Linguistic and cultural characteristics of borrowed phraseological units in teaching modern English

Abstract

In the era of globalization, traditional methods of teaching English often ignore the cultural layer of borrowings, which leads to a simplified understanding of phraseology and a decrease in students' motivation to master intercultural competence. This is especially true for multinational educational environments, where borrowed phraseological units can serve as a bridge between cultures. The research focuses on the linguistic and cultural characteristics of borrowed phraseological units in modern English, analyzing the mechanisms of their adaptation (complete assimilation, partial transformation, semantic expansion, cultural hybridization) and influencing factors (source language, semantic sphere, chronology, functional features). The aim is to develop a typology of adaptation for pedagogical use, contributing to the development of students' cultural analysis skills and communicative competence through the integration of phraseology into lessons. The tasks include a theoretical review, classification of mechanisms, and recommendations for educational practices where students master phraseological units as cultural markers. The research methods combine the linguistic and cultural approach (according to V.A. Maslova, V.N. Telia) with the analysis of theoretical works on phraseology (A.V. Kunin) and language contacts (U. Weinreich, E. Haugen). A comparative analysis of examples is applied (for example, alma mater as assimilation, carte blanche as transformation) and a functional classification by discourses. The pedagogical bias is realized through the development of assignments: students create maps of the adaptation of phraseological units, analyzing them in contexts, which develops research and critical thinking skills. The results revealed four types of adaptation, depending on the source language (Latin - assimilation, French – transformation) and the semantic sphere (legal – minimal changes, philosophical – expansion). The chronology shows the evolution: early borrowings (XIV-XV centuries) – assimilation, modern – hybridization. Functionally, phraseological units differentiate styles (academic – precision, colloquial – solidarity). The discussion highlights the pedagogical value: integration into lessons develops linguistic and cultural competence, where students analyze phraseological units as cultural codes, forming tolerance and communication skills. Project work for multilingual groups is recommended, increasing motivation and readiness for global communication.