Keywords: symbol, allegory, metaphor, cognitive linguistics, textual code, semantics.
Abstract
In this article, we examine the semantic and linguistic nature of symbolic words. Since a comprehensive investigation of this extensive subject cannot be fully conducted within the limits of a single article, certain restrictions have been applied. We have examined symbolic words in fiction, paying close attention to the semantic-functional field of these words. The selection of source material was carried out according to the principle of diachronicity, drawing from texts spanning the 5th to the 20th centuries, including translated literature, thereby demonstrating that symbolic words remain stable even within the field of translation. We have investigated symbolic words in spiritual, artistic, and scientific texts, endeavoring to illustrate the semantic layers of these words and, at times, their transformation into concepts such as freedom, rebellion, defiance, light, night, and others.
We have also addressed certain aspects of teaching these words, particularly project-based learning at the high school level. We place considerable importance on project-based learning, especially in Armenian language classes, as it encourages students to conduct independent academic research, present it to an audience, and produce genuine scholarly value, since these outcomes are the fruits of the students' own independent inquiry.
Novelty
In this article, we have attempted to study the word within its semantic field, demonstrating its transformation into symbols within literary texts. The study of various strata of vocabulary is of both scientific interest and practical significance. Linguists have addressed these questions at different times, including V. Arakelyan in Outlines of the History of the Armenian Literary Language (5th Century), P. Meytikhanyan in Onomastics of the Bible (Transliteration, Orthography), and A. Abajyan, N. Dilbaryan, A. Yuzbashyan, and S. Karapetyan in the study Grabar (Old Armenian) as a Source for the Enrichment of Modern Eastern Armenian Vocabulary and Term Formation. The novelty of our research lies in identifying symbolic words within literature, attempting to trace the path by which a word from the common lexical stratum transforms into a symbol, as well as addressing the methodology of teaching these words at the high school level, emphasizing their role in the process of shaping human linguistic thought.
Conclusion
Having examined certain characteristics of the semantic fields of words, we arrived at the following conclusions:
- The semantic fields of words are diverse and multifaceted; their use in fiction is deeply individual and conditioned by the psychological characteristics of the writer, as clearly seen in such authorial expressions as "sweet night" versus "merciless and dark night."
- Symbols differ from Symbolism: the latter pertains to the field of literary studies, whereas symbols reveal ever-new dimensions of the semantic fields of words employed in literature and art to express — and at times to conceal — the emotional and inner experiences of their creator.
- Symbolic words are created within the framework of a specific literary work; they pertain exclusively to the semantic field and cannot be distinguished within the vocabulary of a language as a stable stratum.
- We propose that semantics be taught through project-based work. Projects develop students' creative and investigative competencies.
Цель «ГИТАСТГ» — обновление и максимально эффективное использование научно-исследовательского и научно-образовательного потенциала через интеграцию лучшего государственного опыта и его приведение в соответствие с международными стандартами.
