THE CONCEPT OF SYNESTHESIA IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY DIMENSION

Abstract

The article explores the phenomenon of synesthesia, which involves the combination of two or more physically separated spheres of perception. Scientific studies of this phenomenon date back to the beginning of the 18’th century and are related to a number of sciences, such as medicine, psychology, philosophy, art history. Synesthesia has recently seen a great surge of interest in literary studies and linguistics. There is still no comprehensive definition that would cover the core findings in these fields. The article examines the phenomenon of synesthesia in scholarly papers across the above-mentioned disciplines and provides the examples of various types of synesthetic modalities. The analysis of scientific and theoretical approaches to the treatment of synesthesia shows that what all studies of this phenomenon have in common is the fact that a small percentage of people have the ability to feel, which is accompanied by empathy of another modality. From a medical point of view, it was considered a disease for a long time. In psychological research papers, synesthesia is treated merely as a mental phenomenon. From a philosophical perspective, it involves the ability to express impressions in a concept, a combination of the conscious and the unconscious. In art history, the fusion of perceptions gives rise to a new creation. In literary studies and linguistics, it refers to “intermodal properties”, a linguistic form, a subcategory of metaphor. The prime focus of the paper is on structural and morphological features of literary synesthetic phenomena. The examples of syntactic-semantic forms of linguistic synesthesia are given. This study aims to provide a survey of the existing approaches and offer a definition, relevant for further research into the artistic phenomenon of synesthesia in linguistic and aesthetic aspects. It is argued that synesthesia is a special perception of the world that combines two or more separate spheres of perception, conscious and unconscious, and is represented through language. The prospect for further research is the investigation of linguistically expressed synesthesia in a work of fiction.