The evaluative role of metaphors in French and Georgian phraseology

Abstract

Phraseological units contain experiences accumulated by different nations and reflect the linguistic picture of the world. The purpose of our study is to present and analyze the phraseological units containing evaluative meaning. Our research is based on the study of 150 phraseological units in French and Georgian. The research methodology includes methods of linguistic description and comparison.

Metaphorical models are divided into a few categories:Anthropomorphicmetaphor is the type of metaphor, in which objects of reality as well as events are presented in association with parts of the human body. Using this type of metaphor, a person creates a life situation based on his image and likeness. The following concepts can be used, such as family, disease, hand, foot, head etc.Naturomorphic metaphor is the category of metaphor in which objects and events are presented in an associative connection with animate or inanimate nature. Using this type of metaphor, aperson creates life situations based on events that occur in nature. The following concepts are often used: animal; vegetation, thunder, storms, etc. Using Sociomorphic metaphor apersonforms the situation that reflects the permanent relationships between humans. In this case, the following concepts are used: love, hate, envy, friendship, etc.Artifact metaphor is a category,when a person realizes himself with the help of objects created by himself. Its concepts are: computer, house, table, chair. The main rule of these constructions is the fact that the person remains at the center of the world.

The study allows us to conclude that in French and Georgian, among phraseological units that have a negative meaning, zoomorphic, sociomorphic metaphors are most often represented, while in a neutral or ambivalent evaluation, anthropomorphic, and naturomorphic metaphors are more frequent.