The Semantics and Pragmatics of an Old Romanian Expression: “a se duce la Cucuiata”

Abstract

This paper analyses, from a semantic and pragmatic perspective, the meaning of an old Romanian phraseological unit a se duce la Cucuiata, thus providing insights into the archaic Romanian mentality and cultural patterns. Originating from the word cucui (bump), cucuiata was used to designate an elevated plot of land. The expression included, initially, a euphemistic reference to death, as archaic burial places were usually located on hills, and constituted a linguistic device mirroring the reluctance to deal with human mortality in an undeviating way. However, the connotations of the expression have changed in contemporary Romanian language, to refer to a secluded, distant place, far from civilization, often a symbol of lack of education and limited understanding of the world (pejorative meaning). To reveal the present-day uses of this word, the paper examines and interprets contexts taken from the virtual environment.