Abstract: The subject of this research is the symbolism in the English and Russian fairytale tradition. The object is the texts of the Russian and English fairy tales. Analysis of the texts reveals the typical functions performed by symbols in both folklore traditions. The author provides the examples of symbols and offers the interpretation of objects-symbols, symbols-zoonyms, color and number symbols, time and space symbols. Comparative study of folklore heritage of non-cognate languages reveals the fundamental commonness of a particular folk genre of different peoples in their perspective upon reality, methods of depiction, and ideological interpretations. The scientific novelty consists in conclusions obtained in the comparative study of the symbolism of fairy tale texts in the Russian and British folklore, which is important for determination of linguistic, semiological and cultural universals. The comparative study of folklore material of two traditions in the sphere of the poetics of folklore reveals the traditional universals and unique features on the level of symbolism of the fairy tale genre. Within the framework of the article, the author analyzes the functionality of thematic, animalistic, color, spatial-temporal, and numerical symbols. The acquired results are underpinned by a large number of text examples.

Abstract: This article explores the phraseological units with the elements – cosmonyms that have anthropocentric characteristics in the English language. Within the framework of the research, the author selected 49 phraseologisms with the elements – cosmonyms resolved into semantic components. Phraseological units of the English and French language with the elements-cosmonyms that have anthropocentric characteristics serve as the object for this research. The subject is the semantic specificities of these phraseological units. The selected phraseological units carry the characteristics of a person and their activity. The goal lies in the analysis of the English and French phraseological units with the elements – cosmonyms. The works aims to determine the use of cognitive approach indicating the orientation of language towards the description of a person and their activity. The following methods were used in the course of research: continuous sampling from phraseological dictionaries; analysis and synthesis in revealing the semantic peculiarities of phraseological units; classification for arranging the analyzed idioms in due sequence; quantitative method for comparing quantitative data and processing the results of sampling from English dictionaries; observation and generalization. The author suggests the ideographic classification of the selected phraseological; units; analyzes the semantics of phraseological units of the English language with the elements – cosmonyms. Practical relevance consists in the fact that the research result give a systemic representation on the use of phraseological units with the elements – cosmonyms for describing the person’s character in English.

Abstract:  
The subject of this research is the symbols common to the folk genre of British ballad. The object of this research is the text of English and Scottish folk ballads. Review of the main studies dedicated to the texts of ballads is presented. In the course of analysis of the ballad genre, the author attempts to determine its key features. Special attention is given to the analysis of artistic expressive means of the medieval ballad texts. Among the poetic means, the paramount function is assigned to symbols; therefore, the author explores namely the semantics of symbols and their lexical representation. The five-volume collection by Francis James Child “The English and Scottish Popular Ballads” served as the textological framework for this research. The scientific novelty consists in the attempt to analyze the ballad poetics of the English and Scottish folk ballads. The article draws a number of conclusions on the identification of genre, describes its characteristic features, and analyzes the role of ballads within the system of folklore genres. The conducted research of the texts of British folk songs allows concluding that the central place in introduction of the main genre features is defined by the lexical means, among which an important place belongs to symbolism. Thus, ballad was not able to fully realize its genre categories and universalities without special tools that would allow formulating particular ideas. Ballads certainly represent a set of artistic expressive means, which attains a special function namely within the genre.