Contradictory Constructs: Oxymorons and Antonymic Vocabulary

Guloyim Ayupova

Andijan State Institute of Foreign Languages, Andijan, Uzbekistan

Keywords: Linguistic Anomalies, Oxymoron, Word Play, Language Creativity, Stylistic Function.

Abstract: This article explores linguistic anomalies, particularly oxymorons, within language's stylistic function. It

discusses historical and contemporary understandings of anomalies, emphasizing their role in unlocking

linguistic creativity in English and Russian. Through examples and scholarly insights, it shows how anomalies,

like oxymorons, seamlessly integrate into language despite seeming unnatural. The study also explores

parallels between oxymorons and upside-down songs, highlighting their shared foundation in paradoxical

combinations. It underscores the multifaceted functions of language games like oxymorons and their role in

amplifying meaning through linguistic play. Additionally, it situates oxymorons within the broader context

of linguistic creativity, drawing parallels with other literary devices. Ultimately, it portrays oxymorons as

tools for exploring alternative perspectives on reality and navigating life's complexities with humour and

imagination.

1 INTRODUCTION

Oxymoron, a stylistic phenomenon of contradictory

nature, captivates with its unique fusion of

incompatible elements, transcending conventional

logical boundaries while preserving the essence of

conveyed meaning. Its employment imbues text with

individuality, enriching speech with originality and

depth. Virtually no literary work is devoid of

oxymoronic examples, highlighting its pervasive

presence in language. Many linguists devote

significant attention to this device, making it a focal

point of research. Studies explore oxymoron from

various angles, including linguostylistic

interpretation and linguopragmatics, as well as

delving into structural and semantic classifications.

This work contributes to the understanding of

oxymoron as a tool for creating anomalies within

discourse (Kuregyan 2006).

Oxymoron, as an aesthetically concentrated

stylistic phenomenon, adds a distinctive flavour to

language by juxtaposing incongruous elements, thus

evoking intrigue and complexity. Its usage transcends

mere linguistic ornamentation, serving as a vehicle

for conveying deeper layers of meaning. Through the

lens of oxymoron, texts acquire a nuanced and

enriched quality, resonating with readers on multiple

levels. Linguistic scholars explore various aspects of

oxymoron, exploring its implications and

applications across different contexts. This research

aims to dissect oxymoron as a potent tool for creating

anomalies within the fabric of language, shedding

light on its intricate interplay of contradiction and

coherence (.

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To explore the stylistic phenomenon, a variety of

sources were utilised, ranging from encyclopaedias

and fiction to dictionaries and materials from foreign

conferences. Employing an array of linguistic

analysis methods, including the descriptive method,

contextual analysis, comparative method, conceptual

integration method, and cultural analysis, the paper

aims to delve into the use of oxymoron in creating

anomalies. The objective is to gain a comprehensive

understanding of the intricacies surrounding

oxymoron. By integrating these methodologies, the

article endeavours to offer a multifaceted and in-

depth examination of this stylistic figure.

Combining resources from disparate fields, the

study of oxymoron delves into its nuances through a

multidimensional lens. Encyclopaedic knowledge,

literary works, and cross-cultural perspectives

provide a rich tapestry for analysis. Employing

descriptive, contextual, and comparative analyses,

alongside conceptual integration and cultural

Ayupova, G.

Contradictory Constr ucts: Oxymorons and Antonymic Vocabulary.

DOI: 10.5220/0012914800003882

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 731-734

ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8

731

scrutiny, the research seeks to unveil the complexities

inherent in oxymoronic expressions. Through this

amalgamation of approaches, the paper endeavours to

present a nuanced and profound understanding of

oxymoron's role in creating linguistic anomalies.

3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Before exploring the denotative basis of the

oxymoron, it's essential to understand the nature of

linguistic anomalies in stylistic language functions. A

linguistic anomaly can significantly contribute to

realizing the creative potential of stylistic means.

According to Kozlova (2012), it's a linguistic

phenomenon contradicting linguistic norms to some

extent. Surprisingly, researchers argue that synonymy

and similar phenomena also qualify as anomalies, a

view more relevant in ancient times when anomaly

was contrasted with analogy. Today, the concept of

linguistic anomaly is different.

Language naturally deviates from norms despite

striving for stability, giving rise to semantic

anomalies like the oxymoron. Researchers consider it

part of puns and wordplay due to its "unnaturalness"

(Kozlova, 2018). Figures of speech like metaphor and

metonymy may deviate from direct meaning

(denotation) but are accepted norms in speech. In

literary speech, anomalies can be adequate, as seen in

the example: "– Давно мы с вами не видались!... с

тех пор много воды утекло! – Да, князь! Правда,

что много воды утекло! Даже Дунай уплыл от нас!

