Zoosemy

Zoosemy (animal metaphor) is the way names of animals are used to denote and characterise human qualities and traits of the character. The term zoosemy was first used by Grzegorz A. Kleparski (Professor of University of Rzeszow /Poland/). He also noticed that the category MAMMALS form the majority of the cases of zoosemy. It may be so since their close associations, familiarity and importance to humans. Other categories, like, for instance, INSECTS, FISH, or AMPHIBIANS seem not to be as profound in the examples of zoosemic developments. Usually, the case of zoosemy goes in hand with the process of pejoration of meaning(a type of semantic change),^[1] since names of animals when applied to human beings can express their disapproving :

• appearance (cow ‘a fat, or disagreeable woman’),

• manners (pig ‘an ugly, dirty or gluttonous person’)

• behaviour, character, morals (dog ‘contemptible, wretched man’; viper ‘a malicious, evil-minded person’; mule ‘an obstinate, stubborn person’; ass, ox ‘a fool’ or ostrich ‘a coward’; bitch ‘a spiteful, coarse woman’).

Yet, certain animals can as well represent positive human characteristics or virtues, for instance, the person who is brave, bellicose and strong can be called a lion, a hard-working human is a bee or ant. ^[2]

References

External links

• Review of one of R. Kiełtyka books about zoosemy
• Zoosemic terms denoting FEMALE HUMAN BEINGS: semantic derogation of women revisited
• Zoosemic terms denoting FEMALE HUMAN BEINGS: semantic derogation of women revisited