2749
.pdfScientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
works of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, Fichte, and Lossky formed the second layer of the portrait of the concept we have examined.
The third layer of our portrait arose from an analysis of how the Bible and the teachings of the Christian Church use the concept of "sin.” Initially, it is defined in relation to
God's Law which found its embodiment in the Decalogue and the Sermon on the Mount. According to the teaching of the Christian Church, there is no sin in God, and He is not responsible for the sins of humanity, because in the course of their lives, people, whom God created free, sin voluntarily, having already inherited original sin from their ancestors Adam and Eve. Both Christian confessions - Catholicism and Orthodoxy - have classifications defining the concept of "sin." These are the so-called "Seven Deadly Sins" by Gregory the Great and the four components of the concept of sin in Orthodox anthropology. Forming the fourth layer , the definition of the concept of sin in Buddhism, within the framework of the idea of karma, gives our portrait new tones. In Buddhism, there is a kind of Buddhist decalogue, which includes ten non-virtuous deeds, the overcoming of which promises a person the achievement of nirvana. Because of this, the Buddhist seeks to break the chain of rebirths to end earthly suffering.
The fifth layer in the portrait appeared relatively recently: a definition of the concept of "sin" in psychology. Sin is seen here as inescapable, such as the “shadow” that follows the person everywhere (C.G. Jung), or as a kind of pressure on the part of society with its religious and moral attitudes (S. Freud, A. Adler). The sixth, "lexicographic" layer gives an idea of the development of the concept of "sin" through the centuries in two different religions (Christianity and Buddhism), in three cultures, and in three languages. If in the West this concept has both a vertical (sacred) and a horizontal (secular) dimension, in the East it develops only horizontally.
What is sin? This question refers to those eternal questions, to which a person seeks answers throughout his earthly life. The initial, universal image of the concept "ГРЕХ.SÜNDE." is a unique text, which contains information about pagan, philosophical, theological, scientific, and linguistic views on this subject from representatives of three cultures. The concept we have analyzed is not only a source of knowledge about one's own culture and foreign cultures, but can also serve as a central concept in interreligious dialogue.
References
[1]Shaposhnikova I.V. Dlja chego nam nuzhny koncepty i konceptosfery? (Razmyshlenija o filogeneze mirovozzrenija i vozmozhnostjah ego issledovanija) / I.V. Shaposhnikova // Vestnik Novosibirskogo gos. un-ta. Serija: Lingvistika i mezhkul'turnaja kommunikacija. – 2007. – Tom 5. – Vyp. 2. – S. 103-117.
[2]Fomina Z.E. Meteorologicheskie poslovichnye primety s imenem svjatogo v nemeckom lingvokul'turnom soobshhestve/ Z.E. Fomina // Nauchnyj vestnik Voronezhskogo gosudarstvennogo arhitekturno-stroitel'nogo universiteta. Ser. Sovremennye lingvisticheskie i metodiko-didakticheskie issledovanija. – 2015. – vyp. 2 (26). – S. 129–146.
[3]Fomina Z.E. Chelovek, prostranstvo i kul'tura v zerkale russkih paremij/ Z.E. Fomina // Nauchnyj vestnik Voronezhskogo gosudarstvennogo arhitekturno-stroitel'nogo universiteta. Ser. Sovremennye lingvisticheskie i metodiko-didakticheskie issledovanija. – 2016. – vyp. 2 (30). – S. 42–59.
[4]Stepanenko V.A. Slovo / Logos / Imja – imena – koncept – slova: sravnitel'notipologicheskij analiz koncepta «Dusha. Seele. Soul» (na materiale russkogo, nemeckogo i anglijskogo jazykov): monografija / V.A. Stepanenko. ‒ Irkutsk, 2006. ‒ 312 s. 2
[5]Tajlor Je. B. Pervobytnaja kul'tura / Je. B. Tajlor. – M.: Politizdat, 1989. – 573 s.
[6]Frjezer D.D. Zolotaja vetv': Issledovanija magii i religii / D.D. Frjezer. – M.: Politizdat, 1986. – 703 s.
24
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
[7]Levi-Stross K. Sobranie sochinenij: v 4 tt. T. 3: Proishozhdenie zastol'nyh obychaev / K. Levi-Stross. ‒ M.: SPb.: Universitetskaja kniga, 2000. – 461 s.
