Beverages in Croatian and Russian pro-verbs

Popović, Marija. (2018). Beverages in Croatian and Russian pro-verbs. PhD Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Croatian Language and Literature.
(Poslijediplomski doktorski studij hrvatske kulture) [mentor Fink Arsovski, Željka and Botica, Stipe].

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Abstract

The subject of our research is Russian and Croatian proverbs containing the names of some drinks. We could describe the proverbs as short sayings by an unknown author expressing accumulated collective experiences. Numerous attempts to define proverbs were recorded. They are starting to be studied more intensively in Europe since the late 18th century and the beginning of the XIX century, in the period of romance which in proverbs sees the reflection of national identity. For the purposes of research, the material which consists of two corpses is collected: the corps of the Russian and the corps of Croatian proverbs. Their representative part is shown in the semantic analysis. During the analysis, we limited the research on certain beverages that are characteristic for Russian and Croatian culture. Our aim is to establish in the example of two Slavic languages, the similarities and differences in the importance and symbolism of drinks which, due to their frequent use in everyday life, represent an important element of culture and have a significant symbolic value. Contrastive analysis of drinks on the semantic level, common to the Russian and Croatian corps, will reveal common characteristics, specificities related to the particular culture which we will try to describe and explain. The main source for gathering the material of the Russian Corps is the Collection of proverbs Большой словарь русских пословиц (Dictionary of Russian Proverbs) (2010) by the author V. Mokienko, T. Nikitina and E. Nikolaeva with about 70.000 units which exceeds by number of previously published collections. It also contains a total of 179 motifs words according to which the proverbs are arranged. Along with each of the proverb, there is a list of sources from which they are printed, and some are accompanied by the interpretation of lesser-known words. The present collections of proverbs in Russian language followed either an alphabetical or a thematic principle, as is the case with one of the most prominent collection of proverbs Пословици русского народа (Proverbs of the Russian People) by V. Dalj. The Croatian corpus was composed on the basis of several minor collections. Collection with the largest number of units (14 926) Kad ti kuća gori, a ti se ogrij (When your house is burning, warm up) (2007), we owe to the public teacher and proverbs collector, Bartul Matijaca (1859‒1934), and it was edited and prepared for printing by Stipe Botica. The proverbs are arranged in alphabetical order, and at the end there is a dictionary of motif words and a dictionary of lesser known words that facilitate their study. In addition, we have found proverbs for corpus in the following collections: P. R. Vitezović Priricsnik aliti Razliko Mudroszti Cvitje (1703), Gj. Daničić Poslovice (Proverbs) (1871), V. Scarpa Hrvatske narodne poslovice (Croatian National Proverbs) (1909), J. Kekez Poslovice, zagonetke i govornički oblici (Proverbs, Riddles and Speech Forms) (1996), M. Ujević Narodne poslovice (National Proverbs) (2011) etc. Electronic sources such as the Google search engine, the Croatian National Corps, the Croatian Language Treasury, the Croatian Language Portal, the Russian search engine (slovari.ru), which contains about twenty different dictionaries, were sources for the meaning of certain proverbs. For some proverbs, however, we did not find any meaning. Proverbs with various drinks ranging from traditional (Braga, Beer, Kvass) to contemporary (Champagne, Coffee) entered into the Russian corps, while in Croatian collections of proverbs we found mostly proverbs mentioning Wine and Rakija (fruit brandy popular in Croatia). The common drink that is present in both cultures is wine. As we have assumed, specific are those proverbs that are historically or culturally related to a particular culture. The dissertation consists of the presentation of various small genres and the relation of proverbs as a small genre with respect to others, for example aphorism. The cultural representation of the meaning and use of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Russia and Croatia is given. The following is a semantic analysis of proverbs that mention alcoholic beverages, wine and then non-alcoholic beverages. The proverbs with lexemes of wine are treated in a special chapter, because it is about a beverage that is present in the proverbs of both cultures. A separate chapter deals with proverbs containing more drinks in its composition. At the end of the work, a brief overview of the structure of the proverb is provided. In the first chapter you will find basic knowledge of the proverb on the basis of current research. The proverb is defined as a species describing its characteristics and is placed in relationship with other small genres such as phrasems, aphorisms, sentences, catchwords, which together with the proverb make miniatures, microstructures or traditional literary minimalist genres. Along with the proverb, the selected small genres (phrasem, aphorism, sentence and idiom) are also defined, their features are exhibited and various theories related to these genres are presented. The proverb is therefore defined in relation to its related forms, taking into account its interpretation in two cultures: Croatian and Russian. The second chapter includes a historical review of the use of alcoholic beverages mentioned in proverbs. We could share them on drinks from the Russian cultural circle (honey brandy, brace, Braga, kvass, beer, vodka) and Croatian tradition (rakija). Particular attention is paid to cultural information on the preparation and consumption of beverages, the occasions of consumption, the consequences that are manifested to the health or even the character of the consumers. The collected information was used to better understand the lesser-known proverbs in which the stated beverages are mentioned. The third chapter is more extensive than the other parts of the work, because proverbs with lexemes vino and вино ('wine') are the most numerous in the Croatian and Russian corps. Wine is also the only beverage that appears in both corpses. This chapter presents the symbolism of wine, its ritual significance and its role in ancient cultures. The development of wine growing on the territory of in Croatia and Russia as well as the role of wine in both cultures is highlighted. This chapter also includes an exhaustive historical review of the use of wines from ancient cultures (Egypt, Greece and Rome). Along with the historical development of vine growing in Croatia and Russia, the role of wine in Croatian and Russian culture is also mentioned. The fourth chapter is devoted to non-alcoholic drinks - tea and coffee, which are only mentioned in Russian proverbs. It is about foods imported to Russia, so it is interesting to follow the process of their acceptance in different social classes as well as the history of using tea and coffee. Tea is today a favorite beverage in Russia, and coffee is becoming more popular. The fifth chapter is devoted to an analysis of proverbs with alcoholic beverages. We started with the analysis of alcoholic beverages with a lower percentage of alcohol (kvass, Braga, and beer), followed by analysis of alcoholic beverages with a higher percentage of alcohol (vodka and brandy). The proverbs with the vino (wine) component in both languages are the only ones that are subjected to a contrastive analysis because they represent the only common element that links the collected paremiological corpus of both languages and are dealt with in chapter six. The seventh chapter analyzes proverbs with soft drinks, tea and coffee. This chapter is related to proverbs from the Russian Corps. The following is the eighth chapter that is related to the analyses of the proverbs with more drinks in its composition. The ninth chapter gives a brief overview of the proverb structure from the two corps. The work ends with a conclusion, a list of professional and scientific literature, and two attachments. This work could serve students in studying Russian language and culture, and to paremiologies for the purpose of further research of proverbs. It could be useful to translators and text authors of the Russian language.

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