Abstract
One of the key issues of recent linguistic trends is to understand the interaction between language and culture, which can be well observed through the identification of cultural conceptualizations (Sharifian, 2011, 2017). This study explores and compares the basic cultural conceptualizations of tree, a concept which holds a universal symbolic status in human cognition, in Russian and Hungarian folk songs (e.g., Baranyiné Kóczy, 2018b), relying on approximately 800 + 600 texts presented in two Hungarian and Russian corpora of folksongs (Kireevsky, 1986). The study addresses the following questions: How is tree conceptualized in general in folk songs by the Hungarian vs. Russian folk cultural communities? Are specific conceptualizations attached to different tree-types in the two corpora? What similarities and differences of the underlying metaphors can be distinguished in these two systems of cultural conceptualizations? What specific conceptualizations are attached to various tree-species in these corpora? The study utilizes the methodological framework of Cultural Linguistics in that it identifies conceptual metaphors and metonymies in the texts and relates them to underlying cultural models. The research shows that, (a) Russian folk songs tend to employ various tree-types with distinct conceptualizations, whereas tree-species are less dominantly represented in the Hungarian folk songs; (b) the most frequent type of tree is дyб “oak” in Russian whereas rózsafa “rose-tree” in Hungarian; (c) despite some similar generic ideas behind cultural conceptualizations, their representations and the image schemas related to them can be quite different; (d) there are conceptualizations which are only present in either corpus. Overall, it is argued that the figurative uses of trees and parts of trees rely on cultural conceptualizations and are deeply embedded in the cognition of folk cultural communities.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The evidence for this is the German lexeme Buch, which “was used in the earliest times for the runes scratched on the twigs of a fruit tree (see Ger. reißen); hence it results from Tacitus (Germania, 10) that Buch (lit. “letter”) is connected with Old High German buohha “beech” (Kluge, 1891). Similarly, in Russian, Бýквa has an old Slavic root bōka «бyквa» (cf. Ger. Buch), which comes from бyк “beech” because originally beech was once used to make writing tablets (cf. бepecтяныe гpaмoты “birch bark letters”).
- 2.
According to the convention of Cultural Linguistics the “X as Y” format is used.
- 3.
Note that in Hungarian fa means both “tree” and “wood”.
- 4.
Aszú wine is a very sweet, topaz-colored wine that is produced in the Tokaj wine region in Hungary.
- 5.
Ilona Magyar is the name of a woman who is called for by girls when they need help, some regard her a mythological person.
- 6.
Józsa is a Hungarian family name.
- 7.
I.e. acacia trees.
- 8.
It can also be interpreted as’my sweetheart’.
- 9.
Kiskarácsony’Little Christmas’ is 1 January in the Hungarian folk traditions.
- 10.
’Trembling poplar’ is the literal translation of aspen in Hungarian, Lat. Populus tremula.
References
Afanasyev, A. N. (1957). Афанасьев А. Н. Народные русские сказки. В 3 т. Государственное Издательство Художественной литературы (Гослитиздат).
Afanasyev, A. N. (2008). Cлaвянcкaя мифoлoгия. ЭКCMO.
Altman, N. (1994). Sacred trees. Sierra Club Books.
Balassa I., & Ortutay, G. (1979). Hungarian ethnography and folklore. Corvina Kiadó.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2008). Orientációs metaforák a magyar népdalok természeti kezdőképeiben [Orientational metaphors in the nature imagery of Hungarian folksongs]. Magyar Nyelvőr, 132, 302–325.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2011a). Az erdő konceptualizációja a magyar népdalokban [The conceptualization of ‘forest’ in Hungarian folksongs]. Magyar Nyelv, 107, 318–325, 398–406.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2011b). Szövegtípus és deixis: A térdeixis funkciója a magyar népdalban [Text type and deixis: The function of spatial deixis in Hungarian folksongs]. Magyar Nyelvőr, 135, 36–47.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2011c). Az időjárás mint szemantikai összetevő a magyar népdalokban [Weather as a semantic element in Hungarian folksongs]. In P. Andrea. (Ed.), Félúton 6. A hatodik Félúton konferencia (2010) kiadványa. ELTE BTK Nyelvtudományi Doktori Iskola. http://linguistics.elte.hu/studies/fuk/fuk10/. Accessed 13 March 2016.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2014). The metaphorical potential of space in Hungarian folksongs. Studia Linguistica Hungarica, 29, 51–68.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2016). Reference point constructions in the meaning construal of Hungarian folksongs. Cognitive Linguistic Studies, 3(1), 113–133.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2017). Cultural conceptualizations of RIVER in Hungarian folksongs. In F. Sharifian (Ed.), Advances in cultural linguistics (pp. 223–245). Springer.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2018a). Cross-cultural variation of metaphors in Hungarian and Slovak folksongs. In J. Stolarek, & W. Jarosław (Eds.), Cross-cultural perspectives in literature and language (1st ed., pp. 106–136). Æ Academic Publishing.
