The symbolism of earth in slavic phraseology: a structural analysis of the semantic field

the aim of this study is to determine the key conceptual and symbolic functions of phraseological units with the component "earth" in Slavic languages and to systematize them within the framework of the semantic field. The material for the article consists of phraseological dictionaries of East Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian), West Slavic (Czech, Polish, Slovak), and South Slavic (Serbian, Bulgarian) languages. The methodology includes the continuous sampling method for material selection, as well as areal and comparative-contrastive methods, which allowed for the classification of the collected phraseological units into thematic groups: earth as mother, earth as grave, earth as a hidden place, earth as a sacred place, and earth as homeland. Both universal images, common to all Slavic languages (e.g., earth as mother or earth as a hidden place), and unique motifs characteristic of specific languages or linguistic groups were identified. The results of the study demonstrate that the symbolism of earth reflects important aspects of the worldview of Slavic peoples, such as mythological representations of the elements, agricultural traditions, and ritual practices. The semantic field of phraseological units exhibits a complex structure, with the core and center formed by universal and closely related images, while the periphery includes less common but significant motifs.

linguistic worldview, phraseological unit, Slavic languages, semantic field, Slavic phraseology, symbolism of earth