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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093

This phraseologism can also be used in its shortened version: «white picket fence» («бе-

лый забор из штакетника»). In the example below this shortened version is used with a negative meaning:

I could walk for miles and miles and not see any store or form of public transportation. To perform simple tasks of grocery shopping, watching movies or even eating out at a restaurant requires driving on the highway. The white picket fence dream, however pleasing to the eye, is an isolating notion [13*].

In some contexts the expression “the white picket fence” or “picket fence” also conveys the following meaning: a habit, norm, certain stability (this meaning arises from the fact that in American culture that very “fence” has been one of actualizations of the “norm” for many decades). For example, let us look at the following lyrics from the song by the band called “Fall Out Boy”:

Baby, you were my picket fence е [14*].

Interestingly, many of the fences in American suburbs are still the white picket ones.

1.10. American dream . This expression is one of the most important both for the analysis of American phraseologisms and understanding the American mentality. American dream the expression usually presumes the possibility to be in charge of one’s own life and success, to make one’s life just the way their talent and work ethic will let them. There is another semantic facet to this expression that has to do with the everyday aspect of living: life in the suburbs with a house, backyard, etc. Thus we see a semantic congruence with the previous expression. American dream in its “everyday” meaning often used as a tool to criticize the suburbs and associated lifestyle, the “boringly philistine” aspirations of an individual. In her book “The End of the Suburbs: Where the American Dream is Moving” Leigh Gallagher writes:

It ponders the origins of the American dream and how it came to be synonymous with a house and a yard [15*].

1.11. Dullsville, Boringville . There is a word-formation model in the American vernacular in which the French lexeme “ville” (city), which in turn is derived from the Latin “villa,” is used. There are actual populated localities whose names were created by means of using the lexeme “vile”: Nashville, Castroville, Gainesville, etc. However in the context of this type of word formation in the vernacular it usually conveys a negative attitude of the speaker toward a phenomenon, an individual or a place. Example: «It was Disasterville on campus that morning» [16*].

In the context that is of interest to us, the expressions “Dullsville” (dull+city/town) and

"Boringville" (boring+city/town), are typically used to describe small towns, rural or suburban:

-You call this place dullsville, but something exciting must happen around here to support these home prices.

- It's our proximity to Manhattan [17*].

1.12. Conformist suburbs, suburban conformity, conformist (suburban ) lifestyle. This group of phraseologisms is used to describe the “template-based” (both on the outside and the inside) nature of suburbs and suburban lifestyle:

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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093

Not all Americans bought into the middle class, suburban myth . Many in the academic field called the conformity of the era into question on essays, books, and research papers. While most Hollywood film celebrated the consumerist/conformist lifestyle of the 1950’s, some filmmakers challenged it […] [18*].

We should note that William Levitt, the main architect of the American suburb (“The King of Suburbia”), used the assembly line principles when building affordable suburban housing for the Americans returning from the World War II in the 1940’s and later [11]. This approach can largely explain the “template nature” of the American suburb (“cottage town”) in general and the perception of suburbs as an “unacceptable” conformist locality and the lifestyle associated with it by some individuals in particular.

1.13. Cul-de-sac. In most cases this lexeme is used in its primary meaning: dead end, the street that does not have an exit. Typically it is associated with the suburbs as there are a lot of dead end streets in these types of inhabited localities. “Cul-de-sac” (literal “the bottom of the bag”) goes back to Latin but is directly borrowed from French. Gradually this term became an expression that conveys the following meaning: boring, “dead end” life, a place where nothing ever happens, a spiritual “dead end.” Example:

They [Millennials] don’t want cars, and they don’t want cul-de-sacs – two of the pillars on which suburban life depends [19*].

There is a group of American expressions that convey the perception of specific categories of individuals, including women. All three phraseologisms identified by us denote a married, typically middle class woman with children.

