination chas

Russians

Tatars

Bashkirs

Ukranians

Others

Metaphorization of Regionalisms as Regional Identity Realization

197

che – time of concentration before danger). Another

negatively colored metaphorical folk name of

Chelyabinsk is Cherdachinsk formed from the noun

attic plus place naming suffix –sk. The only positively

connoted unofficial metaphorical name of the city is

Tankograd – city of tanks that was created to stress

the importance of the city in producing tanks for the

army during the Great Patriotic War. Unfortunately,

the survey results show that only 34.8 % of the region

residents know the meaning of this metaphor. It

should be mentioned that the name Tankograd is

known mainly to the respondents of the age group of

36-45 years old (24.3%) and 46-60 years old (9.5%).

This commemorative metaphor is mentioned only by

10% of students. Personified metaphorical name

Surovy is mentioned by over 50 % of respondents.

The second position in the number of

metaphorical unofficial place names is occupied by

Snezhinsk, one of the closed towns of the region.

Such towns were called shokoladniki – associated

with chocolate consumption as a symbol of prosperity

due to the better level of life and better supplies. The

official name of the place is also metaphorical and

rather poetic specifying the severe climate of the Ural

winter. Derivational metaphors from this official

place name are less positively connoted: Sneg – snow,

Sugrobinsk – snowdrift plus place naming suffix –sk.

Unofficial metaphorical place names with negative

connotations include Miaso – meat for Miass and

Kapetsk, Kapets – finish, failure used as vernacular

names of Kopeisk. Kopeisk is rich in unofficial

metaphorical names including an ironical association

with Copenhagen – Kopeiskgagen. Metaphorical

meaning is preserved in the abbreviated place name

Kamysh – reed instead of Starokamyshinsk. Zlat –

golden is a positively connoted unofficial place name

of Zlatoust. We failed to find the explanation of the

metaphorical folk name Grachi, Grachiha – rooks,

rook for Kasli, although the Bashkir name of the town

is also metaphorical denoting ‘goose lake’, not ‘rook

lake’. Official place names of Turkic origin are often

metaphorical, being associated with features of

landscape, animals, birds, but the majority of region

residents are not aware of their etymology.

Clearly motivated official metaphorical

godonyms started to appear on the region map not

long time ago introducing fresh and creative minor

place names into the repetitive and ideological lists of

godonyms. There are metaphorical godonyms with

names of trees, bushes, fruit, berries that are typical

of the region, but some regional godonyms are

seldom or never found in the area: Elochnaja – fir,

Berezovaja – birch, Malinovaja – raspberry, Akatsij –

acacia, Vishnevaja – cherry, Lugovaja – meadow and

very exotic Palmovaja – palm, Abrikosovaja –

apricot, Vinogradnyj – grape lane. There are

numerous metaphorical godonyms with names of

minerals found in the Urals or unusual for the area

minerals and precious stones:

Khrustalnaja – crystal,

Mramornyj – marble lane, Zhemchuzhnaja – pearl,

Boksitovaja – bauxite, Korundovaja – corundum;

Izumrudnaya – emerald, etc.

Minor place names of the region also contribute

to metaphorical naming. City or town parts bear

unofficial emotionally marked metaphorical names:

Topory – axes, Muhomory – fly agaric, Muraveinik –

ant hill, Kirsaraj – brick barn are negatively

connoted, although Kirsaraj is the place that got its

name from the main occupation of the people who

lived near the river and made bricks. Precedent

metaphorical name Tri topolia – 3 poplars is

associated with the three blocks of flats on the

outskirts of Chelyabinsk, Topolinka is named after

the former poplar valley, regionalism Teply – warm is

used instead of Thermotechnical institute, the place

and city traffic stop Grezy – sweet dreams got its

name from the former shop.

Local space is often metaphorically named and

renamed taking into account the type, form, material

and number of the buildings. In Snezhinsk, there is a

place Tri porosenka – 3 piglets named after the three

lonely buildings. When the big solitary construction

was built opposite these three houses, it was

immediately named Seryj Volk – grey wolf on the

analogy with the well-known fairytale heroes. Color

associations can also be a source of metaphorical

naming of buildings: Morkovkin raj – carrot’s

paradise, Chernyj kogot’ – black claw. The form of

the building is another type of metaphorical

renaming: Shkatulka – casket is used for the Theater

of young spectators, Bashnia – tower is used to

denote the building, district and shop, Pentagon is a

folk name of a huge pentagonal block of flats,

Kitaiskaja stena – the Great Wall of China is the name

of the row of buildings in Snezhinsk. Stekliashka is a

frequent substitution of the shop and even a study

room in Chelyabinsk State University. Kishka –

intestine is the folk metaphor to denote a shop.

