PSYCHOLOGICAL AMBIVALENCE AND SEMANTIC SPECIFICITY OF FLORONYM DANDELION / КУЛЬБАБА IN ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN LINGUOCULTURES

Abstract

Psychological component in the semantics of the floronym (a flower name) кульбаба / dandelion is revitalized through a range of phraseologisms in the English and Ukrainian languages, manifesting the cultural specificity of the peoples who created this vivid imagery through its figurative meaning embodied in idiomatic phrases. The given work focuses on the semantic peculiarity of the analyzed floronym in the contrasted languages. The semantics of the contrasted floronym has certain ambivalence and contradictory interpretation, especially in the Ukrainian linguoculture. Floronym кульбаба / dandelion has the inherent seme «lightness» in both phraseologies. In the Ukrainian language solely, the analysed floronym can be associated with sparse hair, carelessness, insanity and pregnancy out of wedlock. Though, in the Ukrainian culture floronym кульбаба apart from pejorative, has vivid meliorative associations with the stars. In the English speaking world floronym dandelion is associated with the time and childhood memories.