Was sagt uns das Deutsche über den Teufel? Axiolinguistische Überlegungen in Anlehnung an repräsentative Redewendungen

Abstract

This aim of this article was to describe the representations of the devil in German phraseology based on an analysis of representative phraseological units. Special emphasis was placed on the axiological potential of these depictions, which is why the descriptive method relied on the conceptual apparatus of axiological linguistics. The study demonstrated that in semantic presuppositions, the main axiological criterion for formulating value judgements about the devil is associated with the concept of moral evil. The analysis also revealed that some of the analyzed phraseological units carry information about esthetic and pragmatic criteria for evaluating the devil. In language, the devil is portrayed metaphorically as a creature that elicits disgust and disapproval. The devil is also depicted as a hybrid being with both animal and human characteristics, and as a deceitful and cunning creature that leads man to evil. The devil exercises authority through its duplicitous influence on human beings. However, an analysis of deeply-seated beliefs that are epitomized by the German language indicates that devil’s power is not absolute because in language users’ perception, it can be broken by supreme forces that are imbued with a sense of holiness. It was found that phraseological units containing the lexeme devil assign negative value to undesirable human attitudes, life situations and states. The axiolinguistic analysis also revealed that these phraseological units can perform expressive and persuasive functions in a given speech situation.

Keywords

• german phraseology
• devil
• value judgement
• good/evil