Phraseological units – “false friends” in German and Russian: Types, causes and probability of occurrence

Abstract

The aim of the study is to identify the dependence of the phenomenon of false equivalence directly on the type of phraseological units. The paper focuses on phraseological units – “false friends” in the German-Russian pair of languages. At the first stage of the study, the author examines H. Burger’s classification of phraseological units and explains its choice in relation to the typologization of phraseological units – “false friends”. The second stage is connected with the distribution of German-Russian phraseological units – “false friends” among classes of phraseological units according to H. Burger. Further, relying on the cognitive approach, the author clarifies the subtypes of phraseological units – “false friends”, dividing them in accordance with the motivation of the actual meaning in the German language based on metaphor, metonymy, metaphor and metonymy at the same time. This gradation allows identifying the most “dangerous” types of phraseological units of the German language in terms of their transition to the category of “false friends” in relation to similar expressions of the Russian language. In addition, the author analyzes the possible reasons for the false equivalence of German and Russian expressions: the motivation of the actual meaning of German phraseological units, the similarity and differences in logic of the further development of the meaning of German units in relation to the corresponding units of the Russian language, the difference in the cultural traditions of Russia and Germany. The scientific novelty of the study is determined by the perspective of consideration of the types of phraseological units – “false friends”: it is the first time that an attempt has been made not to distribute phraseological units – “false friends” among classes, but to identify their position within the entire German phraseological stock and establish the dependence of the phenomenon of false symmetry on the belonging to the corresponding class of phraseological units.

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Publication history

• Received: March 25, 2023.
• Published: July 10, 2023.

Keywords

• фразеологизм
• ложный друг переводчика
• классификация
• актуальное значение
• phraseology
• false friend
• classification
• actual meaning

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