Absurd and Paradoxical Proverbs in Tuvan: Ontological and Logical Aspects of the Categorization of Proverbial Semantics

Introduction. The article deals with absurd and paradoxical proverbs resulting from the categorization of proverbial semantics according to the criterion of ‘relation to reality’ in the ontological or logical aspects. Goals. The study aims to identify quantitative and qualitative features of ontolog...

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Main Author: Evgeny E. Ivanov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Российской академии наук, Калмыцкий научный центр 2022-12-01
Series:Oriental Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://kigiran.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/4056
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author Evgeny E. Ivanov
author_facet Evgeny E. Ivanov
author_sort Evgeny E. Ivanov
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. The article deals with absurd and paradoxical proverbs resulting from the categorization of proverbial semantics according to the criterion of ‘relation to reality’ in the ontological or logical aspects. Goals. The study aims to identify quantitative and qualitative features of ontological and logical contradictions to reality traced in semantics of Tuvan proverbs. Materials and methods. The work analyzes a total of 770 Tuvan proverbs contained in Tuvan Proverbs and Sayings (1966), Proverbs and Sayings of the Tuvan People (2020), and other sources. The publication employs the author’s methodology for semantics categorization of aphoristic units and their differentiation into semantic types according to the criterion of ‘relation to reality’. Results. The article reveals that one in eight Tuvan proverbs literally (in the direct sense) contradict the existing order of things in the world. The ontological nature of a contradiction to reality in a proverb is implemented via the semantics of the absurd, which is motivated by a situational or verbal context, and it is impossible to interpret the literal content of the proverb — from the viewpoint of logical (rational) thinking — being unaware of that very context. The logical nature of the contradiction to reality in the proverb is implemented via the semantics of the paradox, which can be motivated epistemologically, semantically or formally, and logically. Only one structural part of a proverb can be contrary to reality, and this part always dominates in terms of general content. The Tuvan proverbs that contradict reality are distinguished by the presence of absurdity semantics in one of their structural parts, and that of paradox in the other one. Conclusions. An unexpectedly large number of absurd and paradoxical proverbs in the Tuvan proverb corpus attests to that it is reality’s perception and comprehension — based on the ontological and/or logical contradictions to objective reality — that take a significant place in the Tuvan view of the world.
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spelling doaj.art-5d792d410a614731b58f70dd2db859be2023-02-07T13:02:56ZengРоссийской академии наук, Калмыцкий научный центрOriental Studies2619-09902619-10082022-12-011561373138810.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1373-1388Absurd and Paradoxical Proverbs in Tuvan: Ontological and Logical Aspects of the Categorization of Proverbial SemanticsEvgeny E. Ivanov0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6451-8111RUDN University Introduction. The article deals with absurd and paradoxical proverbs resulting from the categorization of proverbial semantics according to the criterion of ‘relation to reality’ in the ontological or logical aspects. Goals. The study aims to identify quantitative and qualitative features of ontological and logical contradictions to reality traced in semantics of Tuvan proverbs. Materials and methods. The work analyzes a total of 770 Tuvan proverbs contained in Tuvan Proverbs and Sayings (1966), Proverbs and Sayings of the Tuvan People (2020), and other sources. The publication employs the author’s methodology for semantics categorization of aphoristic units and their differentiation into semantic types according to the criterion of ‘relation to reality’. Results. The article reveals that one in eight Tuvan proverbs literally (in the direct sense) contradict the existing order of things in the world. The ontological nature of a contradiction to reality in a proverb is implemented via the semantics of the absurd, which is motivated by a situational or verbal context, and it is impossible to interpret the literal content of the proverb — from the viewpoint of logical (rational) thinking — being unaware of that very context. The logical nature of the contradiction to reality in the proverb is implemented via the semantics of the paradox, which can be motivated epistemologically, semantically or formally, and logically. Only one structural part of a proverb can be contrary to reality, and this part always dominates in terms of general content. The Tuvan proverbs that contradict reality are distinguished by the presence of absurdity semantics in one of their structural parts, and that of paradox in the other one. Conclusions. An unexpectedly large number of absurd and paradoxical proverbs in the Tuvan proverb corpus attests to that it is reality’s perception and comprehension — based on the ontological and/or logical contradictions to objective reality — that take a significant place in the Tuvan view of the world.http://kigiran.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/4056tuvan languagetuvan folkloreproverbproverbial semanticscategorizationrelation to realityontological aspectlogical aspectabsurdparadox
spellingShingle Evgeny E. Ivanov
Absurd and Paradoxical Proverbs in Tuvan: Ontological and Logical Aspects of the Categorization of Proverbial Semantics
Oriental Studies
tuvan language
tuvan folklore
proverb
proverbial semantics
categorization
relation to reality
ontological aspect
logical aspect
absurd
paradox
title Absurd and Paradoxical Proverbs in Tuvan: Ontological and Logical Aspects of the Categorization of Proverbial Semantics
title_full Absurd and Paradoxical Proverbs in Tuvan: Ontological and Logical Aspects of the Categorization of Proverbial Semantics
title_fullStr Absurd and Paradoxical Proverbs in Tuvan: Ontological and Logical Aspects of the Categorization of Proverbial Semantics
title_full_unstemmed Absurd and Paradoxical Proverbs in Tuvan: Ontological and Logical Aspects of the Categorization of Proverbial Semantics
title_short Absurd and Paradoxical Proverbs in Tuvan: Ontological and Logical Aspects of the Categorization of Proverbial Semantics
title_sort absurd and paradoxical proverbs in tuvan ontological and logical aspects of the categorization of proverbial semantics
topic tuvan language
tuvan folklore
proverb
proverbial semantics
categorization
relation to reality
ontological aspect
logical aspect
absurd
paradox
url http://kigiran.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/4056
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