LINGUOCULTURAL ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND ARMENIAN LETTERING TATTOOS
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LINGUOCULTURAL ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND ARMENIAN LETTERING TATTOOS
Ruzan Museyan
Lecturer at the Chair of English, Brusov State University,
Armenia, Yerevan
ЛИНГВОКУЛЬТУРОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ ТАТУИРОВОК-НАДПИСЕЙ НА АНГЛИЙСКОМ И АРМЯНСКОМ ЯЗЫКАХ
Мусеян Рyзан Левоновна
преподаватель кафедры Английского языка, Государственный университет имени В. Я. Брюсова,
Армения, г. Ереван
ABSTRACT
Being a body ornament that is both modern and ancient, tattooing is a direct representation of identity. The topicality of the article is conditioned by the fact that lettering tattoos, representing a very specific layer of language, are at the height of their popularity. They do not only serve as signs of a person's, group's identity, but also are bearers of culturally marked information. This paper aims at analysing lettering tattoos as identity signs and revealing the cultural component in English and Armenian lettering tattoos.
The examples of English and Armenian lettering tattoos, collected from web pages and real life, are the object of the study. The following methods of analysis have been applied to the research: descriptive, syntactical, semiotic and linguocultural comparative analysis.
АННОТАЦИЯ
Татуировка, как современное и древнее украшениe тела, является прямым отражением личности. Актуальность статьи обусловлена тем, что тату-надписи, представляющие весьма специфический пласт языка, находятся на пике своей популярности. Они не только служат знаками идентичности человека, группы, но и являются носителями культурно маркированной информации. Целью данной статьи является анализ тату-надписей как знаков идентичности, выявление в них культурной составляющей. В исследовании применялись следующие методы анализа: описательный, синтаксический, семиотический и лингвокультурологический сравнительный анализ.
Татуировка всегда играла важную роль в народных ритуалах и традициях, и культурная составляющая весьма ярко выражена в их языковом выражении. Татуировка является одним из многосодержательных знаков, характеризующих любой народ, любое языковое и культурное единство, но есть небольшая разница в содержании татуировок-надписей, обусловленная национальным и индивидуальным мировоззрением.
Ключевые слова: тату, тату-надписи, знак, лингвокультурологический анализ, идентичность.
Keywords: tattoo, lettering tattoo, sign, linguocultural analysis, identity.
The use of language in cultural accumulation and historical transmission is obvious and important. This applies not only to sophisticated levels but to primitive ones as well. ''A great deal of the cultural stock in trade of a primitive society is presented in a more or less well defined linguistic form. Folk tales, standardized prayers, standardized speeches, song texts and tattoos are some of the more overt forms which language takes as culture-preserving instruments''. [1]
Speaking of the culture of the people we can divide it into two groups: the civilized and the uncivilized. Uncivilized culture is the culture of the backward and primitive. In comparison with the civilized, this kind of culture is different in degree. ''Civilized culture is an expression of intellectual concepts relating to religion, philosophy, science and arts, to legal and moral development, economic, political, and educational method, procedure, institutions and improved language. This kind of civilization is divergently called American, European and Oriental civilization'' [2]. Nowadays both these civilizations employ the so-called tattoos the linguistic expressions of which can differ from culture to culture. Some years ago ''tattoos were mainly associated with those belonging to a lower social class-criminals, sailors, whores and the like, but now it is the elite, film stars, the kings and queens of show business, that have tattoos. Mock tattoos, like the authentic designs that inspire them, are fast becoming a pop culture staple, cropping up in films and on the playing field, in advertising campaigns and on the pages of fashion magazines. Tattoos are part and parcel of different languages and are one of the expressions of the cultural heritage of the society''. [3]
The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian "tatu" which means "to mark something”. [4] This exotic word was brought from Tahiti Island by James Cook when making one of his world tours. ''It is arguably claimed that tattooing has existed since 12,000 years BC. It is hard to say exactly where it comes from. Arabian historians consider Ancient Mesopotamia to be its motherland. In Assyria tattooing was quite developed among the women in 3000 BC. Tattoos were popular in Oceania, Japan, China and South-Eastern Asia''. [5]
The existence of tattoo art was confirmed by the discovery of human remains or mummies or by reports of historians and explorers such as Herodotus, Marco Polo and, of course, James Cook. Tattoo art tells much about culture in general. It is one of the oldest art forms. As an art form tattoo is ephemeral as a life itself. It disappears along with the person who bears it.