1. Stepford wives. This linguistic unit is borrowed from the book of the American writer

Ira Levin (“Stepford Wives”), which was later adapted for screen two times. Soon it became an expression. A Stepford wife is a married woman who adapts her entire life to the needs and wants of her husband, engaging in things like cooking, cleaning, etc. She also keeps a very well groomed appearance, again, for her husband’s pleasure. It is presumed that a Stepford wife has also sacrificed her dreams, ambitions, and even a career. In the book, the main heroine, a talented ambitious photographer named Joanna moves from Manhattan to a seemingly idyllic town of

Stepford, upon the insistence of her husband. Eventually Joanna (along with other “Stepford wives”) is “eliminated” as she is replaced by the perfect robot, her clone, whose only talent and desire is to take care of the house and children, and please her husband (this murderous “replacement” is conducted upon the approval of the women’s spouses).

The book, written in 1972 during the second wave of American feminism, is of course a metaphorical rebellion against denying the woman the right to personal and professional fulfillment [13]. However there is also another important component to the book: to an extent, it can be viewed as an “anti-suburban satire,” because suburban life with its “inherent” conformist nature “imposed by the society” and philistine aspirations “presumes” a certain submission of a woman to “stepfordism.” It is not by accident that Joanna’s family moves to Stepford from New York City (“the place where dreams come true and ambitions become fulfilled”).

Example:

Help! I’m surrounded by suburban Stepford housewives [20*].

2. Soccer mom. This expression denotes a woman that lives in a suburb and dedicates a large portion of her time to driving her children to the soccer practice and other activities. The etymology of this expression is such that soccer practice for children is very popular in the noncity America, and the responsibility to drive the child to it and then pick him or her up often

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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093

rests on the mother. This expression can imply both a neutral (descriptive) meaning (a woman living in a suburb and, among other things, taking care of her children), and a somewhat negative one (a “woman whose personal identification begin and ends with caring for her children and her home”; it is also assumed that soccer moms are car-dependant). From a review of a café:

The clientele seems to skew toward boring soccer moms and moms-to-be [21*].

Let us refer to an interesting historical use of this expression in its neutral (descriptive) meaning: in 1995 in Denver, in an attempt to make female voters relate to her, the City Council candidate Susan Casey ran her campaign with the slogan “A Soccer Mom for City Council!”

Interestingly, Casey won the election.

As expected, this expression can also be used as a somewhat negative one: in this context it denotes the “beige” suburban quality of the soccer mom’s life:

Soccer mom starter pack. [It includes, first and foremost, a large vehicle, sunglasses, a large bag, a sweatshirt, a folding chair, etc.] [22*].

In this example a certain humorous, supercilious attitude toward this “female type” is displayed.

3. Suburban mom . Aside from its more neutral meaning, his expression has a similar meaning as the previous two: a married woman with 2-3 children living in the suburbs, whose life is dedicated to carrying for her home and children. Example:

The music is skewed a little bit to an older generation compared to Manhattan classes, but that's expected considering suburban moms are their largest clientele [23*].

We should note that there is also a less common linguistic unit “city mom”. However its phraseological nature is not as pronounced as it is largely used to describe (a woman with children that lives in the city) and not to evaluate.

II. Expressions that convey the perception of New York by New Yorkers .

In order to more fully understand the reasons why some city residents (New Yorkers) see everything non-city in such a peculiar light it is important to identify the expressions that convey the perception of New York by its own residents. We should note that the “native New Yorker” status is a subject of a special pride for those who were born in the city. However the concept “New Yorker “extends to all residing in the city: we have not observed the kind of negative division of the city residents into those who were and were not born there. It could be explained by the fact that the term “New Yorker” is interpreted by many as a state of mind, an aspiration to live a certain lifestyle, not a “privilege by birth.”

Let us address several phraseologisms associated with how New York is perceived by the New Yorkers and those that admire the city and city lifestyle:

1. Cit y that never sleeps. With respect to New York this term was originally used in the early 20th century. However it became legendary when it was used in the theme song “New York, New York” in Martin Scorsese’s movie of the same title (1977). To be more precise the expression and the song became legendary when Frank Sinatra included “New York, New York” in his repertoire. Since then the song has been an unofficial anthem of the city. The expression “city that never sleeps” (“city that doesn’t sleep”) implies an exciting life that goes on

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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093

day and night in New York, as well as an incredibly variety of the city life. It is very commonly used in the context of New York.

Interestingly, the song “New York, New York” also contains a phraseologism that applies a certain negative perception of the non-city (small town) life: «my little town blues are melting away». The expression “small town blues” is an independent phraseologism that implies the counterposing of the diversity and excitement of the city life and a “quiet, monotonous life” in a small town.

