From paremiological heritage of the Rusin language (ornithonyms ‘kuritsya’, kurka)
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Mokienko Valerii M. 
Published: February 2023

The article offers a LinguocuLturoLogical and axiological analysis of Rusin proverbs and sayings by means of the ornithonyms ‘kuritsya', ‘kurka. The total number of such language units is 25. The material was found in the Rusin dictionaries of Dmitro Pop and Ihor Kercha, as well as in numerous paremioLogicaL collections of Ukrainian, Belarussian, Russian and other Slavonic small folklore. When necessary, the author employed non-Slavic sources to expand the areal zone of Rusian ornithological paremioLogy. Ornithological proverbs make an active group of paremioLogicaL animalisms. According to the previous studies, some of these Rusin lexemes (eg. potya) go back to the ProtoSlavic era, demonstrating the value of the Rusin language material for common Slavic reconstructions. The analyzed material shows structural-semantic and figurative diversity: 1. Sayings (resp. phraseological units): Zbyv by piLa khizhj kuri pytati; zdokhLa tota kurochka, shto dvj yaytsya nesLa; kuryacha pamnyat'; kur'om na smikh; kuryachoy oko. 2. Stable comparisons: goLoden, gi meLnikova kurka; kuritsmat'sya gi kvochka na yayts'okh; rozsiLasya gi kvochka; pisati gi kuritsya Labov; takiy gi mokra kuritsya; trafiLosya gi sLipyv kuritsi zirnya; upaLo mu gi sLipyv kuritsi zirnya. 3. Proverbs: Iz kur'mi Ligay, a z kogutami vstavay; Ligay spati iz kur'mi, a vstavay z kogutom; I sLipyv kuritsi zirnya sya trafit'; Komu svaL'ba, a kuritsi smirt'; Komu shto, a kuritsi zirnya; Kotra kuritsya mnogo kodkodache, tota sya maLo nesche; Kuri na sidaLo, baba na LezhaLo; Kuritsya grebe, oby dashto ugrebLa; Kuritsya dumaLa ta y zdokhLa; Kurya kvochtsi ne rozkazue; Yaytse kuritsyu uchit'. 4. MisceLLaneous: Prisyad'te damaLo, oby sya u nas kuri nesLi; Khodi na paL'ts'okh, kid' khochesh imiti kuritsyu na yayts'okh; aLso the figurative Rusin name of the PLeiades, the Seven Stars -' Kurichky'. Rusin proverbs with ornithonymic components reflect the organic unity of the spiritual, mentaL, and bodily characteristics of peopLe and the various situations in which they find themseLves. These proverbs aLso reflect such aspects as emotionaL and mentaL characteristics, physicaL and speech activity, inteLLectuaL properties, physioLogicaL state, etc. The presented facts convincingLy prove the significance of such a characteristic by Linguistic means. Reflecting the conceptuaL universaLity of ornithonyms, they demonstrate both specific interLinguaL and cuLturaL ties with the paremioLogy of other peopLes, and their nationaL specificity, formed in a particuLar territory in a particuLar historicaL period. As compared with simiLar Ukrainian, BeLarussian, and Russian, as weLL as PoLish, SLovak, and Czech proverbs against a broad pan-European background, the specificity of Rusin proverbs and sayings manifests mainLy in their form, not in their content. The didactic meaning of SLavic (incLuding Rusin) paremioLogy remains mainLy internationaL. Thus, the Rusin Language and its cuLture, incLuding paroemias, demonstrate the ancient and inseparabLe unity of SLavic and non-SLavic Europe, constantLy enriching each other with their interpenetration.