VERBALIZATION OF ‘ZRADA (BETRAYAL)’ CONCEPT IN YEVHENIYA KONONENKO’S EPONYMOUSLY-NAMED NOVEL(«ZRADA (ZRADA, MADE IN UKRAINE)»)

Abstract

The concept ‘betrayal’ is a key one in the Ukrainian linguistics, so the ways of its verbalization by different authors are among main interests to linguists. The artistic discourse includes the notions that are not elucidated but remain in the subtext and, as a consequence, are verbalized descriptively with the help of periphrases and synonymous substitutions. Therefore, observation of the concept representation in the discourse of an individual author is relevant for linguistic studies nowadays.

The object of the research is Yevheniya Kononenko’s novel “Zrada (Zrada, Made in Ukraine)”, which was published in 2002. The name of the mentioned concept does not only nominate but permeates the entire work.

The purpose of the article is to reveal the means of ‘betrayal’ concept representation in the novel’s discourse, present the author’s vision and find out semantic structure of the concept.

It has been found that in the novel the concept ‘betrayal’ has the following semantic manifestations: treason; betrayal of mother or father, betrayal of mother’s memory, betrayal of family; betrayal of comrades; treachery; apostasy; adultery; intentional violation of the Hippocratic oath etc. The writer focuses most on adultery, although the medical neglect (betrayal of profession) caused the worst consequences and resulted in human death.

The author tries to search for the essence of betrayal, claims that it is non-observance of the sacrum, adopted by a certain society, and states the betrayal to be as terrible sin as murder. The writer assures that even “a change in the social and cultural paradigm" will never affect the negative attitude of the society to betrayal and betrayers.

To complete the reproduction of the concept’s semantic component, the concepts in oppositional and associative relations with ‘betrayal’ one have been defined. Among the associative concepts there are such as ‘murder’, ‘sin’, ‘revenge’, ‘deception’, ‘freedom’ while the concepts of ‘fidelity’ and ‘innocence’ are among opposite ones.