A Componential Model of Phraseological and Proverbial Meaning (Based on Czech Language Data)

Background. The article substantiates the need to describe the structure of phraseological and paremiological meaning. The point of departure is the claim that in the scholarly tradition the notion of phraseological meaning is often limited to a general definition and a set of isolated features, without a developed structural model, whereas paremiological meaning (the semantics of proverbs as sentential formulae) is not analysed in terms of component organisation at all. The novelty of the study lies in identifying shared parameters for both types of fixed units. The aim is to specify how phraseological and paremiological meaning should be interpreted and to describe their internal structure through the interaction of the main components – denotative, connotative, and image-motivational (inner form). The study is based on Czech phraseology and paremiology. Methods. The study employs the descriptive-structural method and componential analysis of meaning. Results. A phraseme is interpreted as a reproducible multiword construction with an integral, normatively established meaning, whereas a paremia is treated as a predicative unit that conveys a generalised judgement and displays a higher degree of semantic completeness. The denotative component is defined as the unit’s link to a typical situation/scenario; a distinction is drawn between situational relatedness (tied to a specific case) and generalised model-based relatedness (a recurring scenario). The connotative component is described as a set of emotional, evaluative, and expressive layers that modify the denotative core and provide the semantic tone of the fixed unit. It is argued that Alexander Potebnia’s concept of the inner form of the word is one of the ideas that naturally extends from lexicology to phraseology, since in both cases meaning is motivated and an imagistic mechanism mediates between form and content. A typology of inner form is developed (transparent, semi-transparent, obscured, culturally marked), reflecting the accessibility of imagery and the dependence of interpretation on background knowledge. Сonclusions. The findings confirm that phraseological and paremiological meaning can fruitfully be described within a shared component framework, with due regard for the nature of phraseme and paremia formation. The proposed model enables a systematic analysis of figurative resources in language: each component has clearly defined descriptive parameters and can be empirically corroborated by oral or written texts. The model also has lingvodidactic value and перспективу, as it allows for a coherent explanation of the meaning of phrasemes and paremias in courses of Czech as a foreign language and can be adapted for teaching other Slavic languages as a universal scheme of semantic description

Discourse Analysis and Cultural Communication · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Literature, Language, and Rhetoric Studies