<i>Das also war des Pudels Kern</i> oder: „Geflügelte Worte“ als Phrasemklasse? – Problemfelder und begriffliche Präzisierung

Abstract As a class belonging to phraseology, winged words are characterized above all by the fact they are also used in other contexts as quotations, especially from literary texts (e.g., Grau, teurer Freund, ist alle Theorie from Goethes Faust I), thus acquiring a life of their own. However, they can be referred to the original sources in the consciousness of the language user. Forms of expression from areas other than literary areas, such as movies and television, advertising, etc., are increasingly gaining a comparable status in public language use. The imprinting of these expressions often stems from the fact that winged words are not only or no longer used as quotations but also used as a means of commenting on facts, evaluating them, etc., and at the same time calling up knowledge scenarios that refer to the original context of use as backgrounds for understanding. Over time, new patterns of expression may be established by modifying parts of the original formulation so that – expressed in construction grammar – new situationally adaptable form-meaning pairs can emerge. Based on this “phraseologization mechanism”, problematic aspects of phraseology theory are identified and discussed using the example of Das also war des Pudels Kern . Finally, suggestions are made for the conceptual sharpening of the category “winged words”.