THE IMAGE OF WOMAN IN THE ENGLISH LINGUISTIC WORLDVIEW: A LINGUOCULTURAL ANALYSIS OF PROVERBS AND APHORISMS

Abstract

This article explores the features of representing the image of women in the English-speaking worldview through the lens of paremiological units (proverbs and sayings) and aphoristic expressions. Language is considered a key tool for shaping, preserving, and transmitting collective ideas about social roles, particularly gender roles. Proverbs serve as reflections of accumulated collective experience and societal value systems, while aphorisms represent intellectual generalizations of individual authorial perspectives, often containing philosophical or critical reflections.A diverse range of linguistic units from various English phraseological dictionaries and quotation collections was analyzed to reveal the characteristic connotative features of the female image across different genres. Proverbs predominantly convey utilitarian and sometimes critical evaluations, highlighting emotional volatility, talkativeness, propensity for extravagance, and social instability. In contrast, aphorisms demonstrate a much broader spectrum of perception, ranging from ironic critique to aesthetic and philosophical admiration of the female nature.The folk tradition primarily depicts women in the roles of wife, mother, and homemaker, thus forming a fairly conservative and socially conditioned ideal of femininity. Meanwhile, the aphoristic discourse offers a more flexible, multifaceted, and ambivalent image of women, emphasizing their intellectual, moral, and intuitive strengths, portraying them as individuals with an inner world and as active cultural agents. This discourse contributes to softening traditional stereotypes and gradually shaping new paradigms of gender perception. Connotative analysis indicates the coexistence of both negative and positive connotations, reflecting the persistence of certain stereotypes alongside shifts toward more pluralistic and subjective views of women. Therefore, the image of women in English- speaking culture is formed at the intersection of traditional and contemporary views, collective memory, and individual interpretations, opening avenues for further linguistic-cultural and gender studies.