Abstract: The article examines the works of folklore scientists who laid the foundations of Spanish paremiology. The subject of the study are collections of proverbs, sayings and other small genre forms published in Spain in the XVI century. The focus of attention is the famous apophthegmata of Melchor de Santa Cruz "Floresta española de apotegmas o sentencias, sabia y graciosamente dichas, de algunos españoles" (1574), which collected about a thousand texts and covers all aspects of the life of Spanish society.
Along with other famous folklore collections of the XVI century by such authors as Juan de Timoneda, Juan de Mal Lara, Pedro Mejía, the work of Melchor de Santa Cruz influenced the formation of a scientific approach in Spanish folklore studies. The article provides a comparative analysis of collections of folklore texts of this period and emphasizes their influence on the development of Spanish folklore studies of subsequent centuries.
The XVI century caused in Spain the rise of national consciousness, which is accompanied by an increase in scientific interest in the Spanish language, its lexical richness and grammatical system. Following the discovery of the New World, Spain is experiencing not only the rapid development of the science of folklore, but also the flowering of linguistic thought, based on the small genres of folklore in the issue of exemplification. The combination of short form and capacious content makes this group of genres attractive to linguists, folklorists, and Spanish writers of the Golden Age.

Abstract: The article examines the traditional means of artistic expression in Spanish folklore texts. The subject of the study is hyperbole, antithesis, comparison, constant epithet, which play a special role in the language of Spanish folklore. The distinctive features of the artistic system of folklore are the use of tropes at all levels of narration, the dependence of the stylistic design of the text on genre specifics, the predominance of a special polyexpressive, harmonic style in most folklore works. In addition, each genre of folklore has a functional and emotional characteristic, a special intonation, the creation of which is aimed at using the means of artistic expression. The types of tropes analyzed in the article are traditional and typical of Spanish folklore texts and illustrate the specifics of folklore allegory and artistic expressiveness. The conclusions of the study are based on the analysis of the artistic system and linguistic features of small and large genre forms of Spanish folklore. The minor intonation of a Spanish lullaby (canciones de cuna, monerías nanas), filled with repetitions, comparisons and personifications, differs from the major character of game and dance-song folklore (juegos, cancioncillas, ruedas, bailes), where the use of dialogical form, shouts and imperative mood, special rhyme and accents. The imagery of Spanish proverbs and sayings (proverbios, refranes) is expressed in the use of various artistic techniques with a general sententious character – metaphors, metonymy and synecdoche, syntactic parallelism, rhyme, alliteration. For Spanish riddles (enigmas, adivinanzas), comparison, metaphor, hyperbole, antithesis, onomatopoeia are common. In counting and drawing lots (comienzos de juego), rhyme and rhythm, the use of interjections and exclamations come to the fore. In larger forms of Spanish folklore, such as a fairy tale, there is a constant epithet, hyperbole, repetition, fairy tripling. Spanish folklore tends to use hyperbole and antithesis as the most frequent stylistic figures, as well as the main plot-forming and compositional techniques.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of semasiological, phraseological and paroemiological aspects of the 'mort' concept in the Catalan language from the point of view of linguocultural approach. The lexeme 'mort' is used in the Catalon language in different meanings to express the fear of death, philosophical and religious expectations, and ironic attitude to human foibles. Catalans view death as an inescapable event; temporary verge; rest; sleep, tax that free humans from earthly judgement (Pagar tribut a la mort); suffering; grief (dol); sacral action. The research is based on over two hundred of paramias and phraseologial units, analysis of dictionary definitions of Catalan 'death' lexemes, derivational and synonymic rows. Numerous paramia euphemisms describe death as a travel and indirectly relate to grave yard or memorial service (Anar a son Tril·lo). There are also cases when the 'death' lexeme designates extremely unpleasant, insignificant or unattractive humans or items (Això és una mort) to reinforce a negative remark or indicate insufficient qualities (colors ben morts). Catalans do not avoid using death lexemes in their conversation which presents their ironic and philosophical attitude to death.