Metaphor in Lithuanian folk songs

Tyrimo objektas – lietuvių liaudies dainų metafora, jos pagrindiniai tipai, raiška ir sklaida tekste. Darbo tikslas – metaforos klasifikacijos sudarymas, šios klasifikacijos principų taikymas konkrečių tekstų analizei, metaforos vidinės sandaros, perkėlimo motyvacijos, metaforos susidarymo prielaidų ir sąsajų su liaudies pasaulėžiūra analizė. Tyrimo metodas – struktūrinis–semantinis. Straipsnyje pateikiama galima metaforų klasifikacija, kurios kriterijumi pasirenkamas kalbinis veiksnys – sintaksinė metaforos sandara. Pagal šį kriterijų išskiriamos trys stambios metaforų grupės: metaforiniai epitetai, veiksmažodinės metaforos ir išplėtotos metaforos. Dar smulkesnio skirstymo kriterijumi pasirenkamas metaforos suformulėjimo, sustabarėjimo lygmuo ir išskiriami metaforiniai epitetai, metaforinės apozicijos, atviros metaforos, metaforos–formulės ir t. t. Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos tipiškiausios metaforų rūšys, mėginama atskleisti jų meninį lygį, susidarymo eigą.The article presents a classification of Lithuanian folk songs, according to two criteria, namely, the syntactical one and the level of originality vs. petrifaction of metaphor. According to the syntactical criterion (presence or absence of the predicate), three large blocks of metaphors are separated: the metaphorical epithet (i.e., the metaphor on the level of one word or lexical combination without predicate); the verbal metaphor (i.e., metaphor on the level of one or several sentences, with one or several predicates included); and the expanded metaphor (i.e., the metaphor encompassing several sentences, strophes or even the whole song). According to the level of petrifaction, each of these big metaphor groups split into several subgroups, e.g. verbal metaphors can be further divided into original open metaphors and metaphoric formulas. Since Lithuanian folklore research abounds in studies on epithet, this article only touches upon one its formulaic variety – namely, the metaphorical appositions. Whenever young person is described, the vegetal appositions dominate, thus emphasizing the common feature of youth and flower or herb – its beauty. The appositions used to describe elderly people tend to emphasize emotional relationship, therefore such ones as "motinėlė širdelė" "mother dear heart" "tėvelis širdelė" "father dear heart" are mostly used. Of the verbal metaphors, the metaphoric formulas and the open metaphors are dealt with in the article. The metaphoric formulas most frequently occur in war and historical folk songs, their abundance and variety proving again the assertion that along with one of the basic principles of folk poetics (namely, formularization), the power of improvisation was also very strong. The open metaphors can i n their turn be divided into several branches as well. The first branch consists of metaphors, in which one member describes a relative, another – some attribute of war. In this case no semantic link is formed between the metaphor members, thus emphasizing the loneliness of the solder and the atrocities of war. The second branch, mostly occurring in the orphans' songs, consists of metaphors, in which one member describes a relative, another – celestial bodies. The semantic link between these members can be traced down using the broad context of Lithuanian folklore, as parallels between humans and celestial bodies are especially prominent here. The third branch of the open metaphors is closely connected to the symbolism of songs, presenting certain sum of the symbolical imagery. As an example of expanded metaphor, the one describing bad luck, misfortune is discussed in the article. This poetical means comprises elements of metaphor, allegory, and personification, because bad luck / misfortune ("vargas, dalia") is described in the song not as an abstract concept, or by enumerating specific hardships of life; instead, a metaphorical, fantastic picture is created: woman's sorrows grow up like a plant, or run at her side as some nameless creature. In Lithuanian folk songs, metaphors are not very frequent poetical means, yet they are especially many-sided, characterized by complicated inner structure and difficult to classify. They are connected to the traditional world view, reflecting stages of its developmen