2.If I make it here, I can make it anywhere. This expression has also been borrowed from the song “New York, New York” and is iconic in describing the city. It implies the perception of New York as a dream place where everything is possible and living in which is the “true test of one’s talent and stamina.”

3.New York State of Mind. This expression has been created by means of the already existing expression “state of mind” and the name of the city. It is the name of the song of a famous American singer, Billy Joel, whose song alter-ego does not want to go to Hollywood or

Miami Beach, but to New York as he is experiencing the “New York state of mind.” This phrase has also become an expression.

There is another instance in which a variation of this expression is used in a song: “Empire State of Mind.” This composition is performed by the famous Brooklyn-born rapper Jay-Z and a singer Alicia Keys. Here we see a play on words: “Empire State” refers both to the name of the iconic New York landmark and the meaning of the word “empire” per se. As we can see in its name, this song has been inspired by Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind.” It also contains the lyrics from the aforementioned song “New York, New York.” The chorus of the song is also of interest to us as it conveys the perception of the city by those who live there and who admire it:

New York, concrete jungle

Where dreams are made of,

There’s nothing you can’t do.

Now you’re in New York,

These streets will make you feel brand new,

Big lights will inspire you [24*].

There are also other expressions that imply the perception of cities in general and New York in particular as a place where everything is possible, such as: big city lights (огни боль-

шого города), big city life, etc.

4. New York Cit y is my backyard. Variations: Manhattan is my backyard, Central park is my backyard. This expression is important not just for the purpose of understanding the perception of New York and cities in general by city lovers but also in the context of counterposing the New York (city) lifestyle and the non-city way of life (especially suburban). It can be explained by the fact that in the minds of suburban and rural area residents, a backyard (or a piece of land that comes with the house) is a necessity in people’s life, especially if the individual has a family and children (as it gives them an additional space, a sense that one’s living space is not limited to the house itself and extends beyond it, the connection with nature, calm, the ability to install a playground for the children, etc.) Therefore in the eyes of many non-city residents the impossibility of having a backyard in the city (among other things) makes urban lifestyle “unacceptable.”

At the same time, by way of this expression, New Yorkers declare that they do not need a literal backyard when they have the entire city, all of Manhattan, Central park for a “backyard.” Also the following meaning can be conveyed: in the suburbs the backyard ends with the backyard not offering many options for things to do in one’s spare time with regard to enter-

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tainment, cultural diversity outside of this very backyard. In New York however the “backyard” is the culture, the “big city lights,” the wide range of things to do, the ability of taking walks around the city, etc.

Thus the “New York” group of phraseologisms allows us to conclude what New York is, what the New York lifestyle is, and who the New Yorkers are. Let us refer to the latter: a New

Yorker is the person who desires to “feel life to the fullest,” to be in the “big world,” to be “in the center of everything”; it is a person who likes the fast pace of city living and welcomes the constant sense of competition inherent to living in a place like New York; these individuals find it of importance that they live in the center of cultural life. The New Yorkers also desire for their children to grow up with similar values and view of the world, love for arts and culture, etc. Taking into account that the majority of the American population lives in a more “closed in” (physical and “cultural”) space of a suburb and relies on a car for any kind of getting around, city residents in general and New Yorkers in particular have such a heightened sense of the difference between the two lifestyles, in addition to the universal phenomenon of “big city snobbery” per se.

III. Phraseologisms that convey the perception of the cit y (city lifest yle) b y those living in the suburbs.

We should note that there are not as many expressions that convey the suburbanites’ attitude toward city lifestyle and city dwellers. Our research and personal observations have shown that typically suburban residents describe the city living and what they do not like about it per se; they do not use many linguistic units that gradually become expressions (and thus, would be not just descriptive but also evaluative). Three out of four expressions identified during our research are descriptive in nature as they refer to the size of the living space in New York (and city dwellers in general). Only one expression conveys the perception of the city lifestyle in general (see 4):

1. Shoebox apartment . This phraseologism is used by all categories of population (those residing in cities, suburbs, rural areas, etc.). It implies the following meaning: city residents live in very small apartments; prices for city real estate are very high. In the context when this expression is used by suburbanites to describe the lifestyle of the city dwellers (i.e., New Yorkers), it also acquires a negative semantic undertone of counterposing the suburban and city lifestyles, which implies that the former is the “better” one, not in the least because it allows for more spacious affordable living accommodations.

