CULTURAL SIGNS AND SYMBOLS AS A LINGUISTIC RESOURCE FOR IMPROVING STUDENTS’ PHRASEOLOGICAL COMPETENCE
Keywords:
Language learning extends far beyond the mere acquisition of vocabulary and grammatical structures; it encompasses the intricate web of cultural meanings embedded within phraseological units. Phraseological competence—the ability to understand and appropriately use fixed expressions, idioms, proverbs, and collocations—represents a crucial component of communicative competence and cultural literacy. Cultural signs and symbols serve as invaluable linguistic resources that can significantly enhance students' phraseological competence by providing contextual frameworks, mnemonic anchors, and deeper semantic understanding of fixed expressions. This paper explores the theoretical foundations of using cultural signs and symbols in phraseological instruction and proposes practical pedagogical approaches for their integration into language learning curricula.Abstract
This paper explores the role of cultural signs and symbols as essential linguistic resources in enhancing students’ phraseological competence. It argues that idioms, proverbs, and other fixed expressions cannot be effectively learned without understanding the cultural meanings embedded within them. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from cultural linguistics, semiotics, and cognitive linguistics, the study emphasizes that cultural symbols provide the conceptual and emotional context that shapes phraseological meaning and use. Through the analysis of symbolic systems such as color, animal, religious, and body part metaphors, the paper highlights how different cultures encode distinct worldviews in their phraseological inventories. Furthermore, it proposes a cultural-symbolic approach to teaching phraseology that integrates etymological explanation, cross-cultural comparison, visual representation, and experiential learning. Such pedagogical practices not only enhance learners’ retention and appropriate use of idiomatic language but also foster intercultural awareness and communicative competence. The findings underline the necessity of viewing phraseological instruction as a culturally grounded process that connects linguistic knowledge with cultural understanding.
Keywords: cultural symbols, phraseological competence, idioms, language teaching, intercultural competence, cognitive linguistics.
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Footnotes
[^1]: Howarth, P. (1998). Phraseology and second language proficiency. Applied Linguistics, 19(1), 24-44.
[^2]: Kramsch, C. (1998). Language and culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 3.
[^3]: Peirce's semiotic theory provides the foundational framework for understanding signs in communication. See discussions in Chandler, D. (2007). Semiotics: The basics (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
[^4]: Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[^5]: Dobrovol'skij, D., & Piirainen, E. (2005). Figurative language: Cross-cultural and cross-linguistic perspectives. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 123-145.
[^6]: Gibbs, R. W. (1994). The poetics of mind: Figurative thought, language, and understanding. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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[^9]: Ammer, C. (2013). The American heritage dictionary of idioms (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Note: Many etymologies remain speculative.
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