THE IMAGE OF RABE IN GERMAN LINGUOCULTURE

This article analyses the representation of the ornithological linguocultural code in German phraseological units containing the component Rabe . The aim of the study is to examine the figurative and symbolic meaning of the lexeme Rabe in German linguoculture, as well as to conduct a linguoculturological and etymological analysis of phraseological units that include this lexeme. The novelty of this work lies in the fact that, for the first time using German language material, it describes the phraseological means of objectifying a fragment of the ornithological linguocultural code. The research material consists of entries from explanatory, etymological, phraseological, and encyclopaedic dictionaries. The study reveals that the image of Rabe in German linguoculture is significantly broader than the dictionary definition of the lexeme Rabe , and its symbolic load is substantial. The basis for the metaphorical interpretation of the Rabe image is the bird's black colour, which in folk consciousness carries negative connotations (evil, death, misfortune). Consequently, in the German worldview, predominantly negative connotations associated with the Rabe image are activated, and comparisons with it are used to describe negative human traits. The analysis of the phraseological material shows the influence of ancient and biblical cultural traditions, as they dominate as primary sources of European culture. Following the ancient tradition, the German language employs the device of contrast in phraseological units with the Rabe component - the opposition of black and white colours to denote something exceptionally rare or a meaningless action. Rabe in German linguoculture has both associations familiar to Russian speakers and entirely new meanings unique to the German language, motivated solely within the national worldview.