In some contexts this expression also implies that many New Yorkers are willing to live in a “box” as long as they are able to belong to the “elite” category of the New York population. This semantic facet can also imply a certain “pretentiousness” that “might be typical” of some

New Yorkers. Example:

We can get married in New York and live in a little shoebox apartment together [25*].

This phraseologism can also be used in a shortened version “shoebox”:

For Scott Elyanow, there’s no place like his West Village shoebox [26*].

2. Refrigerator-box apartment. This expression implies the same meaning as the previous one. Interestingly, due to the exorbitant real estate prices in New York, there is a micro apartment trend that exists in the city: for example, one such 73 square feet apartment in Manhattan is quite literally not that much bigger than a refrigerator box. The choice to live in such small living space, again, implies the kind of mindset many New Yorkers have (“it is better to live in the ‘box’ but in the ‘city of all cities’ than in ‘some’ suburb (‘cottage town’)”).

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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093

Some suburbanites exercise a skeptical, even sarcastic attitude toward such a mindset and do not understand it. Example:

I don’t want to live in a refrigerator -box apartment in the city [27*].

3. Closet-sized apartment . This expression is similar to the previous two. Oftentimes the “closet” in this context implies a walk-in closet that can be found in many suburban homes.

This phraseologism, again, plays up the “not always understandable” desire of the New Yorkers to stay in the city (especially Manhattan) at any cost. Interestingly, even the smallest of New York City apartments are very expensive to rent or buy. As an example let us refer to the following headline in “NY Daily News”:

Life in a closet: The closet -size studio apartment in Manhattan, that is! [28*].

4. Rat race. This expression is also used by all categories of population (urban, suburban, rural, etc.) and refers to a particular kind of lifestyle. However oftentimes it is utilized to address specifically the city lifestyle. It is the kind of lifestyle that is characterized by the following: a person is constantly stressed, perpetually competing with others and their own selves; their life is filled with fatigue, bustle, and stress. By way of this expression the suburbanites are able to convey the rejection of the city lifestyle. Example:

After all, for over twenty-four years, you’ve survived and succeeded in the New York rat race […]. [29*].

Therefore, the analysis of this category of phraseologisms has allowed us to conclude the following about suburban residents, their views and lifestyle: it is important for them to have such attributes as a private house, relatively large living space; backyard, comfortable automobile; calm, peaceful lifestyle, the ability to “hear the birds in the morning,” “to see the trees in the window,” closeness to and with nature.

5.As for the cit y lifest yl e, in the minds of many suburban residents, it is characterized by the following: living in “beehives” (apartment/apartment building type of living space), “shoeboxes” (size of the living space); constant presence of noise and large crowds; lack of the quiet and ability to truly relax; the sense of a certain alienation related to the fact that one is constantly surrounded by hurried strangers; lack of the feeling “my home is my castle,” “domestic kingdom” in general and lack of the backyard in particular; the need to use public transportation in general and subway in particular

(unlike city dwellers, many suburban residents see their dependency on an automobile as a positive equating it with comfort).

As mentioned above, for many, if not most Americans, the concept of city living is seen as an exception and not at all the rule: the majority of the population does not see this concept as something acceptable, as something that even comes to mind when talking about the concept of a lifestyle per se (what does come to mind is a house, a car, and a backyard). In the eyes of many non-city residents, city is not a place to live in general, however if a person does live there, as soon as he or she starts a family, they move to the suburbs, by default. For most Americans such lifestyle transformation is a given, as it is “not possible to bring up children in the city.”

It should be noted that due to the fact that the majority of Americans are brought up in a non-urban setting, and from childhood they are “taught” the kind of lifestyle that, in a lot of ways, is the opposite of the urban one (i.e., the suburban and suburban-rural lifestyles are pre-

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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093

sented as the “by default” ones in TV commercials, movies, speeches of politicians and public figures: it is the “nice house” and not a “nice apartment” that is cited as an aspiration or a desirable life setting), it is possible to assume that the nature of the perception of the city-suburb paradigm by many Americans is, to an extent, pre-determined (“pre-programmed”). On the same token, many of city residents in general and (non-native) New Yorkers in particular were also brought up in the suburbs and other types of non-city settings, thus they too had been “programmed” to favor the non-city life. However, regardless of that, they subsequently made the choice in favor of the “opposite” lifestyle. Therefore, in many instances, their choice can be viewed as a more “independent,” “non-pre-determined” one.

