S. M. Bogatova
Dostoevsky Omsk State University, Omsk, Russian Federation
Abstract:
The article deals with the problem of concepts description in their perceptual aspect. The concept of death in the works of James Joyce is studied from the standpoint of sensory and cultural linguistics. The purpose of the article is to describe the concept of DEATH in J. Joyce’s story “The Sisters” as it is presented though various perceptive modes or channels, to identify its conceptual features and how this concept is connected with other concepts crucial for the author.
The study is based on the contextual method, the component analysis method, the semantic-cognitive method.
To evoke the concept of death, James Joyce uses various modes of perception: visual, auditory, tactile, and intuitive (which is often referred to as the sixth sense). All of them emphasize the various peculiarities of this concept. The visual mode of perception turned out to be the most productive one and the conceptual features highlighted by using this channel are “dark”, “gray”, “faded”, “ineffective”, etc. Auditory, tactile and intuitive modes complement the image of death with such features as “quiet”, “persistent”, “strange”, “incomplete”, “relaxed”, “crazy”. The text of the story revealed examples where several perceptual modes are combined; these can be perceived as perceptual metaphors (synesthesia) and help establish connections with other key concepts.
It is concluded that the perceptual characteristics of the concept of death disclose such conceptual features as “faded”, “incomplete”, “ineffective”, “paralysed” and allow the author to establish the connection of this concept with other concepts significant for him: religion and Ireland. Joyce extrapolates these characteristics to the Irish people and their religion, implying that they both are in a state of paralysis and they are dying. The Catholic religion has lost its potency and authority, has “faded” and became “inefficacious” which will eventually lead to its death.
Keywords:
perception, concept, sensory linguistics, perception mode, synesthesia, death.
Paper submitted:
February 3, 2020
For citation:
Bogatova S. M. (2020). The linguistic sensorium of death in “The sisters” by James Joyce. The Science of Person: Humanitarian Researches, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 23–30. DOI: 10.17238/issn1998-5320.2020.14.2.4
