Lexico-semantic analysis of anthropological similes with the word ‘Like’ in the trilogy “Beloved”, “Jazz”, and “Paradise” by Toni Morrison

the article presents a lexico-semantic analysis of similes with the word “like” in Toni Morrison’s trilogy Beloved, Jazz, and Paradise, which are a historical chronicle of the key events that happened to African Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries. The study aims to identify the features of the writer’s individual worldview and its connection to African American linguistic culture. The research employs methods of continuous sampling, quantitative and descriptive analysis, as well as a semantic-cognitive approach. The material consists of 272 similes categorized into paradigms: “human-human,” “human-artifact,” “human-natural object,” “human-zoonym,” “human-abstract concept” and “human-mythonym”. The results demonstrate how these similes reflect key themes in Morrison’s works: memory, trauma, identity, and the role of music in African American culture. Special attention is paid to symbolism and cultural connotations that highlight the uniqueness of the author’s style.

lexico-semantic analysis, similes, Toni Morrison, African American worldview, individual authorial worldview, linguistic worldview, symbolism, “Beloved”, “Jazz”, “Paradise”