The study is devoted to the paremiological representation of national values in English-language and Russian discourses through a cross-cultural analysis of the semantics and pragmatics of proverbs. The proverbs "a penny saved is a penny earned," "honesty is the best policy," "knowledge is power," "charity begins at home," "every cloud has a silver lining," and "an idle mind is the devil's workshop" are analyzed, along with their Russian equivalents. The historical origins of these proverbs, their development in the 19th–21st centuries, and their adaptation to the modern context are examined. The study highlights that English proverbs emphasize motivation, while Russian proverbs emphasize reflection.This work contributes to paremiology by proposing a methodology for cross-cultural analysis and demonstrating the role of proverbs as cultural codes. The results can be used for comparative studies of speech units in phraseology and cultural studies.
proverb, paremiology, national values, cross-cultural analysis, English-language discourse, Russian discourse, semantics, pragmatics
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