The first written notes of tattoos belong to the 14th century and were made by the tribes in Bermia. There are, admittedly, important ethnographic works on the history of the tattoos of primitive peoples living in distant corners of the globe, but only certain aspects of the world of the tattoo are described, not the phenomenon as a whole. This is, of course, due to its complexity and the fact that tattooing has been and is performed everywhere and at all times for reasons many and varied.
Tattoos may be done either in the form of an image or in the form of letters and words. They are all pointers, of a more or less direct nature, to show others that one belongs to or wishes to belong to a certain group, world or life-style.
e.g. American bikers usually have tattoos with brand names of motor bikes such as Harley Davidson, abbreviations and symbols such as “13” for “M”, the thirteen letter of the English alphabet, referred to marihuana, or slogans such as “Live to Ride, Ride to Live”.
There is a scandalous fact that concerns the king of Sweden and Norway, Karl XIV, who, due to a serious illness, had to take off his clothes and reveal his tattoo in front of a stunned doctor. On his shoulders was written "Death to the Kings" in reference to the future king, who was then called General Bernadotte, fighting for the revolutionists in France. [6]
There are many tattoo styles: Tribal, Celtic, Realism, High-tech, New School, Biker’s, etc. Nowadays there are two popular tattoo design choices: Chinese and Celtic Tattoos. Celtic Tattoo, which is relevant in the modern world, comes from ancient art and manuscripts of Ireland, Scotland and England and it is generally done in Old English Font. In Chinese tattoo is called "Wen Shen" or "Ci Shen" that means literally "puncture the body". Tattoo has been known and practiced in China for many years. Today Chinese tattoos are widely favored all over the world as it is very popular these days to get tattoos written in a language that is not your native tongue. [7]
Lettering tattoos can contain from a single word to word-combinations, phrases, verses and sentences, as well as abbreviations.
e.g. “It’s a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe that lures him to evil ways”. “Life Won’t Wait”. “No Day But Today” (a quote from the Broadway musical “Rent” (done on face)), ''Ես իմ անուշ Հայաստանի՛՛(a quote from Armenian poet Yeghisheh Charents' poem dedicated to Armenia) ''Արցախ'' (''Artsakh''), ''Այսօր'' (''Today''), ''ՍՀԷ'', (''Սա Հայաստան է'' ‘‘This is Armenia''- abbreviation) etc. (see Picture1)
Picture1. Lettering tattoos in the form of a phrase
Tattoos can express joy or sorrow. In this case a whole sentence can be found.
e.g. “I wish to weep but sorrow is stupid. I wish to believe but belief is a graveyard”.
Tattoos may express a desire to induce a state of fear and terror the enemy, for example, people who cannot even pull the skin off a custard pudding have tattoos like “Death before Dishonour”, “Born to Fight”. In the West such threatenings are part of everyday culture. Whereas in Armenian linguoculture a raft of tattoos refering the 30-year-long Armenian-Azerbaijan war can be found. e.g. ''Կյանք ու կռիվ'' (Life and Fight) (the title of the Armenian film), ''Ոչ մի քայլ ետ'' (''No retreat''), ''Հայ Արծիվներ'' (''Armenian Eagles'') tattoos as a sign and symbol of Armenian soldiers' courage and iron will. (see Picture 2)
Picture 2. Tattoos as a sign of courage and iron will
A tattoo can become the most extreme form of protest, for example in Russian labour camps, where lots of tattooing went on, texts were tattooed from shoulder to shoulder declaiming: “A Russia without Reds” or “I thank the communist masters for my happy childhood”, illustrated with the starving, expressionless head of a child behind a barbed wire fence with watchtower and searchlights. [8]
In addition, there are tattoos which record medical information, such as, for example, the blood group, which is common practice in the American and English military [9], or the date of birth of their beloved and children.
