Contents introduction chapter phraseological units with names of animals and their distinguishing features

CONTENTS


INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...2
CHAPTER 1. Phraseological units with names of animals and their distinguishing features…………………………………………………………….4
1.1. Phraseological units with names of animals and their distinguishing features in English……………………………………………………………………………...4
1.2. Phraseological units with names of animals and their distinguishing features in Russian ……………………………………………………………………………16
CHAPTER 2. Classifying phraseological units with names of animals in English and in Russian…………………………………………………………………....20
2.1. Classifying phraseological units with names of animals in English………….20
2.2. Classifying phraseological units with names of animals in Russian.…………25
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..31
List of used sources and literature……………………………………………...33


INTRODUCTION

English has long acquired the status of the language of international communication, so a good proficiency in a language is necessary in contemporary world. However, the ability to express yourself – is not the ability to speak fluently. Speech should be bright and imaginative, and it is required to have an active vocabulary at least a small amount of original means of expression: phraseology, sayings, proverbs and idioms.

The vocabulary of any language, among other things, contains a set of expressions in speech. English is not an exception: as one of the most ancient linguistic formation with a long history of development and a rich vocabulary, it differs exceptionally with an unusual variety of grammatical and lexical units.
The modern linguistics demonstrates a great interest in a native world picture. In recent times the theory of national stereotypes develops and the knowledge reflecting the image of the world is especially claimed. Namely by this is explicated the study of national mentality through language and linguistic means that evidently define indefatigable interest of linguistics to phraseological units.
Phraseology as a complex area of the linguistic system is a developing field of research and has attracted interest from many sides. The linguisticс attention has been paid to the semantic, syntactic and textual properties of phraseological units, to different approaches of their synchronic and diachronic description, and to cultural specificity.
Phraseology is a study of set or fixed expressions, such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and other types of multi-word lexical units, in which the component parts of the expression take on a meaning more specific than or otherwise not predictable from the sum of their meanings when used independently.
Animal component serves to highlight entities that play a role in people's daily life, and to establish and maintain an individuality in society. Object of analysis of onomastics, animal component have been investigated by philosophers, logicians, anthropologists and psychologists, but only sporadically by linguists: e.g. with different approaches and concerns. There are a great number of animal component in English phraseological units because of their great importance in human communication, where they are signs of cultural, linguistic, geographical, ethnic and social identity. Their analysis can offer an insight into the interplay between language and culture in phraseology.
Among all living-beings only animals have particular habits, individual mode of life and type of behavior as human beings do. That is why words which name the animals are widely used by people to represent picturesque description of the inner world of the man and peculiarities of his behavior. And it is interesting for linguists that the names of the same animals can often imply absolutely different qualities in different languages, giving people completely opposite characteristics. For instance, in the Russian language – elephant symbolize a big, awkward man while for Indian people it has entirely opposite meaning: the elephant is a symbol of gracefulness, grace of movements. The word tortoise in Russian is the symbol of slow movements, but Chinese people use this word to denote an unfaithful wife. Some names of animals have stable picturesque content in one language and do not in another one. Thus, Arabian people compare a beautiful woman with female camel, and for Frenchmen the camel is the symbol of stubbornness and maliciousness.
Zoomorphic cultural code allows revealing symbolic systems of natural culture, constitutes a considerable part of national linguistic sense and embodies original features of nation’s culture revealing its specific character of perception of the world. Phraseologisms with names of animals are associated with the cultural-national standards, stereotypes which represent the mentality characteristic of a particular culture.