[8]Platon. Pir / Platon // Izbrannye dialogi. – M.: Jeksmo, 2015. – S. 430-491.
[9]Aristotel'. Sobr. soch.: v 4 tt. T. 4. / Aristotel'. ‒ M.: Mysl', 1983. – 830 s.
[10]Novaja filosofskaja jenciklopedija onlajn, URL: http://platona.net/board/novaja_filosofskaja_ehnciklopedija/grekh/3-1-0-1491 (data obrashhenija: 09.05.2017).
[11]Losskij V.O. Bog i mirovoe zlo / V.O. Losskij. – Moskva: Izd-vo «Respublika», 1994. – 436 s.
[12]Koneva E.B. Anglojazychnye sredstva vyrazhenija korejskoj statusnoj vezhlivosti (na primere pis'mennoj rechi) // Vestnik Burjatskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. –2008. – №11. – S. 79-85.
[13]Bol'shoj biblejskij slovar' / pod red. U.Jelujella i F. Kamforta. ‒ SPb.: «Biblija dlja vseh», 2012. ‒ 1503 s.
[14]Grudem U. Sistematicheskoe bogoslovie: vvedenie v biblejskoe uchenie / U.
Grudem. ‒ SPb.: Mirt, 2004. ‒ 1453 s.
[15]Bogoslovskaja antropologija. Russko-pravoslavnyj / rimsko-katolicheskij slovar' / pod. nauch. red. prot. Andreja Lorgusa, B. Shtubenrauha. – M.: Palomnik; Nikeja, 2013. – 736 s.
[16]Kasevich V.B. Buddizm. Kartina mira. Jazyk. /V.B. Kasevich. ‒ SPb: Centr «Peterburgskoe Vostokovedenie», 1996. ‒ 288 s.
[17]Artaev S.N. Buddizm i kommunikativnoe povedenie kalmykov (na primere religioznogo ponjatija «greh») // Sovremennye problemy nauki i obrazovanija. – 2014. –№ 6. – S. 1277.
[18]Jung K.G. Analiz Snovidenij. Seminary (osen' 1928 g. - leto 1929 g.) / K.G. Jung. ‒ M.: Klub Kastalija, 2014. ‒ 304 s.
[19]Frejd Z. Nedovol'stvo kul'turoj / Z. Frejd. ‒ Har'kov: Folio, 2013. ‒ 224 s.
[20]Adler A. Motiv k vlasti / Adler A. // Nauka zhit'. Kiev: Port-Royal, 1997. – S. 235-
241.
Analysed sources
[1*] Konfucij. «Lun' juj» / Per. L.S. Perelomova. ‒ M.: Vostochnaja literatura RAN, 2001. ‒ 588 s. – URL: https://royallib.com/book/konfutsiy/lun_yuy.html (data obrashhenija: 18.09.2017).
[2*] Biblija Onlajn: Russkij sinodal'nyj perevod, URL: https: //www .bibleonline .ru/ bible/ rus/ (data obrashhenija: 18.09.2017).
Dictionaries used
[1**] Fasmer M. Jetimologicheskij slovar' russkogo jazyka: v 4 t.t. T. 1 (A–D) / pod red. B.A. Larina. – M.: Progress, 1986. – 576 s.
[2**] Ozhegov S.I. Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka: 80 000 slov i frazeologicheskih vyrazhenij / S.I. Ozhegov, N.Ju. Shvedova. – M.: Azbukovnik, 1999. – 944 s.
[3**] Efremova T.F. Novyj slovar' russkogo jazyka: tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel'nyj: v 2 t.t. T. 1: A-O / T.F. Efremova. – Moskva: Russkij jazyk, 2000. – 1210 s.
[4**] Köbler G. Deutsches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, URL: http://www.koeblergerhard.de/derwbhin.html (data obrashhenija: 15.10.2017).
[5**] DUDEN. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Bd. 7. – Mannheim [etc.]: Dudenverlag, 1989. – 839 S.
[6**] „Sünde“ auf Duden online, URL: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Suende
(Abrufda-tum: 21.10.2017).
25
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
[7**] (Slovar' kitajskogo jazyka), URL: http://www.zdic.net/ (data obrashhenija: 18.09.2017).