– отвечал Ермолов." (Mikhail Pogodin: General

Ermolov. Battles and victories of the legendary

soldier of the empire, hero of Eylau and Borodin).

Here, functional load outweighs aesthetic

interpretation.

Shcherba (1939) highlighted the connection

between adhering to systemic patterns (the norm) and

deviations from it. Anomaly is widely used in literary

works, reflecting the linguistic creativity of the writer.

Tropes ensure clear idea transmission and are

products of authors' creativity. Stable phrases and

paremias represent stereotypical reality, while

occasional units reflect creative linguistic

competence.

According to Ganeev (2004), analogy is simply a

linguistic phenomenon accepted by people. "There

are no norms in nature; comparing normal and

abnormal is determined by people. A living corpse

isn't possible in nature, but the oxymoron 'living

corpse' is, normative in modern speech (referring to a

very sick person). Like in English, oxymorons are

accepted without obstacles, e.g., 'awfully beautiful',

indicating extreme beauty. Language anomalies are

products of people, defining what's normal. Many

linguistic phenomena start as anomalies then become

commonplace, making them 'usual'.

Despite contradiction, oxymorons are

conventional anomalies, easily accepted, e.g.,

'terribly beautiful'. They function smoothly and are

considered linguistic facts, mastered by native

speakers. Oxymorons may be seen as techniques by

writers or mere wordplay. They represent complex

phenomena, defined as 'analyteme', reflecting

contradictory aspects of life.

Chukovsky (1990), who is famous among readers

of children's literature, in one of his works “From

Two to Five” discovers that the child, to some extent,

adopts folk linguistic thinking. This is observed at all

levels of language; in morphology, phonetics and the

most interesting manifestation in vocabulary. You

can also find interesting children's phrases used to

achieve a comic effect in reverse rhymes, which

describe an extraordinary fantasy world that is far

from reality.

Blind peeks, Deaf eavesdrops, Legless ran after,

Mute guard shouted. (A. Sobolevsky. Velikorussian

folk songs.) Other nations are also known for their

“absurdities,” which were created by different

representatives of nations. An example from English

folklore: If a gentleman, sir, was a lady, - The world

would be Upside-down! If any or all of these wonders

Should ever come about, I should not consider them

blunders, For I should be Inside-out! Such inverted

rhymes are created by naming one object by another,

imposing the semantics of the first: If the pony rode

his master, If the buttercups ate the cows, If the cats

had the dire disaster To be worried, sir, by the mouse;

(W. Rands. B. Topsy-Turvy World.) In these songs,

the world is presented as completely upside down and

absurd. The reasons why our ancestors imagined the

world in this way are unknown, and at the same time

interesting. Perhaps, with the help of these inverted

rhymes, they wondered why A-A, B-B and why not

vice versa. Or even in this way they wanted to

overcome fear, difficulties and troubles. It is quite

likely that behind these eccentric absurdities there is

a recognition of the world and its possibilities by

representatives of those peoples. What is this world

like? What can people do in this world? It is obvious

that children and ancient people at the initial stage of

their development understood the impossibility of the

existence of such an absurd world.

According to the results, oxymorons are closer to

upside-down songs. Both phenomena are built on a

paradox that combines the incongruous. If upside-

down songs are created for some of the reasons stated

PAMIR-2 2023 - The Second Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies- | PAMIR

732

above, then the oxymoron phenomenon is different;

Let's just say that this is a more serious “shifter”, a

phrase that, at first glance, is simply based on

absurdity and wordplay. Although, this is one of the

techniques of language for describing the external

world through the creative use of language.

Moreover, there is a significant difference between a

play on words and a linguistic anomaly. Although

both are based on attracting attention with their

uniqueness, they differ in function. Researchers

divide the functions of language games into

expressive, manipulative, and carnivalistic, i.e., I'm

playing. The latter is considered the main function of

the language game, based on the very name of the

phenomenon.

The great British linguist Crystal (Crystal 1998),

in his work on language games, addresses the reader

with the question: “Why do people play with

language, expanding and violating its norms?” The

answer to this question was: “For pleasure, fun,

jokes" (for fun). While the main function of a

linguistic anomaly is to increase meaning through

wordplay, conveying the innermost feelings of the

person being described. The oxymoron borrowed one

of the characteristics of shapeshifters - to see the

world around them in other facets. You could even

say that the oxymoron is an improved form of

shapeshifter. Under the described there is a real and

hypothetical denotation. This phenomenon is the

result of in-depth thinking. The fact that an oxymoron

defines and denotes denotation in such a non-standard

way is not a coincidence, but inverted rhymes are

living proof that such an approach to naming is in our

roots and does not in any way interfere with the

popular consciousness. This statement can also be

confirmed by the presence of oxymoronic

phraseological units (Sinyuk 1977).

