On the Recognition and Use of Selected Biblical Idioms by School and University Students

Nadezhda Stalyanova

Sofia University

Elena Krejcova

Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia

Maria Pileva

Institute for Literature - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

https://doi.org/10.53656/bel2025-4-NK

Abstract. This paper aims to investigate the degree of competence of young people (high school and university students) regarding the knowledge of semantics and the degree of adequacy of use of three biblical idioms. The idioms chosen for our study are prodigal son, daily bread and heavenly manna. The study is a summary of an anonymous survey conducted among 57 respondents aged between 15 and 23 years, students from two schools (St. Cyril and Methodius School – Burgas, and 21. Hristo Botev School – Sofia) and students from two universities (Sofia University “St. Cyril and Methodius” – Burgas, University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov”). The analysis of the answers of the respondents shows that the exact and precise use of the biblical idioms is rarely observed, the prevailing use is semantically linked to a certain component of the phraseological expression – to the direct meaning of a given component or by semantic linking with a related word. When forced to define the semantics of phrases, in most cases students rely on vague associations or interpret their meaning literally, defining it by the direct meaning of one component of the phrase. This is evidence of the belonging of the biblical phraseologies studied to the periphery of the respondents‘ language.

Keywords: phraseology; biblical idioms; reception of cultural background; questionnaire survey

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