THE FUNCTIONAL FRAMEWORK OF NOUNS IN THE LYRICAL DISCOURSE OF THE 2010’S

Abstract

The given article examines the peculiarities of the use of nouns in the lyrics of the songs of the British independent scene of the 2010s. Nouns, which are the object of our study, are used by songwriters to denote specific culturally motivated phenomena and to convey universal concepts inherent in every individual. Linguists of all theoretical orientations agree that lexical categorization is one of the most important and complex problems in linguistics. One of the central questions of categorization is whether there is a universal semantic criterion that motivates category membership in a particular language and, more broadly, in different languages. Most modern linguists, especially those who approach this problem from the functionalist and cognitive points of view, following the traditional grammarians consider the search for conditional universals underlying category membership as a productive research program. It should be noted that the decisive point in the study of semantic classes of nouns is the extralinguistic environment, that is, the external factors that prompted the author to use certain lexical units. It can be assumed that each individual endows lexical units with a unique, intrinsic meaning, and in this regard we are confronted with several ways of interpreting song lyrics: through the prism of the songwriter and through the prism of the audience. The author of the lyrics of Bring Me The Horizon’s songs is predominantly Oliver Sykes, a native of Ashford, Kent, England. Geographical location certainly played a crucial role in the songwriting process, as Bring Me The Horizon became a true British cultural phenomenon. Oliver Sykes manages not only to portray an experience that resonates with his international fans, but also to incorporate elements specific to the British collective consciousness. Having analyzed the latest Bring Me The Horizon Post Human: Survival Horror album, we identified the following semantic classes of nouns: Heavenly Domain, Desperation, Violence, Animals, Habitat, Temporality, Ignorance, Emotional State. These are the dominant categories that Oliver Sykes attempted to communicate during the COVID-19 crisis. A more detailed account of the motivations for the use of specific nouns is contained in the empirical part of the article.