It is also of interest to compare the nature of the cit y-suburb paradigms in Russia and the United States. According to the author’s observations, if we abstract ourselves from such concepts as standards of living, income, etc. and concentrate strictly on the city vs. non-city aspects of the typical Russian vs. typical American lifestyle, we will see that the “typical provincial” (large, medium or medium-small size) Russian city/town resembles New York or any big city to a greater extent than the “typical provincial” American town. Thus, the American cities and “provincial towns” (suburbs, rural suburbs, etc.) differ from one another more significantly than these types of populated localities in Russia. While in Russia the basic components of an urban lifestyle are present both in big cities and provincial towns (the ability to move around on foot, presence of arts and culture institutions, “diffused” infrastructure, presence of people on the streets, etc.), in the United States these two types of living are founded on significantly more different, at times opposing principles. In Russia the concept of suburbs (cottage towns) per se only started to develop in the 1990’s when the wealthy Moscovites were able to build private estates outsides of the country’s capital. It was not until the 2000’s that the rest of the population (mostly upper middle class) started to buy or build private houses outside of cities. Thus in Russia the concept of suburban living is not nearly as widespread and a part of the Russian mentality and culture as it is in America.

Conclusion. On the basis of our analysis of American phraseologisms semantically related to the concepts of city and suburb we are able to infer that in the United States there is a certain “stand off” between the city and suburban lifestyles. The results of the phraseological research as well as the author’s personal observations have allowed us to conclude the following specificities of the verbal means utilized by the various categories of the American population (the categories are formed based on the type of populated locality the individual is living in and their views on a lifestyle per se) to express their attitude toward two of the three main types of lifestyles in America (suburban and urban) from the spacial and other perspectives:

It is established that as a whole city residents (New Yorkers) touch upon the “differences” between the city and suburban lifestyles more frequently. Oftentimes, especially among some residents of New York, an evaluative (negative) attitude toward the suburb and suburban living prevails where the city living is seen as the “superior” kind. The suburban residents are less preoccupied with the city vs. suburbs dynamic. One of the possible explanations of this phenomenon could be the following: within the United States, the concepts of the“norm” and “American standard” are usually associated with suburban living because the traditional American social formula implies a house, backyard, white picket fence, and a front lawn. This is why those who make the choice in favor of the “non-norm,” namely those who choose the city lifestyle a priori are more likely to criticize the aforementioned prescribed formula of the “American dream” and argue the advantages of city living. At the same time, those people, sui generis, who had accepted the “American lifestyle formula,” which, to an extent, had been imbedded in them, are less likely to compare the (suburban) lifestyle that they know and understand to any other.

Therefore, this “stand off” between the two types of lifestyle (urban and suburban) can be seen, to an extent, as a cultural conflict, the conflict of values, the conflict between the base and the secondary structure, namely between the material and cultural-emotional. Thus, the city

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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 4 (19), 2017 ISSN 2587-8093

dwellers sacrifice the material (a house with the backyard) in the name of the culturalintellectual lifestyle (theaters, concerts, spontaneous interactions with other people, the ability to walk, the diversity of entertainment options, etc.), as well as the sense of living in the social center, a certain rhythm of living, etc.

In other words, with respect to the social component, the city lifestyle is characterized by polycentrism (I and the others, I among others), while the suburban lifestyle is more egocentric (me and my family, me and my house, me and my neighbors). There is also the issue of correlation between the spacial units (The big World and The small World ), each of which serves as the criterion for choosing between the city and suburban lifestyles. At the same time there is a certain internal conflict that is at work here: the formula for the American Dream is perceived as a given (a house, a white picket fence, etc.), but on the other hand, each individual should have their own formula for happiness: hence a certain opposition to the norm, which is conveyed via many linguistic units that later become phraseologisms.

