Expressions of biblical origin in learners’ dictionaries of proverbs and phraseological units

The need to improve the lexicographic description of the phraseological units and proverbs of biblical ori[1]gin which are not always fully parameterised in learners’ dictionaries, determines the relevance of the research presented in this article. The study aims to justify the methods for expanding the historical and etymological parametric zone of dictionary entries representing proverbs and phraseological units traced back to the Bible. Moreover, another goal is to develop new models for describing this linguistically and culturally valuable material in learners’ dictionaries intended, first and foremost, for primary school learners. Parametric analysis of modern lexicographic publications enabled us to identify the specific features of presenting the cultural and historical background of phraseological units and proverbs of biblical origin to schoolchildren, as well as to outline ways of improving their historical and etymological commentary. We developed our own materials using the method of lexicographic modeling and the author techniques of etymological paraphrasing. Through historical and etymological analysis, the origin of phraseological units and proverbs selected for lexicographic description was specified. The results of the study supplemented the theoretical and methodological basis of learner’s lexicography, as well as substantiated the use of models for describing proverbs and phraseological units dating back to biblical texts in a discursive dictionary. For instance, to represent expressions that are culturally significant but rare in modern speech, we suggest using a model of a comprehensive linguo-cultural text written by the author-compiler. In addition, a model of a narrative text on the issues relevant to children is proposed for actively functioning proverbs and phraseological units. The paper concludes that the developed lexicographic description models foreground the spiritual and moral potential of proverbs and phraseological units of biblical origin. Moreover, working with dictionary materials enables the accomplishment of educational objectives. It is emphasised that the practical va[1]lue of the developed models for describing proverbs and phraseological units lies in the possibility of their use by teachers when preparing informative teaching materials on phraseology and paremiology for a Russian language lesson or an extracurricular event. As a research outlook, we plan to develop the concept of a learner’s phraseological dictionary for secondary school students with extensive use of the biblical text and various research assignments.

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