[8**] Chinese Etymology, URL: http://www.chineseetymology.org/ (data obrashhenija: 05.05.2017).
[9**] (Slovar' sovremennogo kitajskogo jazyka). – Pekin: ,
2014.
26
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
UDC 811.153:81`373.6
THE CULTURAL CONFLICT BETWEEN THE “CITY” AND “SUBURBS”:
DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIFESTYLE IN AMERICA (on thе basis of contemporary American phraseologisms)
E. Singlеterry
____________________________________________________________________________
Interpreter-linguist, New-York, USA Elena Singlеterry
e-mail: elenafsingleterry@gmail.com
__________________________________________________________________________
Statement of the problem. The American phraseologisms containing the key lexemes city and suburb that serve as verbal explicators of the American mentality, culture, and various types of American lifestyle are analyzed. Results. The analysis of the American phraseologisms that describe the city-suburb paradigm has revealed a certain contraposition of two of the three main types of residential areas and lifestyles in the US: the suburban and urban (city). Due to such factors as the specificity of how the territory of the US is divided into various types of residential areas and the history of the country, this contraposition goes far beyond the frame of the universal cultural conflict between the city and provincial (non-city) areas and lifestyles and uncovers the specificities of the dominant models of how the lives of the Americans are organized. As a result, it also uncovers the related to them characteristics that describe city dwellers and the suburbanites, including their mentality, view and perception of the world, as well as the lifestyle they give preference to. Conclusion. The American phraseologisms that had formed within the cultural and geographic paradigm of the United States are, to a certain extend, a “key” to understanding culture, mentality and the way of life of the American people. Considering the fact that most Americans live not in an urban (city) America but in the suburbs (a relative equivalent of the Russian cottage towns), the analysis of relevant phraseologisms, certain important statistics, as well as the author’s personal observations has allowed to conclude the following: most Americans view the city lifestyle as the kind that does not correlate with the dominant formula of the “residential” aspect of the American dream (a private house, a lawn, and a backyard). In turn, many of the city dwellers perceive the suburban way of life as the kind that limits the possibilities of a modern individual, especially when it comes to his or her cultural and intellectual space.
Key words: American phraseologisms, city, suburbs, city lifestyle, suburban lifestyle, city dwellers, suburbanites, private house, lawn, backyard, car dependency, privacy, American dream, walking lifestyle, cultural diversity.
For citation: Singlеterry E. The cultural conflict between the “city” and “suburbs”: different types of lifestyle in america / E. Singlеterry // Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-didactic Researches”. –
2017. – № 4 (19). – P. 2744.
Introduction.
Language, culture, and national mentality are all inseparably connected to one another.
“Each and every specificity of the way of life of the specific nation (such as natural conditions, geographical location, historical development, the social makeup of the country, trends in public thought, science, and art) are always reflected in the nation’s language” [1]. Therefore, each language carries in itself a certain national-and-cultural code of the people; when deciphering this code, we learn about the nation itself, its mentality, the country’s spirit [2].
In the context of the linguistical approach to learning about a country and its people, phraseologisms (linguistic expressions) are of a special interest to us, because they do not just name objects and phenomena, but also evaluate, appraise them, thus allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of the nation’s mentality. Among other things, the analysis of phraseologisms makes it possible to understand how the specific nation views various lifestyles.
___________________
© Singlеterry E., 2017
27
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
In the context of our research we are interested in American phraseologisms as the means by which American people express their view of/ attitude toward the following:
а) the two main types of lifestyle: urban (city) and suburban;
b) the ways of life in various types of American localities (cities and suburbs);
с) the attitude of the residents of these types of localities towards the residents of the “opposite” type of locality (urban dwellers and suburbanites.
It is important to note that the research of this problem in both the linguistics and culturology contexts has not at all been extensive. At the same time, as our research has shown, by the second half of the 20th century, by the time when the three main types of localities (suburb, city, rural area) had formed (as well as the three main lifestyles, suburban, urban, and rural), a significant number of phraseologisms (linguistic expressions) related to the aforementioned types of localities and lifestyles came into existence. In our opinion, these expressions present a very interesting field for a research. Besides, we consider the research pertaining to this problem to be very important in the task of understanding the mentality, spirit of the US, and ways of life of its people.
