The Concept of “Dog” in Proverbs and Phraseological Units of the Russian and Persian Languages

Abstract

This study examines some ways to actualize the concept of “dog” in Russian and Persian language pictures of the world, including the aspects of lexical, cultural, metaphorical and religious relevance of zoomorphism “dog” in Russian and Iranian linguistic cultures. The goal of investigation is to compare the features of the concept of “dog” in Russian and Persian language pictures of the world. Research objectives: 1) to summarize data on the representation and interpretation of the word “dog” in the explanatory dictionaries of the languages studied; 2) to analyze the images of the dog in Russian and Persian proverbs and phraseological units. The relevance of the work consists in referring to this zoomorphic concept from the standpoint of comparing and defining the principles of updating the cognitive characteristics of the concept of “dog” in proverbs and phraseologisms in Russian and Persian, examining the general and specific characteristics of this concept, as well as the views of Russian and Iranian people in relation to this animal in two linguistic cultures. Chosen proverbs and phraseological units of the Russian and Persian languages with the “dog” component are the subject of the study. The object of study is the concept of “dog” in Russian and Persian. The language material for the study was compiled from explanatory dictionaries and collections of paroemias. Each proverb and phraseological unit is subjected to careful analysis, their classification is carried out. The scientific novelty of the study is a comparative study of the concept of “dog” in two linguistic cultures: Russian and Persian. Such studies have not yet been conducted in modern linguistic literature. As a result of the analysis, both a positive and negative attitude towards dogs was noted in both linguistic cultures. On the one hand, a person endows the dog with the positive qualities of fidelity and devotion, on the other hand, with aggressiveness and low value. In two cultures ‒ Russian and Iranian ‒ there are different superstitions, beliefs and prejudices associated with this animal. The obtained research results are of applied value. They can find application in linguodidactics, in particular, when teaching Russian as a foreign language at Iranian universities, as well as in lexicology and linguocultural courses. Keywords: concept, proverb, phraseologism, linguistic culture, comparative studies, linguistic picture of the world