VERBAL SYMBOL IN THE DICTIONARY: BETWEEN INTERPRETATION AND FIXATION OF MEANING
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Abstract
Introduction. The lexicographic representation of verbal symbols is one of the most complex issues in modern linguistics due to their cultural conditioning, contextual variability, and multilayered semantic structure. Verbal symbols do not possess a fixed denotative meaning and function as dynamic semantic units that accumulate culturally established interpretations. Their semantics is formed within cultural, historical, and textual contexts, which complicates their lexicographic fixation and raises the
question of the extent to which symbolic meanings can be represented in dictionaries.
The purpose. The study aims to identify the principles of lexicographic representation of symbolic meanings and to distinguish approaches to their fixation in general explanatory dictionaries, dialect dictionaries, and specialized dictionaries of verbal symbols.
The methods. The research is based on semantic analysis, lexicographic description, and comparative analysis of dictionary sources, as well as the interpretation of theoretical approaches to symbol, metaphor, and allegory in linguistic studies.
Main results of the study. The analysis shows that symbolic meanings are rarely explicitly recorded in dictionaries. In general explanatory dictionaries, they are reduced to lexical or figurative meanings and are not distinguished as an independent semantic layer. Dialect dictionaries reveal symbolic meanings mainly through contextual and ethnocultural material, often implicitly. Specialized dictionaries of symbols provide more systematic and explicit representation of symbolic semantics. It is established that symbolic meaning is a multilayered structure consisting of dominant and peripheral components. Dominant meanings are culturally stabilized and widely recognized, while peripheral meanings are context-dependent and activated
only in specific textual situations. Symbolic semantics remains open and dynamic, being reconstructed through interaction with cultural knowledge and discourse.
Originality. The study differentiates principles of lexicographic representation of symbolic meaning across different dictionary types and interprets symbolic meaning as an autonomous but structurally integrated component of lexical semantics.
Conclusions and specific suggestions of the author. Lexicographic representation of symbolic meanings requires differentiation between types of dictionaries. General dictionaries should include only culturally stable symbolic meanings. Dialect dictionaries should account for contextual and ethnocultural data revealing implicit symbolism. Specialized dictionaries should provide a systematic description of symbolic structures, including dominant and peripheral meanings and their contextual realizations.
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