The concept haan in the Dutch phraseological worldview

Abstract

This article examines the conceptual attributes of the zoonym haan ‘rooster’ in Dutch phraseology, using Dutch newspapers and fiction as source material. Based on the analysis, the main conceptual attributes of the zoonym “rooster” that are inherent in the Dutch phraseological worldview have been distinguished. They primarily include attributes of leadership, along with militancy, an association with masculinity and virility, and self-aggrandizement. A rooster is also connected to its morning song, seen as the exposure of injustice and crime, and is associated with ancient religious practices, including the Sun and fire cults. These attributes of the concept are divided into two groups. On the one hand, the concept of haan includes the features of an anthropocentric worldview, containing attributes that can be blended with the concept of a human. Thus the concept reflects the Dutch national specific view on a human being. On the other hand, the concept haan contains attributes which can be seen as socially important: the bird can act as a designation of a change, for example, the ending of a harvest season. Such overview of the concept haan can be useful for the more structural understanding of the concepts of animals and birds in Dutch.