Philology, pedagogy, and psychology

2014 Issue №8

Back to the list Download the article

Dream interpretation in the Assyrian Dream Book: The invention of tradition

Pages
92-99

Abstract

This article identifies the cognitive tactics behind the interpretation of dreams in the ancient Assyrian text known as the Dream Book. Its basic characteristics include belief in the prophetic power of dreams, ritual orientation to men, regard for image polysemy and the use of symbols, employment of such mechanisms as metaphor, metonymy, pragmatic shifts, patronymic attraction, replacements based on the antonym principle. These mechanisms are identified as underlying the formation of symbolic content structures.

Reference

1. Берестнев Г. И. Слово, язык и за их пределами. Калининград, 2007.
2. Берестнев Г. И. Когнитивное освоение времени // Россия: изменяющийся образ времени сквозь призму языка. Репрезентация концепта времени в русском языке в сопоставлении с английским и немецким языками. М., 2012.С. 27—33.
3. Оппенхейм А. Лео. Древняя Месопотамия. Портрет погибшей цивилизации. М., 1990.
4. Oppenheim A. Leo. The Interpretation of Dreams in the Ancient Near East. Philadelphia,1956.