We should note that the phenomenon of a “special” attitude a person might have toward various types of localities (city, suburb, and rural area) and related to them lifestyles (i.e., the
“peculiar” perception of those who live in “provincial” (non-city) and rural localities by city dwellers can be found in any country and nation). However, due to the specificities of how the land in the US is divided into populated localities (which, in turn, is determined by both the specificities of the country’s geographical location, climate, natural resources, etc., and the specificities of how the American nation had formed), in the context of the United States this phenomenon is especially important for the purpose of gaining a more complete and objective understanding of the American culture and mentality.
The goal of our research is to define the body of phraseologisms containing the two components, “city” and “suburb,” which Americans use in their vernacular speech to express their opinion regarding different lifestyles (urban and suburban), from the perspective of the spacial and cultural city-suburb paradigm. These linguistic units will also be studied as lingual representations of the American mentality, culture, and the social dynamic between the city dwellers and suburbanites. It is also important to classify the revealed spacial phraseologisms with respect to the conceptual mechanisms of their internal development.
The material for our research are the phraseologisms that are used by the Americans to describe and assess (appraise) two main types of localities: the suburban and city (urban), as well as correlating lifestyles. For this purpose the following types of materials were used: author’s personal observations regarding the mentality and lifestyle choices of the American people gathered during the period of over 14 years, including conversations with the Americans residing both in cities and suburbs, the Internet linguistic source, Urban Dictionary, which is compiled by users, other Internet sources, print materials (see Bibliography), etc.
In our research, by city (urban) and suburban localities and lifestyles, we first of all refer to the city of New York and surrounding suburbs. Therefore, the analysis of pertaining phraseologisms allows us to gain an understanding of the New York and suburban (sub-New York) lifestyles, as well as the city-suburb paradigm as a whole.
Methods: comparative, sociological, logical, hypothetical, interview, observation, research and summary, analysis (i.e., documents), and synthesis.
Results
There are three main types of populated localities and, accordingly, lifestyles:
-cities (urban), city life style;
-suburbs, suburban life style;
-rural areas, rural life style.
In our research we will concentrate on the specificities of the most important in understanding the American mentality type of dynamic: the city-suburb paradigm.
28
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
It is important to define these two types of populated localities in the context of the USA:
1.Cit y. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, city is an “inhabited place of greater size, population or importance than a town or village” [1*].
In a broader sense, the lexeme city implies a large populated locality with a highly developed infrastructure and public transportation system. The city population has the option to move around by way of walking, due to the fact that the infrastructure is “diffused” (as opposed to concentrated in one place), and therefore it is possible to find its components (i.e., a store or a bank branch) not far from a person’s home. In this context the need to rely on automobiles as the sole mode of getting from point A to point B is eliminated. The residents of cities typically live in apartments.
The concept of the city also implies that there are art and culture institutions (theatres, galleries, museums, etc.), thus the population is given the opportunity to engage in cultural life. Such cities as New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, etc. are examples of an American city.
2.Suburb. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, suburb is a “smaller community adjacent to or within a commuting distance of a city” [2*].
We should note that an American suburb (Latin “sub” – “under” and “urbs” – “city”) is not a suburb in the Russian meaning of the term: an approximate equivalent of an American suburb would be a cottage town in Russia.
American suburbs are comprised of large clusters of small towns (“cottage towns”), which can be situated near a city or at the driving distance of several hours. The necessary attributes of suburban lifestyle, aside from the private house, are a manicured lawn in front of the house and a backyard. Each of suburban towns is characterized by the following layout: residential area, which occupies the town’s largest area and which is comprised of private homes, cars, trees, etc. There is a commercial area, Downtown, which occupies only a small part of the suburb. The main commercial block of the suburb typically represented by several large stores, including one or two supermarkets, is situated outside of the town’s residential area, and, oftentimes, outside the town itself. Due to the fact that, unlike the city, the suburban infrastructure is not diffused but concentrated in the areas allocated for it (usually only accessible by car), such (Russian) concept as “I ran outside to buy a loaf of bread” is practically impossible in the context of a suburban town.
One of the typical characteristic of the suburbs is that due to the fact that their residents have to use an automobile in order to move around, there are virtually no pedestrians on the streets of towns of this type, as well as the fact that, unlike cities, most suburban towns do not offer a variety of arts and culture institutions. However, suburbanites are usually closer to nature in the most literal sense of the word.