Other tattoos are personal statements concerning love and friendship or about patriotism. e.g. “True Love”. “The sweetest girl I ever kissed was another man’s wife”. “Made in Scotland”, “100% IRISH”.
Tattoos can also have a racial background, for example “White Power” or “100% White” are prison tattoos of white Americans, white prisoners who have banded together against their black opponents. A vivid example of the recent tattoos with racial background is the one symbolizing the struggle of the blacks against discrimination originated in the US and is now a mainstream - "Black Lives Matter". (see Picture 3)
Picture 3. Tattoos with racial background
Tattoos can serve as signs of a person's riligious identity in a form of crosses or naming of important riligious events in a person’s life, for example, pilgrims record the goal of their pilgrimage, whether it be Jerusalem or Santiago, whether they are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists or Hindus. Sometimes, tattooing can be the result of sadism, torture, superstition and have a religious background or indicate the beginning of or the transition to another phase of life, from boy to man, from girl to woman and numerous other significant stages in a life, whether of a religious, social or other character. One of the dramatic episodes of the genocidal policy implemented by the Ottoman Turkish government against Armenian population in the beginning of the 20th century was tattooing the Armenian women by force. In order to save their own lives and the lives of their loved ones many Armenian women forcibly adopted Islam. They eventually were married off to Turks and in keeping with local tribal customs, were marked with specific tattoos. [10] (see Picture 4)
Picture 4. An Armenian Woman marked with specific Turkish tattoos
Tattoos were extensively used as amulets in the Middle East and Islamic countries, with the wearers believing that the mark imbued them with magical powers. These tattoos were often in the form of dots or a small “x” as signs of protection, strength or fertility. These new markings represented new belonging and a marked change in their life.
As for the Armenian tattoos, it should be mentioned that the first tattoos are considered to be Urartian tattoos using the Urartian letters and symbols. The Armenians who left their land to save their lives from the Genocide implemented by the Ottoman Turkish government and who are now spread all over the world, tattoo themselves with patriotic symbols like the mount Ararat or the flag of Armenia and the words “Armenia”, “I’m Armenian”, “Hayastan” written in Old English Font.
The bottom line is that tattoos evoke a range of reactions-from interest, astonishment and admiration to consternation and abhorrence. Suffice it to say that they are met with open mouths or frowns, their bearers are judged or misjudged, awaking fear or desire. Tattoos have long been used to mark membership into some exclusive group. Whether it is ancient Greeks who used tattoos to communicate with spies, tribes in Borneo who used tattoos as a primitive form of ID, or modern-day Hells Angels who use tattoos to represent status and how many people they’ve killed -tattoos have not only helped shape cultures but also helped define what a culture is.
On balance, the results of the research conducted for the study confirmed the assumptions set before the research. Tattooing has always played an important role in people’s ritual and traditions and the cultural component is pretty vivid in their linguistic expression. Tattooing is one of the multi-content signs that characterizes any people, any linguistic and cultural unity, but there is a slight difference in the content of lettering tattoos due to the national and individual worldview.
References
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- Плуцер-Сарно А., Язык тела и политика: символика воровских татуировок, M.2006. http://ec-dejavu.ru/p/Publ_Plucer_Tattoo.html
- Electronic resource: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/fashion/24TATTOO.html
- Collins English Online Dictionary, available at https://www.collinsdictionary.com
- Larkin M., Tattoing in the '90s. Chicago.1993. - pp. 28-30
- Electronic resource: https://artemisiasroyalden.wordpress.com
- Electronic resource: http://en.chinaculture.org
- Electronic resource: http://www.geltonastigras.lt/art.html
- National Identity in Africa, edited by M. Palmberg, Nordic Africa Institute, 1999.
- Electronic resource: https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/126377