Baranyiné Kóczy, J. (2018b). Nature, metaphor, culture: Cultural conceptualizations in Hungarian folksongs. Springer Nature.
Bloch, M. (2005). Why trees, too, are good to think with: Towards an anthropology of the meaning of life. In M. Bloch (Ed.), Essays on cultural transmission (pp. 21–38). Routledge.
Boldizsár, I. (2013). Shamanic elements in Hungarian folk tales—An excerpt from fairy tale therapy. Hungarian Review, 4(6). http://www.hungarianreview.com/article/20131128_shamanic_elements_in_hungarian_folk_tales_an_excerpt_from_fairy_tale_therapy
Borisova, L. V. (2014). Бopиcoвa Л.B. Кoнцeпт «дepeвo» кaк лингвoкyльтypный кoд. Rhema. Peмa, 1, 34–45.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2015, November 8). World tree. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/worldtree
Chandran, M. D., & Hughes, J. D. (1997). The sacred groves of South India: Ecology, traditional communities and religious change. Social Compass, 44(3), 413–427.
Chervinsky, P. P. (1989). Чepвинcкий П.П. Ceмaнтичecкий язык фoльклopнoй тpaдиции. Pocтoв: Pocтoвcк. гoc. yн-т.
Cosgrove, D., & Daniels, S. (1988). The Iconography of landscape: Essays on the symbolic representation, design and use of past environments. Cambridge University Press.
Donaldson, B. A. (1938). The wild rue: A study of Muhammadan magic and folklore in Iran. Luzac & Co.
Erdélyi, Z. (1961). Adatok a népköltészet szimbolikájához [Data to the symbolism of folk poetry]. Ethnographia, 72, 173–199, 405–429, 583–598.
Evernden, N. (1992). The social creation of nature. The John Hopkins University.
Frazer J. G. (1981). The golden bough: The roots of religion and folklore. Avenel Books.
Frese, P., & Gray, S. J. M. (1995). Trees. In M. Eliade (Ed.), The encyclopaedia of religion (Vol. 15, pp. 26–33). Macmillan Library Reference USA, Simon and Schuster and Macmillan.
Halbritter A. A., Horák R., Bognár E., Pauliczky N., & Mátyás I. B. (2021). Fenntarthatóságra nevelés hagyományőrzéssel az iskolakertekben [Sustainability combined cultural heritage education in school gardens]. In D. Cseresznyés & C. Király (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th Carpathian Basin conference for environmental sciences (pp. 129–133). Eötvös Loránd University.
Hughes J. D., Chandran M. D. S. (1998). Sacred groves around the earth: An overview. Conserving the sacred for biodiversity. In: P. S. Ramakrishnan, K. G. Saxena & U. M. Chandrashekara (Eds.), Conserving the sacred for biodiversity management (pp. 869–876). Oxford & IBH.
Jankovics, M. (1991). A fa mitológiája [The mythology of tree]. Csokonai Kiadóvállalat.
Kireevsky, P. V. (1986). Coбpaниe нapoдныx пeceн П. B. Киpeeвcкoгo. Tyлa: Пpиoкcкoe книжнoe изд-вo.
Kluge, F. (1891). Buch. In An etymological dictionary of the German language (J. F. Davis, Trans.). G. Bell.
