Proverbs of the Kildin Saami language: revisiting the interpretation of paremias’ meanings

The relevance of the study is due to the interest in creating new types of dictionaries, including dictionaries for illiterate and small-numbered peoples and a dictionary of everyday word interpretations, as well as the development of ideas in anthropological lexicography. The novelty of the study lies in its appeal to unique linguistic material from the point of view of everyday linguistics. It is emphasized that the linguistic material of the Saami paremiological fund has not yet been described by researchers. Furthermore, the choice of sources for such a description is highly limited, since no fi eld studies have been conducted, and respondents with the necessary level of knowledge of Saami paremiology and professional linguistic literacy have not been identifi ed. This study was aimed at determining the methods for interpreting Saami proverbs by native speakers of the Saami language. The research materials included the fi ndings of an experiment aimed at identifying the specifi c features of the interpretation of 60 Saami proverbs by a native speaker of the Saami language. It has been revealed that the meaning of a proverb is described by a native Saami speaker using ethno-everyday commentary and a description of the situation of using proverbs in Saami speech (situational characteristics). It has been noted that an ethno-everyday commentary in interpreting Saami proverbs has its own specifi cs and differs from ethno-cultural, historical-etymological, and historical-ethnographic commentary in that it reveals the meaning of everyday realities, which traditionally include clothing, food, housing, utensils, and means of transportation. At the same time, ethno-everyday commentary to Saami proverbs includes mentioning of reality or professional and production activities, while a situational characteristic implies a designation of a characteristic of a person or a situation.