Semantic variation of the gustatory attribute ‘гуащIэ’ (sour) in the Kabardian language

The study aims to reconstruct a fragment of the linguistic worldview of the Kabardian language embodied in the gustatory attribute ‘гуащIэ’ (sour). The paper examines the features of metaphorical and metonymic transfers of meaning, which are the main mechanisms of conceptualization and categorization of new knowledge. The complexity of studying the semantics of adjectives the denotative content of which is formed by a range of nominal lexemes combined with them is emphasized. The scientific novelty of the paper is determined by the fact that it represents the first attempt to construct the meanings of the gustatory adjective ‘гуащIэ’ (sour) involving the material of the Kabardian language. Based on the analysis of interpretations of the meanings containing prototypical denotation, a standard, and the interpretation of non-linguistic information known about it, criteria for metaphorical and metonymic shifts in the conceptual expansion of this adjective are established. As a result of the study, it was found that the attribute ‘гуащIэ’ (sour) develops metaphorical and metonymic vectors of meaning reinterpretation in equal measure. The study of text fragments reveals new types of denotations defined by the attribute ‘гуащIэ’ (sour), which suggests the development of new regular meanings of the adjective under consideration.