Proper Names as Presupposition Triggers in the Horror Story Semantic and Functional Aspects

Authors

  • Hanna Kolosova

    Department of ELH, Faculty of Linguistic, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv 03056 , Ukraine
  • Inna Borkovska

    Department of ELH, Faculty of Linguistic, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv 03056 , Ukraine
  • Kateryna Tuliakova

    Kateryna Tuliakova,  Department of ELH, Faculty of Linguistic, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv 03056 , Ukraine
  • Yuliia Kornytska

    Kateryna Tuliakova,  Department of ELH, Faculty of Linguistic, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv 03056 , Ukraine
  • Iryna Kozubska

    Department of ELH, Faculty of Linguistic, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv 03056 , Ukraine
  • Svitlana Volkova

    Department of ELH, Faculty of Linguistic, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv 03056 , Ukraine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i3.6638
Received: 11 April 2024 | Revised: 10 May 2024 | Accepted: 23 May 2024 | Published Online: 20 July 2024

Abstract

This study is devoted to analysing the presupposition of proper names, which is interpreted as a guess or implicit assumption in the semantic and functional aspects in the context of the horror genre, in particular, the story “The Lurking Fear” by Howard Phillips Lovecraft. The purpose of the article is to identify the trigger functions of proper names in this genre and classify the dependence of the presupposition level on the background knowledge of the author and the reader. This dependence is divided into “Perfect match”, “Total mismatch” and “Partial match”. Interpreting different types of presuppositional dependencies and understanding their trigger functions allows us to identify when the impact on the reader is most intense and when it decreases. In our study, we consider the gradual projection of presupposition, taking into account the functioning of epistemic presupposition, which can manifest its meaning even through a single word, regardless of the context. We explore trigger functions such as predicting information based on the presence or absence of background knowledge and providing information through discourse referents. Awareness of all the processes of launching a presupposition through individual lexical units is intended to increase the impact on the reader and provoke the maximum approximation of the recipient's interpretation of information to the author's intention. Further research can extend the analysis to other Lovecraft's works, focusing on the horror genre, to get a more complete picture of the use of presupposition in these contexts.

Keywords:

Proper names; The horror genre; Onomasticon; Presupposition; Projection; Trigger

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How to Cite

Kolosova, H., Inna Borkovska, Kateryna Tuliakova, Yuliia Kornytska, Iryna Kozubska, & Svitlana Volkova. (2024). Proper Names as Presupposition Triggers in the Horror Story Semantic and Functional Aspects. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(3), 746–760. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i3.6638

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Vol. 6 , Iss. 3 (September 2024)

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Article

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Copyright © 2024 Hanna Kolosova, Inna Borkovska, Kateryna Tuliakova, Yuliia Kornytska, Iryna Kozubska, Svitlana Volkova

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