TIME, MONEY, RISK Concept Representation in English and Japanese Paroemias

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the internal form of English and Japanese paroemias containing TIME, MONEY, and RISK concepts. The object of the study is semantic relations, structural forms and figurative structures of the paroemias selected by the differential sampling method. The relevance of the problem is conditioned by the necessity to study the axiological potential of paroemias in the English and Japanese linguocultures with an aim to understand intercultural differences in worldviews and attitudes of cultural codes. The findings show that the conceptual structure of paroemias is mainly contrast and identification, less frequently — exclusion, incorporation, and parallelism. A distinctive feature of the English proverbs is the frequent repetition of structures in the imperative mood with a clearly expressed inducement to action, while the Japanese proverbs more frequently contain the integration of the opposite semantic elements into a single entity. The figurative structure of the proverbs of both languages is characterised by natural metaphors, with animalistic metaphors additionally noted in the English proverbs. The semantic links of TIME, MONEY, and RISK concepts reveal a fundamental difference in approaches to their understanding: in the English linguoculture they are considered from the point of view of managing financial, time resources and uncertainty, while in the Japanese linguoculture more attention is paid to the cultivation of positive personal qualities that contribute to the attraction of material resources and opportunities. The common semantic components of TIME concept are rationality, awareness of irreplaceability, timeliness of actions, and proactivity. MONEY concept is considered, on the one hand, as a means of implementing plans, projects and achieving personal growth; on the other hand — as an influential resource, potentially associated with the danger of unfair use. The general semantic element of RISK concept consists in a complex and conscious attitude to this phenomenon; meanwhile, in the English paroemias it is more associated with danger, while in the Japanese proverbs it is associated with overcoming fear and gaining valuable experience.