Historically, suburbs came into existence as far back as the ancient times; the lexeme “suburbani” (suburb), for example, was first used in the 1st century A.D. by Cicero in the context of estates built by the wealthy Roman outside of the city [3]. In the US the first suburbs appeared near New York and Boston, which had to do with the greatly evolved public transportation system that connected these cities with suburbs. The “blossoming” of the suburbs took place at the end of the 40’s – early 50’s when there was a need in housing for the military personnel returning from the World War 2 [4].
More than half of the American population (61%) lives in the suburbs, around 19.3% live in rural areas, while the rest resides in cities [5; 6]. We should note that the zoning and layout of many parts of large American cities is suburban (the residents in these parts depend on cars as predominant mode of transportation within the city) [7].
29
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
There is another feature that is important for our research: many suburbanites who do not work in cities almost never “interact” with the city and city lifestyle, therefore living a somewhat isolated, strictly suburban life . It can be explained by the fact that as suburban living in America developed, these towns spread further and further always from the city, and “today many suburbs are located so far from their “urbs” that they’re not really a “sub”of anything”
[8].
Thus, in the mind of an average American the concept of city living is more of an exception than a rule. A typical way of life, on the other hand, is suburban living, the relative equivalent of the Russian “cottage town.”
TV commercials can serve as an illustration of this thesis as they too reflect the mentality of the nation, because they are constructed in such a way that those watching them could relate to the characters presented, and, as a result, want to buy the product being advertised. While in
Russia, the country that is more “city oriented ,” the plot of TV commercials usually takes place in city settings (in the kitchens and living rooms inside apartments as the viewer can see a city landscape in the window), the plot of American commercials almost always takes place inside a private house in the suburbs (either in a sun lit kitchen that faces a sunny backyard or front lawn, or the backyard or lawn themselves), especially if the product being advertised has to do with the “everyday/ household” aspect of life (i.e., laundry detergent, food, etc.).
The city setting in American commercials is mostly reserved for such products as perfume or cosmetics, the products that are supposed to “touch” on a person’s sense of “sophistication” and aesthetics.
Therefore, now that we have familiarized ourselves with the two predominant types of inhabited localities and lifestyles within the United States, we can proceed to the analysis of pertaining phraseologisms and their classification.
We had identified several types of spacial phraseologisms used by the residents of various types of localities to express their opinion (attitude) regarding the “opposing “and “their” lifestyles:
1)phraseologisms that convey the perception of suburbs and their residents by city dwellers (New Yorkers);
2)phraseologisms that convey the perception of New York by New Yorkers;
3)phraseologisms that convey the perception of cities (including New York) and their residents by suburbanites;
Due to the fact that most of the identified phraseologisms express the city dwellers’ opinion about suburbs, we will begin our analysis with this category of phraseologisms.
1. Phraseologisms that convey the perception of the suburbs and subu r- banites by cit y dwellers (New Yorkers):
1.1. Bridge and tunnel people. This expression denotes a certain negative, condescending attitude of some New Yorkers toward individuals who reside in the suburbs and quite literally have to cross “bridges and tunnels” in order to reach New York, especially its “most desirable” borough, Manhattan (as well as suburbanites in general). This phraseologism is a relative equivalent of the Russian “periphery.” This perception of suburbanites implies that suburban residents are not “sufficiently” sophisticated, interesting, and culturally oriented; it also presumes that there is certain monotony and “boring-ness” to suburban life (the “template made” houses, lawns, backyards, streets, and lifestyle, lack of the arts and culture institutions, etc.).
We should note that the ability to move around by way of walking is an object of a special pride of the New Yorkers, which, in the context of the “real” (suburban, as well as rural) cardependant America and even some of its large cities, such as Phoenix and Los Angeles, is viewed by city dwellers as an exception and privilege. The cultural component is also im-
30
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
portant: some New Yorkers (and city dwellers in general) suppose that cultural life only exists in cities, whereas in provincial (non-city) America, whose Russian equivalent is not a typical Russian provincial town (most of which have theatres and museums, as well as the main features of urban living in general) but the “template-built” cottage towns, it does not exist.
Originally this term in its neutral, literal meaning was used by the MTA Bridges and Tunnels authority [9].
