Etymology-Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis of Germanisms in Phraseology of the Bosnian Language

Abstract

Germanisms, as words originating from the German language, are components of Bosnian phraseology, i.e. components of idioms in the Bosnian language. This paper treats idioms of the Bosnian language that contain Germanisms from the aspect of etymology, semantics and pragmatics. These are examples such as: to pay a guild, to have a štela, to get a basket, to have a potato, to be unlucky, etc. The aim of the paper is to contribute to the understanding of language contacts between the Bosnian and German languages, and to provide insight into the process of assimilation of Germanisms within the phraseology of the Bosnian language. The research for the mentioned examples also seeks equivalents, if they exist, in the German language. The pragmatic part of the paper contributes to examining the frequency of use of the mentioned idioms in the Bosnian language, and to detecting the context in which the mentioned idioms appear.