Nataliia V. Borysova
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Philology, Translation and Teaching Methods
Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav,
Pereiaslav, Ukraine
e-mail: natalieborysova@gmail.com
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2902-106X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24195/2616-5317-2025-41.3
SUMMARY
The article is devoted to the linguistic analysis of the female literary image based on Jojo Moyes’ novel “Paris for One”, combining cognitive paradigms and verbal portraiture mechanisms. The research goal is to reveal how the author, through linguistic means (lexis, syntax, tropes), creates and embodies cognitively significant concepts that form the perception of the female character, her inner world, social role, and emotional dynamics, transforming mental structures into concrete elements of the artistic text.
The methodological basis of the work includes the cognitive- discursive analysis method for identifying cognitive paradigms that shape the author’s conceptualization of the image, as well as the linguostylistic analysis method for detailing the linguistic means (lexis, tropes, syntax) involved in verbal portraiture. Contextual and interpretative methods are used as auxiliary tools.
The study found that the main character’s image is a dynamic construct that deliberately contrasts with social stereotypes. Her transformation is realized at several levels of the linguistic portrait. The change at the level of the attire-centric and colour-centric portraits serves as a linguo-aesthetic marker of her psychological liberation. The character-centric portrait verbalizes cognitive conflict through semantic contrast between the lexical fields of “Safety/ Restraint” and “Liberation/Spontaneity”.
At the level of stylistic means, conceptual metaphors and dynamic verbs are used, which, combined with the syntax of the internal monologue, give the image psychological depth and ensure its cognitive two-dimensionality. It is proven that the linguistic and stylistic organization of the text is key to modeling the heroine’s transition from social constraints to personal freedom.
The research results confirm that modern linguistics offers effective tools for the multifaceted analysis of literary images, where language acts not only as a means of description but also as a mechanism for breaking stereotypes and conceptualizing the character’s inner world.
Key words: inguistic analysis, female literary image, verbal portrait, cognitive paradigm, linguostylistic means, image transformation.
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