The descriptions of the suburban lifestyle offered by city residents (New Yorkers) are often evaluative in nature. Typically, a negative evaluation is given to the suburban way of life. In most cases the gestalt metaphors serve as verbal explicators of the perception of the suburbs and suburban lifestyle by New Yorkers: “suburbs are the Dullsville,” “suburbs are ghost towns,” “suburbs are the white picket fence,” etc. On the one hand, the following evaluative opinions are actualized: the lack of noticeable changes and of the sense of “percolating life” in the suburbs, lack of people on the streets (ghost-towns), lack of the city bustle; the quiet; a certain sterility of this type of lifestyle (perfect lawns, homes, etc.). The technical criterion used to define the suburban lifestyle comprises a separate axiological unit: suburbs are the kingdom of automobiles. In this regard the technical (automobile) metaphors used as linguistic representations of the suburbs are of a special interest to us: “suburbs are an drive in utopia, land of mandatory motoring,” “national automobile slum,” “United Parking Lot of America (UPL)” [5*]. The negatively marked features of suburban lifestyle are projected onto suburban residents who are assigned similar characteristics: auto-dependent individuals, conformists, a closed in community, “beige” people, etc.

Although suburban residents frequently express a skeptical and even negative attitude toward city living, generally speaking, their “anti-city” arguments are relatively “neutral” in nature. Typically, in this context the following meanings are actualized: many city dwellers, including New Yorkers, live in “shoebox apartments,” they are surrounded by “noise,” “bustle”; “the city is crowded,” “there is no singing on birds in the morning,” etc. Those expressions that convey the clearly evaluative (negative) assessment of the city lifestyle per se (“rat race”) are also used by the city dwellers themselves, including New Yorkers, and therefore are not “suburban” enough in their usage.

The attitude of some city residents displayed in relation to the suburbs is generally subjectively evaluative and is negative. The following perceived features of suburban lifestyle are identified: “lack of sophistication” in suburbanites, “an automobile has replaced the feet for humans,” “a special (provincial) style in clothing, behavior, mannerisms,” “boring life,” “beige” (routine) life, etc.

The following categories of individuals become the object of the evaluation embedded in American phraseologisms: 1) suburbanites (“bridge and tunnel people” – meaning suburban residents who have to cross bridges and tunnels to get to New York), “beige” (boring) people; 2) societal types (female “types”: “Stepford wives,” “soccer moms”), etc.

By way of using phraseologisms suburban residents express their opinion regarding specific features of the city life, usually evaluating it based on its spacial characteristics. Thus, the very limited square footage of a typical New York apartment can serve as the basis of the negative perception of urban living by suburbanites. While the actual arguments the suburban residents make about the disadvantages of living in the city may be more abstract and not just

“specifically descriptive” (i.e., the “lack of calm” and “harmony” in the city), the actual phrase41

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ologisms used by suburbanites to evaluate the city lifestyle are quite specific (and deal with the physical “logistics” of living in the city as opposed to the abstract evaluation of the city lifestyle as a whole). The “anti-city” phraseologisms contain a number of metaphorical meanings that can be easily recognized (i.e., the (New York) apartment the size of a shoebox/ refrigerator box/ closet)). Thus, by way of using artefactual metaphoric images and associations that contain an element of irony, suburban residents convey their negative perception of the city lifestyle.

Compared to the expressions used by suburbanites, the “lifestyle” phraseologisms utilized by city dwellers are not so much object-based as they are philosophical, social in nature; the cognitive basis for them is comprised of the following: a) emotional-psychological criterion

(“suburban malaise”); b) phantasmagoric (“suburban utopia”); c) theological (“suburban hell”); d) coloristic (“beige suburbs”),etc.

According to the semantic content of the contemporary American phraseologisms that address the spacial aspect, city dwellers, especially New Yorkers, favor the cultural-intellectual aspect of life. They key maxims that are actualized in the expressions with the semantic component “the city” are: culture, entertainment options diversity, sense of the “big world,” the “big city” rhythm (i.e., сity that never sleeps, the place where dreams come true (“If I make it here, I can make it anywhere”); the special (New York) state of mind; the city as a home (“New York is my backyard,” “Manhattan is my backyard,” “Central park is my backyard”), etc.

