Interpretive potential of zoonyms in English phraseological units

Abstract

The proposed paper, using conceptual analysis and cognitive modeling analysis, examines the semantics of English phraseological units. It is shown how a secondary conceptualization of zoonyms included in phraseological units determines the transmission of knowledge about people by analyzed phraseological units. The authors provide the interpretive potential of zoonyms in conceptualizing phraseological units by referring to the conceptual domain ANIMAL (BIRD). The conceptual domain of ANIMAL (BIRD) is represented as a general cognitive matrix, including a number of cognitive contexts. The paper defines the main cognitive models of forming the semantics of the considered phraseological units. The study shows that the most important role in this process is played by metaphorical models, as well as the cognitive comparison models. These models do not exhaust the possible ways of rethinking knowledge about animals to transmit information about people, which is proved by the examples of metonymy and metaphtonymy.