Interestingly, the division into the “more” and “less” “interesting” lifestyles can also be seen inside the city. Some New Yorkers suppose that there are two main types of New Yorkers, the Manhattanites and non-Manhattanites. Therefore, the expression
“bridge and tunnel people” can also be used to convey a somewhat negative connotation in relation to those New Yorkers that live outside of Manhattan, due to the fact that, technically speaking, the non-Manhattanite New Yorkers also have to “cross the bridge” inside the city to get to Manhattan, and because the boroughs where they reside are perceived by some Manhattan residents as “less interesting” and “less status.” Interestingly, even those city dwellers that might be referred to by the Manhattanites as the “bridge and tunnel people” might use this very expression to describe suburban residents.
Some New Yorkers utilize this phraseologism even with regard to those suburbanites that do not at all come to New York, meaning, they do not “cross the bridge.” In such instances, this expression is used as an explicator of the general negative perception of the non-city life by New Yorkers, which is separated from its original meaning.
In the New York Times article, the Brooklyn resident Michael Musto says the following about how he was perceived by Manhattanites:
I was bridge -and -tunnel — the lowest of the low — and everyone knew it [3*]
1.2. To cross the bridge . The expression has the same meaning (and a similar etymology) as the one before and conveys a supercilious attitude toward (first of all) suburbanites. We should note that many of those who “cross the bridge” (suburban residents) are high-income individuals living in multi million estates with private tennis courts, and acres of land adjacent to them (the Clintons, for example, reside in one of the New York state wooded suburbs, the neighboring state of Connecticut is home to many powerful, high-income Americans, some of whom hold executive positions on Wall Street , etc. Many of these influential suburba n- ites also manage the “supercilious” Manhattanites). Despite that, abstracting from the concept of wealth and influence, in the eyes of some New Yorkers, even these suburbanites, the population of the “American Rublyovka” are still the “bridge and tunnel people” (Rublyovka is an unofficial name of the most expensive, elite Moscow suburb of Russia, which itself has became a phraseologism of sorts indicating wealth and status). Therefore, the two aforementioned expressions imply not just (and possibly not as much) the socio-economic “advantage” (i.e., the possible assumption that “by definition” Manhattanities earn a higher income and are possessed of a more “special” social status compared to suburbanites), but the one that deals with the matter of culture and lifestyle: the rejection of the “boring” lifestyle of those residing in the suburbs, because, in the eyes of some New Yorkers, no matter how wealthy the population of a suburb might be, the basic features of its lifestyle remain starkly “anti-city” (car-dependency, absence of pedestrians, a limited range of options for how one might spend their spare time, lack of arts and culture institutions, etc.), and, therefore, “negative.”
Maybe we’ll come out to New Jersey, maybe we’ll cross the bridge [4*].
Although the expression “to cross the bridge ” is semantically independent, there is also a different context in which it can be used, as a shortened version of a different expression “to cross the bridge when it comes.” The morphological congruence is accidental.
31
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
1.3. Suburbia. Most likely this lexeme was formed on the basis of the same morphological model as the lexeme “utopia” [9]. This phraseologism can be used in a neutral descriptive semantic context (a version of the word “suburb”/“suburbs”). However oftentimes it is used to convey the city dwellers’ (and those who like the city lifestyle) negative, evaluative attitude toward the suburbs and their residents. The American Urban Dictionary offers the following interpretation of “suburbia”:
Тhe greatest miss-allocation of resources ever seen in the entire human history on planet earth. Also known as: drive in utopia, land of mandatory motoring, national automobile slum, United Parking Lot of America (UPL), or better yet, hell on earth [5*].
This definition also conveys the rejection of the “anti -walking” lifestyle and the
“ghost town” phenomenon that arises from it (the absence of people on the streets of suburban towns). The lexeme “slums” in this example is used with a similar semantic purpose. Interestingly, as much as the dependency on an automobile is perceived as a norm by the “non-city”
(the largest percentage of the population) Americans, it is seen as a negative, unacceptable phenomenon by many of the city dwellers. The instance where the phraseologism “suburbia” is used to express a negative attitude toward suburban living:
In suburbia, there are no free museum days, large plazas of small eateries, pockets of cultural diversity or exciting expeditions awaiting. Suburbia is calm, mono-cultural and predictable [6*].
