PROVERBS AS COGNITIVE AND CULTURAL LINGUISTIC MODELS

Abstract

The article explores proverbs as vital models in cognition and culture that embed shared wisdom, social norms, and cultural values. It adopts a cognitive-linguistic perspective, emphasizing how proverbs function as metaphorical and pragmatic tools for conceptualizing experiences and passing cultural knowledge across communities and languages. Despite their cultural specificity, proverbs operate under universal cognitive processes like metaphorical mapping and schema activation, which reflect both individual mental frameworks and collective worldviews. The research underscores the significance of proverbs in facilitating cross-cultural dialogue, enhancing language acquisition, and supporting sociolinguistic analysis, highlighting their role as a bridge between cognition and culture in linguistic practices.