Of course, not all oxymorons can be classified as

phraseological units: bitter joy, bored fun. However,

without a doubt, one can assert the presence of an

oxymoron in the following phraseological units: get

away with it, nothing at all, not oneself. The world

itself consists of contradictions, and this idea is not

new. Thanks to this contrast, the essence of the world

is determined. Being a contradictory creature, a

person strives for the ideal and tries to understand the

essence of abnormality. Although not in all situations

the norm can satisfy a person. For example, wolves

hunt sheep and eat them, feeding their cubs - it’s

logical. And there is no benefit or benefit for a person

from this situation. Consequently, a person

domesticates dogs, and they guard herds and other

property.

It is not always possible to realize expressions

about well-fed wolves and whole sheep. The human

mind allows us to adjust the world in our way,

transforming it into a more perfect form. Let's go back

to the example about wolves and sheep. The most

optimal alternative in this situation would be for the

wolves to eat the sheep. It is obvious that this will not

happen; this is absurdity in its purest form. The thirst

to experiment and transform leads a person to create

an ugly world in his mind. The end result makes the

author himself laugh, realizing that this will not

happen in life. In this created upside-down world, the

key element is the "upside-down image".

The above thoughts can be more clearly explained

in the words of Lotman (Lotman 1999) in his work

“Culture and Explosion”: “In a space that lies outside

the norm (based on the norm and violating the norm),

we are faced with a whole range of possibilities: from

ugliness (destruction of norms) to the completeness

of positive qualities located above the norm.

However, in both cases we are not talking about

finding a norm, its simplification and hardening, but

about life pouring over the edge. One of the most

elementary techniques for going beyond

predictability is a trope (especially often used in the

visual arts), in which two opposed objects exchange

dominant features. This technique is widely used in

the vast baroque literature of the “inverted world.” In

numerous texts, a sheep ate a wolf, a horse rode a

man, and a blind man led a sighted man. These

inverted plots were usually used in satirical texts.

Texts found in folk art or texts created by writers

will include this “inverted world”, creating the

desired or, conversely, inventing the unwanted,

which, in turn, causes laughter. Thus, a person goes

through the difficulties of life easier with the help of

humour. In both cases, we are faced with an “upside-

down world”, with non-standard oxymoronic images.

4 CONCLUSION

The exploration of linguistic anomalies, particularly

the oxymoron, reveals their crucial role in creative

expression within language. Anomalies deviate from

conventional linguistic norms, yet they contribute to

linguistic richness and creativity. Figures of speech

like metaphor and metonymy, while deviating from

direct meaning, are widely accepted in speech. The

oxymoron, despite its seemingly contradictory

nature, functions seamlessly in language usage and is

even compared to phraseological units. Other cultures

also exhibit their own linguistic absurdities, reflecting

a universal aspect of human creativity and expression.

Contradictory Constructs: Oxymorons and Antonymic Vocabulary

733

Any language anomaly is a product of the linguo-

creative activity of the language.

However, an oxymoron can be classified as a

conditional anomaly, since despite the obvious sign

of an anomaly, it can easily function in

communication. Through the exploration of

anomalies, we gain deeper insights into the intricacies

of language and its role in shaping human

understanding and expression.

REFERENCES

Crystal, D. (1998). Language Play. London: Penguin

Books.

Ganeev, B. T. (2004). Orthophony and allophony in

language and speech. Philological Sciences, (3), 57-66.

Kozlova, L. V. (2012). Language anomalies as a means of

realizing the creative potential of language and their

functions in the text. Bulletin of ISLU, (18), 121-128.

Kozlova, L. A. (2018). The analogy factor and its role in the

linguistic creative activity of the language personality.

Altai State Pedagogical University, 28-33.

Kuregyan, G. G. (2006). Traditions and innovations in the

linguo-pragmatic understanding of oxymoron.

Proceedings of higher education institutions. North

Caucasus region, (12), 144-150.

Lotman, Y. M. (1999). Culture and Explosion. Publisher of

St. Petersburg University.

Chukovsky, K. I. (1990). From two to five. K. I. Chukovsky

Collected Works in 2 Volumes. M.: Pravda.

Yashina, E. A. (2010). Oxymoron as a means of creating

analogy in a literary text. Proceedings of the Samara

Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences,

(5)3, 826-831.

Shakhovsky, V. I. (2008). Linguistic theory of emotions.

M.: Gnosis.

PAMIR-2 2023 - The Second Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies- | PAMIR

734