Gorchak T. Verbal Image-symbol in American Poetry of the 20th century: A Cognitive and Semiotic Aspect

This dissertation focuses on verbal image-symbols with a special emphasis on the peculiarities of their formation and functioning in the 20th century American poetry, which is accomplished due to the integration of cognitive and semiotic approaches. The paper presents a semiotic model of verbal image-symbol as a multilevel metasign. Semantic classification of verbal image-symbols has been worked out with regard to their primary meaning, derived referential sense and different types of semantic transposition. Cognitive typology of verbal image-symbols was elaborated on the ground of knowledge they objectify. In the poetic texts under analysis basic cognitive mechanisms, which underlie the process of verbal image-symbols formation, are revealed alongside with the semiotic principles that define poetic reference. Communicative signals, which testify to the symbolic meaning in poems, have been singled out. The functional facet of verbal image-symbols in poetic texts was highlighted with regard to their representational, text-forming, cognitive, communicative and pragmatic functions. General tendencies of verbal image-symbols usage in the 20th century American poetry have been determined with the help of quantitative analysis, and the conclusion about its individualistic, metaphoric and philosophic nature has been reached.