Knight, D. B. (2006). Landscapes in music: Space, place, and time in the world’s great music. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Kövecses, Z. (2000). Metaphor and emotion: Language, culture, and body in human feeling. Cambridge University Press.
Kövecses, Z. (2002). Metaphor: A practical introduction. Oxford University Press.
Kövecses, Z. (2005). Metaphor in culture: Universality and variation. Cambridge University Press.
Kövecses, Z. (2015). Where metaphors come from: Reconsidering context in metaphor. Oxford University Press.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. The University of Chicago Press.
Lanczendorfer, Z. (2019). Népi ismeretek az oktató-nevelő munkában Kárpát-medencei gyűjtések alapján [Folk knowledge in teaching and educational work based on Carpathian Basin collections]. Széchenyi István University. https://efop343.sze.hu/downloadmanager/details/id/35462/m/14809
Letova, A. N. (2012). Лeтoвa A. H. Ceмaнтичecкиe ocoбeннocти фитoнимoв в pyccкoм фoльклope. Диccepтaция нa coиcкaниe yчeнoй cтeпeни кaндидaтa филoлoгичecкиx нayк. Mocквa.
Lükő, G. (1942/2001). A magyar lélek formái [The shapes of the Hungarian soul]. Táton.
MacCulloch, J. A. (1911). The religion of the ancient Celts. T&T Clark.
Noble, R. R. (1975). The tree symbol in Islam. Studies in Comparative Religions, 20, 164–182.
Ortutay, G., & Katona, I. (Eds.). (1975). Magyar népdalok I–II. [Hungarian folksongs I–II]. Szépirodalmi Kiadó.
Perdibon, A. (2019). Mountains and trees, rivers and springs: Animistic beliefs and practices in ancient Mesopotamian religion. Harrassowitz Verlag. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvsn3mmc
Philpot, J. H. (1897). The sacred tree or the tree in religion and myth. McMillan & Co.
Platonov, O. A. (2013). Плaтoнoв O. A. Pyccкий нapoд. Этнoгpaфичecкaя энциклoпeдия в 2-x тoмax. Инcтитyт pyccкoй цивилизaции.
Rival, L. (Ed.). (1998). The social life of trees: Anthropological perspectives on tree symbolism. Berg Publishers.
Sebők, É. (1978). Világjárók 121. Gondolat.
Sharifian, F. (2003). On cultural conceptualisations. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 3(3), 187–207.
Sharifian, F. (2011). Cultural conceptualisations and language: theoretical framework and applications. John Benjamins.
Sharifian, F. (2017). Cultural linguistics. John Benjamins.
Sharifian, F., Dirven, R., Yu, N., & Niemeier, S. (Eds.). (2008). Culture, body, and language: Conceptualizations of internal body organs across cultures and languages. Mouton de Gruyter.
Sinha, B. C. (1979). Tree worship in ancient India. Books Today.
Strauss, C., & Quinn, N. (1997). Cultural models in language and thought. Cambridge University Press.
Szelid, V. (2007). Szerelem és erkölcs a moldvai déli csángó nyelvhasználatban. Kognitív szemantikai elemzés [Love and morality in the Moldavian Southern Csango dialect. Cognitive semantic analysis] (Doctoral dissertation). Eötvös Loránd University.
van Ooijen, E. (2019). Making mythopoeic meaning out of plants. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 6(1), 1687256. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2019.1687256
Yu, N. (2001). What does our face mean to us? Pragmatics & Cognition, 9(1), 1–36.
Yu, N. (2003). Metaphor, body, and culture: The chinese understanding of gallbladder and courage. Metaphor and Symbol, 18(1), 13–31.
Zarcone, T. (2005). The myth of the mandrake, the ‘plant-human.’ Diogenes, 52(3), 115–129.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hamsovszki, J., Kóczy, J.B. (2022). Cultural Conceptualisations of TREE: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Hungarian and Russian Folksongs. In: Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, B., Trojszczak, M. (eds) Concepts, Discourses, and Translations. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96099-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96099-5_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-96098-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-96099-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)