Linguocultural type парубка (леґеня) in the Ukrainians’ dialectal and linguistic picture of the world
Oleksandr Bohomolets-Barash, Doctor of Philosophy, Junior Researcher in the Department of Dialectology
Institute of the Ukrainian Language of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
4 Mykhaіlo Hrushevskyi St., Kyiv 01001, Ukraine
E-mail: bohomolets.barash@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9646-2127
Heading: Articles
Language: Ukrainian
Abstract: This study applies frame analysis to the linguocultural type парубка (леґеня). It identifies its structural frames: “External characteristics” (slots “Physical qualities”, “Facial features”, “Clothing”), “Internal moral characteristics” (slots “Relationships with the opposite sex”, “Positive traits,” “Negative traits”), “Place of residence,” “Social status and behavior”, and “Educational characteristics”. The analysis demonstrates that the linguocultural type of the Ukrainian парубок combines shared and regionally distinctive features within the dialectal picture of the world. The most stable frame is “External characteristics,” particularly the slot “Physical qualities”, which portrays the леґінь as young, slender, handsome, and strong. This conceptual salience has produced a semantic derivative – леґінь meaning “pyramidal poplar”, a tree associated with height and elegance. The metaphorical transfer is reciprocal: the young man himself is compared to trees, as in the saying “slender as a sycamore”. The slot “Clothing” is more elaborated in dialectal discourse, reflecting regional variation and serving as a marker of marital status.
The frame “Internal moral characteristics” highlights positive traits such as courage, honesty, and intelligence, which are firmly embedded in the Ukrainian linguistic picture of the world. However, dialectal folklore, especially Transcarpathian “kolomyikas”, reveals ambivalence: while леґені are praised for their virtues, they are also depicted as flawed, with traits such as laziness, deceit, and unfaithfulness toward girls. Thus, the slot “negative traits” emerges in opposition to the linguocultural type дівчина. Another opposition, “own” versus “alien”, is verbalized in the frame “Place of residence,” where local youths are valued positively, while outsiders are ridiculed.
The linguocultureme парубок is an integral element of the Ukrainian linguistic picture of the world. In its dialectal dimension, particularly in Transcarpathian speech, it acquires specific features manifested in interaction with the linguocultural type дівчина and in the opposition “own–alien”. The analyzed type of the Transcarpathian леґінь thus represents one regional variant of the broader linguocultural type парубок. Future research should address other regional variants and explore comparative and diachronic perspectives.
Keywords: linguocultural type, linguistic picture of the world, dialectal picture of the world, linguocultureme, frame, Transcarpathian dialects.
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Received 09.01.2026 Аpproved 19.03.2026 Рublished 00.04.2026