The Use of Metaphors in Paremiological Units of English, Russian, and Kazakh Languages: A Study Based on the Thematic Group "Labor-Idleness"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1605.35Keywords:
proverbs, metaphor, labor, idleness, cross-cultural comparisonAbstract
This study investigates metaphorical functions in proverbs related to labor and idleness across three languages: English, Russian, and Kazakh. A corpus of 17 semantically equivalent proverbs was selected and analyzed through a comparative qualitative approach, drawing on the theoretical framework of Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Kharchenko’s classification of metaphorical functions. The findings reveal both universal and culture-specific patterns: English proverbs emphasize individual responsibility and rational pragmatism, Russian proverbs highlight collective values and moral lessons, while Kazakh proverbs embody the nomadic worldview, pastoral imagery, and ethical-religious undertones. The study demonstrates that metaphor in proverbs functions not only as a cognitive and linguistic device but also as a cultural code shaping attitudes toward work and idleness. These insights contribute to cross-cultural paremiology and cognitive linguistics, offering implications for translation studies, language teaching, and intercultural communication.
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