Vanasõnad loomade identiteedist (Tüpoloogilisi memuaare)

Abstract

The article focuses on some problems concerning the typology and taxonomy of animal proverbs. The term 'animal proverbs' denotes proverbs containing names of zoological creatures used in metaphorical or literal meaning.The article begins with a theoretical approach to the clarity/vagueness (discreteness/continuativity) of proverb typology and the phenomenon of "type thickets" on the basis of W. Anderson's law of folkloric feedback. Then follows a general discussion on animal proverbs: presenting source material, pointing out the main problems that have been caught the interest of paremiologists so far, such as 1) the frequency of animals in proverbs and 2) the repertoire structure of animal proverbs. Animal proverbs as a research subject has been divided in the following semantical-rhetorical categories: A. Proverbs concerning animal identity. B. Proverbs concerning the relationship between people and animals (usually in metaphorical meaning). C. Proverbs concerning the relationships between (metaphorical, as a rule) animals . D. Proverbs concerning the relation of animals (either metaphorical or non-metaphorical) towards non-zoological nature and dimensions. The article provides a brief characterisation of stereotypes belonging to the latter three categories under discussion. Follows a more detailed overview of material belonging to category A, i.e. proverbs concerning the problem of specific identity of animals, or to be more exact, two subcategories determined by the topics and statements of the literal level of meaning: 1) The animal retains its specific identity ~ it will not ~ cannot be turned into another animal; 2) Son -- parent relationship, transmitting of special characteristics from parents to their offspring. A few examples of groups extracted from subcategory 1:Quasi-autologies:'Animal X is X ~ remains an X'All representatives of species X are identical, similar, alike, there is no significant difference between themAnimal X behaves as animal X ~ persists in its behaviour ~ its nature ~ its character will not change Animal retains the somatic features of its species (incl. fur, colour) ~ these cannot be eliminated ~ changed Animal X retains its characteristic way of moving, motor responses, etc. Animal X retains its characteristic way of making sounds ~ has to make sounds ~ ... All representatives of species X make similar sounds ~ Animal X always and everywhere makes the same soundAll synonyms of notion X have the same meaning ~ all subcategories of species X are identical X is X, be it a large or a small individual X is X, be it of any colour X is X, be it a young or an old individual X is X, be it a male or a female individual The article concludes with a brief outline of other subcategories of identity group, including the sc. zoo-hybrids and zo-absurdities. The point of the article is that nowhere has the author encountered a typological maze so continuative as the "identity category" (category A) of animal proverbs and proverbial expressions.