Linguistic Features of Proverbs Containing Ornithonyms

Authors

  • Sadaget Hasanova

    Department of Azerbaijani Linguistics, Faculty of History and Philology, Nakhchivan State University, Nakhchivan AZ7000, Republic of Azerbaijan
  • Ganira Asgarova

    Department of Azerbaijani Linguistics, Faculty of History and Philology, Nakhchivan State University, Nakhchivan AZ7000, Republic of Azerbaijan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.12414
Received: 10 October 2025 | Revised: 31 October 2025 | Accepted: 10 November 2025 | Published Online: 9 December 2025

Abstract

Proverbs are among the most valuable pearls of folk creativity. The content of these expressions frequently draws on elements of the natural world, such as animals, plants, and especially birds. Birds, perceived by humans as both familiar and distant beings, have become symbols of freedom, beauty, cunning, or loyalty within the natural world. Proverbs containing ornithonyms thus expand the stylistic resources of language and enhance its expressive power. This article examines the linguistic features of proverbs that include ornithonyms (bird names), analyzing their semantic nuances, connotative meanings, metaphorical functions, and national-cultural significance. In many languages, including Azerbaijani and English, the bird names employed in these proverbs symbolically express people' s attitudes toward nature, human behaviors, and social relations. The article analyzes the concepts and socio-cultural meanings represented by different bird names, exploring how they function within proverbial structures. Through analogies between humans and birds, proverbs containing ornithonyms provide insights into various social and psychological phenomena. Special attention is given to the semantic structure and functional meanings of these proverbs. The main aim of the study is to identify the lexical-semantic, structural, and stylistic features of ornithonyms used in proverbs and to determine their metaphorical and symbolic functions. Furthermore, the research reveals the role of ornithonyms in shaping the folk worldview, examines the frequency and semantics of bird names in proverbs, and explores their national characteristics. Finally, the article explains their role as carriers of cultural and linguistic codes. The research is based on proverbs in the Azerbaijani language.

Keywords:

Proverbs; Ornithonym; Semantics; Symbolism; Ethnolinguistics; Folklore

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How to Cite

Hasanova, S., & Asgarova, G. (2025). Linguistic Features of Proverbs Containing Ornithonyms. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 1811–1825. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.12414

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 12 (December 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Sadaget Hasanova, Ganira Asgarova

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.