LEXICO-SEMANTIC AND CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS WITH AN ANIMALISTIC COMPONENT IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERLINGUAL COMPARISON

Chen Jinhan

The article examines English phraseological units with an animalistic component as representatives of the linguistic picture of the world and the zoomorphic code of culture, through which human qualities, behavior, and social relations are modeled anthropocentrically. The material is systematized on the basis of lexicographic sampling and interpreted using systemic-structural, cognitive-semantic, and linguocultural procedures, including componential and etymological analysis, which enables the reconstruction of the inner form of idioms and the identification of culturally relevant features of animals selected in metaphorical and metonymic transfer. The high productivity of images of domestic animals and their axiological load are demonstrated: dog and pig are dominated by pejorative meanings, horse consistently actualizes diligence and status, while cat combines independence with connotations of secrecy and magical mythologization. Universal and nationally specific discrepancies are described, including differences in prototypes in comparable situations, the presence of non-equivalent expressions, and the dependence of interpretation on historical and everyday context. Gender-marked transfers that convey asymmetrical social stereotypes are highlighted separately. The resulting generalizations refine the cultural semantics of English idiomaticity and are relevant for intercultural communication, translation, and language teaching.

Keywords:English phraseology, animalistic component, linguocultural analysis, zoomorphic code of culture, cross-linguistic comparison.