TRADITIONAL NOTIONS OF A DECENTLY / INDECENTLY DRESSED PERSON IN THE PERM DIALECT VOCABULARY

• Main Author: Юлия Владимировна Зверева (Julia V. Zvereva)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Perm State University 2017-10-01
• Series: Vestnik Permskogo universiteta: Rossijskaâ i zarubežnaâ filologiâ
• Subjects: пермские говоры; тематическая группа; наименования одежды; наименования человека; оценочная лексика.
• Online Access: http://press.psu.ru/index.php/philology/article/view/107

The article discusses the dialectal linguistic units of the thematic group “clothing”, as well as the de­signations of a person in terms of his or her appearance. These lexical units make it possible to identify the traditional ideas of the Perm region citizens as to what is acceptable and unacceptable in appearance. Within the dialectal worldview, the names of old clothes are contrasted with those of new ones, excessively loose clothes – with tight-fitting, dirty – with clean, traditional – with modern. In the dialects, there is a considerable number of lexical units denoting old, worn-out clothes. They often have a negative connotation since such clothes are of low value to peasants. Designations of people derived from the names of old clothes always have a negative connotation. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the dialect speakers believe people in untidy clothes lead an antisocial way of life. Too large and loose clothing are also negatively perceived. This attitude is due not only to aesthetics, but also to utilitarian reasons: people feel it uncomfortable to work in baggy clothes. Semantic derivatives which negatively characterize the person are also formed from the names of baggy clothes. Unreasonably short and tight clothing, which gradually comes into use in the second half of the 20th century, is also negatively evaluated. Elderly villagers thought such clothing to be not only indecent but also uncomfortable.