Semantic structure and evaluating characteristics of phraseological units with components denoting agricultural occupations

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the complex study of Ukrainian, English and German phraseological units with components naming people by their occupation in the agriculture-related industries. The person designations reflecting the place people occupy in social relationships network make up an important part of any language lexis, as they represent the nature of various social roles, values and views of different ethnical and social communities. The article highlights structural, semantic and stylistic features of set phrases with components denoting agricultural occupations. The role of denotation for the profession of this type in the formation of the phrase meaning is traced. Special attention is paid to evaluation of agricultural occupations, their approval or condemnation in the language society. As a result of the research, it is stated that phraseological units with components denoting agricultural occupations in Ukrainian, English and German express a wide range of meanings. In the inner structure of set phrases these professions may have direct original meanings as well as the following derivative phraseological ones: the denotation of any worker, social status, a certain type of personality. It is concluded that a positively evaluated verbal stereotype of a farmer represents the basic concepts of human activity: labour, though difficult, is considered to be the basis of a happy and prosperous life. Agricultural occupations meet all the requirements existing in public consciousness, such as benefit, creative work, physical labour, importance of a product, responsibility, quality of work and its complexity, qualifications; that is why they are highly appreciated.