METAPHORICAL MOTIVATION OF THE GERMAN FISH NAMINGS

Abstract

This article deals with the cognitive-onomasiological analysis of the German fish namings based on the metaphorical motivation type. This type of motivation is characterized by the choice of motivators with metaphorical status on the basis of analogy with the other conceptual spheres. The mechanism of metaphors enables defining such types of metaphor motivation as structural-metaphorical, diffuse-metaphorical and gestalt ones. Within the scope of the German nomenclature fish namings the most widespread is the gestalt type that uses signs from other concepts in fish namings on the basis of visual, auditory, tactic and taste similarities. Metaphorical component is a part of onomasiological structures. The components of this sphere are motivators taken from other subject spheres that become source domains. The German fish namings relate to the target domains and their motivators refer to the source domains. The main source domains to provide fish namings are the following: HUMAN BEINGS, OTHER ANIMALS, ARTIFACTS. The source domain HUMAN BEINGS encompasses human body parts, movements and positions in space. Metaphorical motivators of the German ichthyonyms are the human somatic features associated with the appearance similarities between the fish bodies and the human bodies. The source domain for the German fish namings are other animals, such as mammals, birds, insects. The source domain OTHER ANIMALS gives its namings to the German fish naming structure on the basis of visual gestalts. Artifacts as hand-made objects are also used as source domains in the process of ichthyonyms namings. In general the base for the process of metaphorization in their namings within the onomasiological structures of the German nomenclature fish namings is the resemblance of visual gestalts connected to the appearance likeness of fish body parts with a certain artifact on the basis of their forms.