Semantic organization and symbol functions of phraseological units with the component нога (leg/foot) in the Russian language

Abstract

Introduction. The article presents a systematic analysis of the semantics of phraseological units (PHE) with the somatic component нога (leg/foot) in the Russian language. The object of the study was more than 140 phraseological units obtained as a result of a continuous sample from modern phraseological dictionaries of the Russian language. The purpose of the research is to identify the totality of these phraseological units and their systematization; to identify the meanings, images and models that form their basis, and to describe their systemic organization. The research used elements of component, cognitive, and quantitative methods, as well as semantic and semiotic analysis. Results. The author identified three key semantic dominants expressed by the leg lexeme in the phraseological units under consideration: the leg as an organ of movement, the leg as a symbol of support and stability, the leg as a marker of social bottom and subordination, which are based on three main functions of the leg – motor, supporting and hierarchical. It turned out that the studied stratum of Russian phraseology has a complex system organization: within each group of linguistic means under consideration, an extensive system of semantic oppositions, as well as additional components of meanings, has been discovered and described. The main mechanisms for the realization of the symbolic meanings of a foot in the phraseological units under study are metonymy, more precisely synecdoche – the assimilation of a part to a whole (person), as well as metaphor, personification, comparison of somatic (bodily) and other cultural codes: anthropic, spatial. Conclusion. It is established that these phraseological units realize deep cultural archetypes, reflecting the body-spatial model of perception of the world, characteristic of the Russian linguistic worldview. The research results can be used in semantics, lexicology, phraseology, and semasiology courses.