Evaluative Component in the Meaning of the German Set Expressions With the Lexeme Der Gott

Abstract

The paper deals with connotations of the lexeme der Gott in German proverbs. As proverbs have an evaluative character, they are a rich field for searching connotative meanings. Evaluative judgments in such set expressions as proverbs reflect cultural traditions and basic values of the German nation. In German proverbs a component der Gott has a stable position as a subject and interacts with various predicates. The groups of proverbs with combinations of the subject der Gott with predicates containing evaluation, that is, the views about what things are good or evil. The results of the current study enable to conclude that the proverbs can express both positive and negative connotations of motivated and unmotivated events. Among them positive ones prevail. Various connotations of the lexeme der Gott in German proverbs prove that the concept of «God» objectified in the German language with the token der Gott is considerably significant in the German culture. Thus, a paremic picture of the world enables to determine the place of the concept «God» in the linguistic world picture of German native speakers.