SOCIETY/COMMUNITY NAMES AND THEIR CONNOTATIONS IN TURKISH PROVERBS AND IDIOMS IN TERMS OF SPEECH ACTS THEORY

The theory of speech acts is a theory of language philosophy introduced by J. L. Austin. According to this theory, when something is said, something is done at the same time. Every word that is said will cause some changes in the addressee’s emotions and thoughts. These changes take place in three dimensions, namely the locutionary act, the illocutionary act and the perlocutionary act. Proverbs and idioms are the elements of language in which societies/communities of different sizes sustain their own cultures and transfer them to the future. In these proverbs and idioms, it is possible to find the perspectives and thoughts of societies/communities. They are also the means by which the societies and communities they belong to identify themselves and other societies/communities. For this reason, there are some emotion values (connotation) in the words that inform the society. Proverbs and idioms are described in the words of these societies and communities are defined and given advice about them. In these words, the words that express the society are frequently used. When we look at these characteristics of proverbs and idioms in the context of speech acts theory, it is important to know what kind of actions occur and what changes in emotions and thoughts occur. Society/community names in proverbs and idioms are also meaningful for these acts. In this study, firstly, Turkish proverbs and idioms have been identified names notifying the society and community. Then, the values of the connotations of the society names are discussed in the positive/negative or neutral context. The acts in these proverbs and idioms in the context of Austin's speech acts theory are examined and their position in the definition of society itself and the other is shown, than locutionary acts, the illocutionary acts and perlocutionary acts are discussed