SEMANTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGIOUSLY MARKED PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS
Abstract
Religiously marked phraseological units (RMPhU) are widely represented in English and Russian phraseology due to the axiological and sacral significance of the Bible for both English and Russian linguocultures. RMPhU is understood as phraseological units of biblical origin and phraseological units with religious components. The article discusses the following issues: a) different approaches to the notion of “biblecism”; b) etymological, semantic, and cultural features of RMPhU; v) classification of RMPhU. The main purpose of the article is to conduct a typological analysis of RMPhUs in the English and Russian languages according to the semantic criterion. As a result of the analysis, 17 groups of RMPhU were identified with the following components: 1) anthroponym; 2) toponym;3) zoonym; 4) somatic nominations; 5) chrononym; 6) phytonym; 7) ethnonym; 8) paleonym (stones); 9) biblical realias; 10) theonym; 11) numeral; 12) terms denoting time; 13) terms associated with space; 14) terms denoting natural elements; 15) coloronym; 16) nominations of a “person”; 17) interjections. The main findings of the research are as follows: 1) RMPhUs are characterized by: a) symbolism; b) imagery; c) expressive-emotiveness and evaluation; d) axiological significance; 2) RMPhUs represent various types of knowledge structures of religious, mythological, cultural, and historical character; 3) RMPhUs are characterized by the binary opposition of the features presented in their semantics and structure, manifested in the opposition of the notions of Goodness and Evil, Light and Darkness