ENGLISH PROVERBS AND SAYINGS AS A MEANS OF EXPRESSING CULTURAL IDENTITY

Abstract

The article examines the role of English proverbs and sayings as a means of expressing cultural identity and the ways in which they can be translated into Ukrainian. According to the examples given, it can be assumed that the use of phraseological units in relation to certain nationalities has created well-known cultural stereotypes, clichés that are not always justified. In language communication, proverbs are used in conversation as an argument when the addressee refers to the experience of an entire nation to confirm what he or she has said. A proverb is a statement of a didactive nature that captures the people’s centuries-old experience and has the form of a complete sentence. A saying is a short, stable, figurative expression that, unlike a proverb, is not a complete statement. According to the thematic organization, English proverbs are grouped into thirteen main groups, including family and home, parents and native country, etc. By origin, English phraseological units can be divided into purely English phraseological units and borrowed ones. Among the latter are interlingual borrowings, i.e., phraseological units borrowed from other languages; intralingual borrowings, i.e., phraseological units borrowed from the American version of English, etc.; phraseological units borrowed in a foreign language form. Among the many ways of translating phraseological units, only the one that manages to convey the meaning of the phraseological unit and at the same time preserve its original form can be considered successful. Often, a translator has to find an equivalent of a phraseological unit in the target language. This is not difficult when the phraseological unit is borrowed, but there are cases when proverbs or sayings are related to the culture and history of the source language. If an equivalent does not exist, the translator must create one or express the meaning of the phraseological unit descriptively. Although certain difficulties may arise when translating proverbs and sayings, this process is made possible by growing cultural and political contacts and has great prospects for further improvement.