The semantics of phraseological units with the ideographic field "animal"

Abstract

Neologisms are stable linguistic structures that reflect changes in the socio-cultural life of language speakers. They serve as indicators of alterations in the linguistic worldview. The German language has developed word formation models that allow for the easy creation of new idioms. The aim of the study is to compare neologisms with "old" idioms to determine changes in the linguistic picture of the world. The scientific novelty lies in revealing the new meanings of idioms, reflecting changes in the social and cultural life of language speakers. The ideographic field "animal world" is one of the oldest layers of German phraseology, so the emergence of new idioms in this area shows the adaptation of the image of animals to the realities of modern society. Here, the semantics of idioms within the ideographic field "animal world" (idioms with animal names) reflect the linguistic picture of the world, where animals metaphorically characterize human behavior, appearance, and feelings, and reflect the national and cultural specifics of the people. Therefore, a comparative analysis of traditional idioms and neologisms (new stable expressions that have appeared recently) allows us to see how the linguistic picture of the world, culture, and societal mindset are changing. The largest group in the thematic field "Animal World" in the German linguistic picture of the world consists of idioms with the key component Hund – Dog; the second most prevalent are idioms with the key component Pferd – Horse; followed by idioms with the key component Schwein – Pig; then idioms with the key component Bär – Bear; in fifth place are idioms with the key component Hase – Hare; and finally, the last are idioms with the key component Fuchs – Fox. If a neologism remains and consolidates in the language, only then can we speak of a full-fledged replenishment of the phraseological fund with new stable units reflecting current cultural and social changes. Until that time, such idioms reflect new realities of contemporary society but may not be fixed in the mentality of language speakers.