LINGUA-CULTURAL CONNOTATIONS OF THE ЛЯХ (LYAKH, POLE) ETHNONYM (AS EXEMPLIFIED IN UKRAINIAN PHRASEMES AND PAROEMIAS)

The article focuses on the study of lingua-cultural connotations of the лях (lyakh) ethnonym, which were isolated based on the inner form of Ukrainian set phrases using componential analysis. The noun лях (Pole) was documented in the monuments of the Ukrainian language dating back to the mid-14thcentury. In the language of the early Middle Ukrainian period, it formed a number of derivatives and was actively used as a synonym for полянинъ (Polianyn) (also documented in the late 14th century) until the second half of the 19thcentury. Phrasemes and paroemias with the лях component and other names containing the same semantic component (such as Pole, Polish, Mazurian, etc.) were analysed. The isolated connotative semes were classified into three blocks: 1) semes related to appearance and culinary preferences; 2) semes related to linguistic and worldview peculiarities; 3) semes related to behavioural characteristics. It was established that the most significant behavioural peculiarity in the formation of the lingua-cultural stereotype of the Pole for Ukrainians was expansiveness and proneness to conflict. It is this feature that is reflected in the micro texts of a third of all the paroemias studied. The analysis of the typical structure of the set phrases shows that a number of them are built on the opposition to or comparison with other peoples, primarily neighbours, in particular Ukrainians (appearing as русин (Rusyn) and мужик (muzhik) in the texts of the paroemias) and Russians (called москва (the Moscovian)), as well as Jews, whose compact settlements appeared in Ukraine and Poland in the medieval period. It is noteworthy that from an axiological point of view, only about half of the units contain an ironic or negative assessment; the rest are neutral or positive. Key words: ethnonym, semantics, phraseme, paroemia, inner form, connotation, axiological component of meaning, linguistic world view.