Regional and local toponyms in Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian and Czech phraseology

Abstract

The comparative method allows us to make remarkable conclusions. In the examples, it is obvious that there is often an universal model of phraseology used in several national societies and which shows differences exclusively in the toponymic component (Serb./Croat. mirna XTOP, Serb./Croat./Bulg. proći kao XANTHROP na YTOP…). On the other hand, we can reveal a model that is associated only with a certain national community, with its language, and for which there is no analogy in another, although neighboring language (Bulg. XANTHROP ot YTOP in the sense of “I do not know who”). The toponymic component (or what it represents) can be in a direct motivational connection with the meaning of the phraseme (Kosovo, Chlumec), where without some cultural-historical education or knowledge, certain phrasemes cannot be correctly interpreted (decoded). There are, however, cases where the toponymic component may have no connection with the meaning of the phraseme in which it is a part - an example of this is the Czech collocation vrabci z Čech or the Bulgarian kum Dušan ot Niš.

Keywords

• Serbian phraseology
• Croatian phraseology
• Bulgarian phraseology
• Czech phraseology
• phrasemes with a toponymic component