DYNAMICS OF CHANGES IN SYNTAXICAL UNITS IN THE GERMAN FAIRY TAIL "MOTHER HOLLE": THE SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH EDITIONS

Abstract

The article is devoted to a quantitative and qualitative analysis of changes in syntactic units (sentences, phrases, and part of sentences) in the second, third, and fourth editions of the German fairy tale "Mother Holle". General scientific methods of induction, deduction, synthesis, analysis and generalisation, and linguistic methods – comparative, structural and descriptive were employed. According to the results of quantitative changes in syntactic units, the third edition dominates (50%), followed by the second (37,5%) and fourth (12,5%) editions. The distribution of qualitative changes in syntactic units favoured compound-coordinate sentences, extended by a subordinate or temporal clause (25%), complex sentences with a subordinate or causal clause (25%), simple sentences (12,5%), prepositional phrases (12,5%), noun phrases (12,5%), and pronominal adverbs (12,5%). Compound-coordinated sentences create an impression of lightness, clarity and elegance of description. The subordinate clauses by which they are expanded clarify the corresponding element of the main clause and fulfil its function. A simple sentence is both an independent syntactic unit, used in all styles of our language, and a component of more complex syntactic structures. Simple sentences focus attention on dynamism, whilst complex sentences – whether subordinate or coordinate – focus on the unfolding of the action. Noun phrases convey connotation, interrogative sentences soften the categorical nature of the statement, prepositional phrases provide detail, and pronominal adverbs allow repetition to be avoided. The expressive possibilities of sentence structure, the means of its expansion and segmentation, the ways of combining sentences, and the syntactic organisation of the fairy tale’s text determine its rhythm and the pace at which it is received. The Brothers Grimm revised the second, third and fourth editions of the fairy tale «Mother Holle» with the aim of adapting it for family reading and for its educational impact on children.