Hryhorii Skovoroda's Aphoristics: Structural, Semantic and Stylistic Aspects

Abstract

Consideration of the aphorism of the famous thinker in terms of syntactic construction of the expressed thought and creation of various stylistic techniques in this plane to enhance it is relevant.

The purpose of the proposed research is to establish the stylistic and syntactic features of H. Skovoroda's winged expressions that reflect the individual features of his philosophical and poetic linguistic thinking.

The conciseness and, at the same time, the depth of Hryhorii Skovoroda's thinking are demonstrated by aphorisms represented by simple sentences, often complicated by various syntactic elements that concretize the thought, concentrating it around one grammatical center. The imperative mood of the main members of a one-part sentence with the semantics of thinking enhances the impact of the aphorism on the recipient. Aphorisms with the desirable modality are an expressive communicative type. Among the complex constructions, complex subordinate clauses, mostly of minimal structure, prevail.

Certain instructions and conclusions expressed in aphorisms of this structure are often accompanied by an indication of a condition or time. Pronominal-relative sentences with the objective meaning of correlates have a powerful potential in expressing philosophical maxims. Comparison, as one of the most significant cognitive tools in the aphorisms of H. Skovoroda, is represented by various structural types of syntactic units: from word combinations to complex sentences with corresponding syntactic components (comparative subordinate clauses, comparative constructions, etc.). Aphorisms, which are equivalents of supraphrase units, are often formed by two sentences, the connection between which is provided by repetitions and other lexical-grammatical means.

So, the outstanding philosopher uses a variety of syntactic constructions and stylistic figures, including antithesis, rhetorical questions and objections, various types of repetition, syntactic parallelism, for expressive expression of thought.