THE PECULIARITIES OF THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR “GEFÄNGNIS IS SAKRALE SPHÄRE” IN MODERN GERMAN LITERARY AND PUBLICISTIC DISCOURSES

Abstract

The article deals with the selection of the conceptual metaphors, which represent the metaphorical model “GEFÄNGNIS is SAKRALE SPHÄRE” in modern German literary and publicistic discourses; the peculiarities of the functioning of the metaphorical model through their frame structure are analyzed; the role of the concept GEFÄNGNIS as the part of sacral area in the metaphorical concept sphere of the German ethnic community is determined. A detailed analysis of the system of conceptual metaphors, that are results of the projection of each correlative domain onto the target domain GEFÄNGNIS, makes it possible to investigate with which spheres of human life the concept GEFÄNGNIS correlates in the German ethnic community and which is its place among other concepts forming the conceptual sphere of the German ethnic community. According to the results of our previous studies of figurative research segment GEFÄNGNIS, the metaphorical range of the conceptual space GEFÄNGNIS is formed by the correlative domains, which are projected onto the concept GEFÄNGNIS. They help to interpret the concept GEFÄNGNIS and include 21 members that are conventionally assigned to 3 groups: person, natural phenomena and space. Due to the metaphorical modelling of the investigated concept, the anthropomorphic metaphor, which includes the conceptual metaphor “GEFÄNGNIS is SAKRALE SPHÄRE”, is the most productive and active. It is established that the structure of the m-model “GEFÄNGNIS is SAKRALE SPHÄRE” is formed by frames: “Emotional-volitional sphere of personality”, “Soul”, “Life/Entity/Existence”, “Grase”, “Paradise”, “Memories”, “Magic”, “Fate”, “Faith”, “Accolade” and “Hell”. The analysis of the metaphorical nominations, which make the conceptual metaphor “GEFÄNGNIS is SAKRALE SPHÄRE” objective, is stipulated by the fact that the sacred sphere includes everything that differs from commonplace notions, objects and phenomena. The investigation of the contextual meaning of the metaphorical nominations resulted in the possibility to track the stereotypy during the process of comprehension of prison by giving it the cognitive characteristics common for the sacred sphere. According to the analysis of the conceptual metaphors of the concept GEFÄNGNIS in modern German publicistic and literary discourses the notion of prison as the sacred phenomenon has several linguistic implementations. Most often the Germans compare their feelings, soul and life with prison. Particularly common is the identification of the emotional state of a person with prison.