Official minor place names are often metaphorical

and creative. Fruits and vegetables, jewelry,

precedent names and expressions are used in

ergonyms: Apelsin –orange, Perchik – pepper, Almaz

– diamond. Zoomorphous metaphors form another

type of ergonyms: Sytyj Kabanchik – well fed little

boar,

Belaja loshad’ – white horse, Slon – elephant

are a few of the dozens of such names.

The nicknames of regional sport teams are also

often metaphorical. Tractor hockey team has several

TLLIC 2022 - I INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "ACTUAL ISSUES OF LINGUISTICS, LINGUODIDACTICS AND

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nicknames: at the beginning it was Traktoristy –

tractor drivers, then the emblem was changed by the

unknown Swiss designer for the team to take part in

prestigious tournaments abroad and became Medved’

– bear, a savage bear with the stains of blood and a

broken hockey stick in the mouth. After some time

the emblem was specified and at present the team is

named Belye medvedi – polar bears. Associations are

strange as there are no polar bears in the region.

Tankisty is a less frequently used nickname of the

team. However, all three metaphorical names are

widely used and well known. Chelyabinsk women

hockey team has analogous nickname Belye

medveditsy. Magnitogorsk hockey club Metallurg has

an unprepossessing nickname Selo which is rarely

used. More positively connoted regional names of the

team are Lisy – foxes, Zheleziaki – chunks of steel,

Stalevary – smelters, Magnitka. The last three

metaphorical names are connected with the city and

are the markers of regional identity.

Metaphorization of regionalisms is conditioned

by external and internal reasons, the former are

realized in the regionalisms which appeared as the

result of language contacts providing the mixed

character of regional toponymic lists, preserving

Turkic metaphorical place names in the regiolect.

Other tendencies of metaphorization include the

tendency to create original official, unofficial place

names and minor place names. Limited functioning

of many creative unofficial metaphorical names

makes them markers of regional identity, specifying

and differentiating regional lexicon from other

regiolects. Language economy principle is reflected

in metaphorical shortening of the analyzed place

names and minor place names. There appear a vast

number of metaphorical regionalisms representing

various types of metaphors. Metaphorical

regionalisms are always expressive reflecting the

subjective perception of the local space.

The results of the research open a number of

questions to be further studied and solved in the

aspect of creation and functioning of metaphorical

regionalisms, namely in the perspective study of

metaphorical commercial nomination.

4 CONCLUSIONS

It has been established that metaphorical regionalisms

form several groups, including official and unofficial

words and word combinations. There is a tendency to

form more metaphorical unofficial names of the large

cities than of the towns of Chelyabinsk region.

However, some towns, such as Snezhinsk and

Kopeisk, have several metaphorical nomonations,

while many towns have no metaphorical folk names.

Unofficial metaphorical names can be either long-

lived or short-lived depending on the creativity of the

name and its popularity among the residents (compare

a half a century old Severok – little North to denote a

large North-Western district of Chelyabinsk forming

two official Kalinin and Kurchatov districts with

rarely used Topory or nearly forgotten Kirsaraj).

Metaphorization of regionalisms is a constant

process, realizing uniqueness of regional identity,

providing a rich source of illustrative material for the

planned English-Russian, Russian-English dictionary

of Chelyabinsk region regionalisms. We suppose that

metaphorical regionalisms are to be discussed and

analyzed in many age and occupational groups,

especially in schools and higher educational

establishments as a part of regional identity formation

and perception, preservation of historical heritage.

AUTHORS’ CONTRIBUTIONS

S. Pitina and A. Taskaeva performed the research; E.

Kharchenko contributed to the analysis of the results;

S. Pesina designed and directed the project. All

authors discussed the results and contributed to the

final manuscript.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To the financial support of the grant of the Russian

Scientific Fund and Chelyabinsk Region, project №

22-18-20022, https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-20022/.

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INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION"

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