As follows from the analysis of the expressions with the pertinent archiseme, the value paradigm of the suburban residents is primarily comprised of the 4 following elements: a) habitus and comfort, the materialistic (physical) aspect (private home, lawn, backyard, pool, etc.); b) nature-morphic (closeness to nature); c) spacial freedom; d) emotional and psychological aspect (the ability to be away from noise, bustle, etc.).

Thus, according to our linguistic research, between the two types of “spaces” (the physical and cultural-intellectual), city dwellers choose the latter, at the cost of their living space; suburban residents, on the other hand, due to both the societal “norm,” upbringing, and their personal preferences choose space per se, namely the ability to live in a house with a backyard.

References

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[3]Gallagher, L. (2013). The End of the Suburbs. New York, NY: Portfolio/Pinguin,

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[4]Suburban growth. Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// http://www.ushistory.org/us/53b.asp.

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[6]New Census Data Show Differences Between Urban and Rural Populations. Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2016/cb16- 210.html.

[7]Jed Kolko. How suburban are big American cities? Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-suburban-are-big-american-cities/.

[8]Gallagher, L. (2013). The End of the Suburbs. New York, NY: Portfolio/Pinguin,

p.13;

[9]MTA Bridges and tunnels. Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https://www.ibtta.org/member/mta-bridges-and-tunnels.

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[10]Suburbia. Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https: //www .etymonline .com /word /suburbia.

[11]Brett LoGiurato. In An Interview With Playboy, Ed Koch Delivered A Famous Line About The Hell Of Living In The Suburbs. Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// http://www.businessinsider.com/ed-koch-dead-dies-playboy-interview-suburbs-wasting-life- 2013-2.

[12]Suburban growth. Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// http://www.ushistory.org/us/53b.asp.

[13]Megan Hess. Second and third-wave feminist values and culture in “The Stepfrod Wives.” Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// http://www.cinemablography.org/blog/second- and-third-wave-feminist-values-and-culture-in-the-stepford-wives.

Analysed sources

[1*] Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Nov. 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/city;

[2*]

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Nov. 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]//

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suburb;

[3*]

Are Manhattanites becoming Brooklyn’s bridge-and-tunnel crowd? New York

Times. Nov. 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/style/are- manhattanites-becoming-brooklyns-bridge-and-tunnel-crowd.html;

[4*] Razg. Lichnye nabljudenija avtora;

[5*] Gorodskoj slovar'. Nov.15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https:/ /www. urbandictionary. com/define.php?term=Suburbia;

[6*] Nelly Lin. The dystopian outcome of suburban utopia. Dailycal.org. Nov. 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// http://www.dailycal.org/2017/03/12/dystopian-outcome-suburban- utpoia/;

[7*] Nelly Lin. The dystopian outcome of suburban utopia. Dailycal.org. Nov. 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// http://www.dailycal.org/2017/03/12/dystopian-outcome-suburban- utpoia/;

[8*] International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. American beauty. Encyclopedia.com. Nov. 15, 2017 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>;

[9*] Bikeforums. Suburbs, as in beige. Nov. 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https://www.bikeforums.net/foo/143398-suburbs-beige.html;

[10*] Brett LoGiurato. In An Interview With Playboy, Ed Koch Delivered A Famous Line About The Hell Of Living In The Suburbs. Business Insider. Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs] // http: // www .businessinsider. com /ed –koch –dead –dies –playboy -interview- suburbs - wasting-life-2013-2;

[11*] Peter Howell. A Serious Man: The Existential Absurdity of the Suburban Hell. The Star. Nov 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https: //www .thestar. com/ opinion/ 2009/ 10/ 16 /a_serious_man_the_existential_absurdity_of_suburban_hell.html

[12*] Steve Helling. Tom Brady Muses About His Life's Unexpected Twists. People. Nov.15, 2017[Jelektronnyj resurs]// http://people.com/celebrity/tom-brady-muses-about-his- lifes-unexpected-twists/;

[13*] Nelly Lin. The dystopian outcome of suburban utopia. Dailycal.org. Nov. 15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// http://www.dailycal.org/2017/03/12/dystopian-outcome-suburban- utpoia/;

[14*] What does "picket fence" mean when in lyrics? Quora. Nov.15, 2017 [Jelektronnyj resurs]// https://www.quora.com/What-does-picket-fence-mean-when-in-lyrics;

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