1.4. Suburban utopia. In the minds of the “opposition” to the suburban lifestyle, which was heavily advertised in the US since the end of the World War 2, suburban life is a utopia, an illusion of the ideal life, which in reality is neither an ideal, nor the most efficient approach to dividing the land into populated localities. This phraseologism possesses several semantic facets: an impractical use of land and natural resources; environmental pollution (caused by the fact that each suburban resident drives an individual vehicle thus contributing to the pollution of the environment on a far bigger scale than the city dwellers who largely rely on public transportation and walking); lack of cultural diversity and interesting venues:
We strive to create suburban utopias at the expense of creating natural dystopias [7*].
1.5. Suburban malaise. The lexeme «malaise» denotes a state of feeling unwell either physically or emotionally (spiritually). Therefore when used in the context of the suburbs
(“suburban malaise”), it conveys a negative perception of the suburbs (“cottage towns”) and the lifestyle related to them. We should note that although the suburban lifestyle is seen as the
“generally accepted” one, the perception of suburbs as a source of “malaise” has been expressed in numerous American literary and cinematographic works. These works convey the following perceived suburban characteristics: boredom and monotony that might lead a person to a certain spiritual crisis, a feeling of being lost; unification (suburban conformity , see below) that can be both physical (template houses, lawns, cars, zoning, lack of the city “randomness” of events and encounters) and spiritual (“template-based” way of living and thinking), etc.:
Despite its stereotypical treatment of suburban malaise […], American Beauty is a riveting film [8*].
There are instances where the lexeme “malaise” is used in the context of city life (city malaise), however this linguistic unit is not common and has not become phraseologism.
32
Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093
1.6. Beige (person, life, town). In addition to its “coloristic” meaning, this lexeme can be used in vernacular speech with the following semantic content: “bland,” “boring,” thus playing up the “neutrality” of the color beige. In the context of suburbs the phraseologism “beige” conveys “suburban” meanings we had mentioned above:
Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks suburbs are «beige» [9*].
Interestingly, there is a certain bifurcation in the use of the expression “beige” in the context of suburbs: 1) “beige” meaning the (boring) “essence” of suburbs that is not semantically related to the actual colors the suburbs are painted in; 2) “beige” as both a color per se, which indeed is a common choice for the exterior of suburban houses, and “beige” as in the previous meaning (1), which is only “highlighted” by the choice of the actual paint color.
1.7. Sterile suburbs . In its meaning this expression correlates with the previous one: suburbs as a boring, bland, sterile space. There is an interesting historical example of the use of this expression: Ed Koch, the former New York mayor, said the following about suburbs (“cottage towns”):
Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It’s sterile. It’s nothing. It’s wasting your life, and people do not wish to waste their lives once they’ve seen New York! [10*].
Interestingly, many observers suggested that this Koch’s statement, which did not sit well with the non-city state residents for obvious reasons, cost him a New York governor election as he lost the race to Mario Cuomo in 1982 [11].
1.8. Suburban hell. This expression conveys an even stronger sense of rejection of suburban lifestyle. It is possible to assume that “suburban hell” encompasses all the meanings listed above: suburbs are bland, monotonous; they might engender a sense of emotional emptiness; car dependency, the ghost town phenomenon, etc. Example:
A Serious Man: The existential absurdity of suburban hell [11*].
1.9. A house with two and a half kids, a dog and a white picket fence. This phraseologism denotes the “philistine happiness” as the “ultimate goal” for a large percentage of the middle class population. Oftentimes it implies a somewhat ironic attitude toward the “absolute dream” of an average American: a house located of course in the suburbs, a white picket fence, and two (“and a half” children), a dog. This expression goes back to the middle of the
20th century when United States was undergoing a rapid development of the suburbs and the concept of the “American dream.” As one might assume, this expression is also used by city dwellers in the context of the suburbs and conveys the meaning that is similar to that of the expression “beige” (see above): boring lifestyle in one of the suburbs where the houses, lawns, white picket fences, and families “look alike”; a unification of life and “blandness” of that life.
For example, famous American athlete Tom Brady, who resides in Manhattan with his family, used this expression in the following context:
Life is not living in the suburbs with a white picket fence . That’s not life. Somehow our
American culture has made it out that that’s what life needs to be – and that if it’s not that, it’s all screwed up. It’s not. [12*].
33