From New Year's Staple to Cultural Heritage: Olivier Salad in Artistic and Media Discourse

Abstract

This article explores the functioning of the lexical unit “Olivier salad” within artistic and media interpretations. The materials for analysis are drawn from the Russian National Corpus (both main and newspaper corpora), the lexicographical resource “New in Russian Lexicon: Dictionary Materials,” various websites, and more. Over 1,300 examples have been analyzed. It is noted that in contemporary communication, “Olivier” is becoming a common noun. Derivatives of the analyzed term are presented, including “olivyezhka,” “olivyeviy,” “olivyev,” and “raw-Olivier,” among others. The study demonstrates that these nominations are found in contexts related to New Year’s celebrations as well as discussions of social phenomena, serving as metaphorical designations. Based on contextual surroundings, the study reveals distinctive features of the value perception of the lexical unit “Olivier salad,” emphasizing the ambivalence of its evaluation: while its traditional nature is acknowledged, the salad is also critiqued for its primitiveness and banality. The signification of Olivier is highlighted through an economic metaphor (the “Olivier index”). The authors note the archetypal nature of the image, its symbolism, and its ritualized, ceremonial character. Aspects of meaning are identified that have led to further metaphorical nominations of phenomena from other spheres, most commonly socio-political ones, utilizing a typified context (simple, inevitable like Olivier, etc.).