SEMIOTIC NATURE OF FOLK TALE DISCOURSE

Abstract

The article reviews existing approaches to folk tale discourse study defining it either in terms of process or result or their interaction. As a linguo-semiotic phenomenon folk tale discourse comprises folk texts of related genres (folk tales, legends, nursery tales, historical and local tales) which are united by the common category of fabulousness (skazochnost’) with the miraculous as its central component and accumulate mythological beliefs shared by society in the system of verbal and nonverbal signs. Mythological configurations are transformed in folk tale discourse into specific folk tale signs – folk tale images functioning as folk tale names, events and expressions. Interactions of folk tale discourse with other discourse types bring out clearly its semiotic nature.

Keywords

• discourse
• folk tale discourse
• text
• genre
• semiotics
• sign