TOTEMISTIC PHRASEOLOGY IN MODERN MEDIA, ADVERTISING, AND POP CULTURE: A LINGUOCULTUROLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Аннотация

Статья посвящена изучению тотемистической фразеологии в контексте современных медиа, рекламы и поп-культуры. Тотемизм, укорененный в древних верованиях о символической силе животных, растений и предметов, продолжает оказывать влияние на языковое и культурное пространство современной коммуникации. В исследовании подчеркивается, как тотемические символы, традиционно связанные с мифологическим мышлением, трансформировались в мощные инструменты эмоционального воздействия в названиях брендов, слоганах, мемах, фильмах и музыке. Особое внимание уделяется лингвокультурологическим функциям тотемической фразеологии и ее способности отражать и формировать культурную идентичность в глобализированном мире. Ключевые слова: тотемистическая фразеология, лингвокультурология, медиадискурс, реклама, поп-культура, символы, брендинг, мемы, метафоры животных. Annotatsiya Ushbu maqola zamonaviy media, reklama va pop madaniyat kontekstida totemistik frazeologiyani o'rganishga bag'ishlangan. Hayvonlar, o'simliklar va narsalarning ramziy kuchi haqidagi qadimgi e'tiqodlardan kelib chiqqan totemizm zamonaviy muloqotning lingvistik va madaniy makoniga ta'sir qilishda davom etmoqda. Tadqiqot an'anaviy ravishda mifologik tafakkur bilan bog'liq bo'lgan totemik belgilar brend nomlari, shiorlar, memlar, filmlar va musiqalarda qanday qilib kuchli hissiy ta'sir vositalariga aylantirilganini ta'kidlaydi. Totemik frazeologizmlarning lingvokulturologik vazifalari va globallashgan dunyoda madaniy o‘ziga xoslikni aks ettirish va shakllantirish qobiliyatiga alohida e’tibor qaratilgan. Kalit so'zlar: totemistik frazeologiya, lingvokulturologiya, media-diskurs, reklama, pop- madaniyat, ramzlar, brending, memlar, hayvonlar metaforalari Language has always been a repository of cultural codes, national mentality, and collective memory. One of the most ancient manifestations of the connection between 56 ` language and culture is totemism — a belief system in which certain animals, plants, or objects serve as sacred symbols of a tribe, clan, or social group. Over time, totemic symbols have migrated from mythology and folklore into the linguistic sphere, giving rise to a vast array of phraseological units that reflect human attitudes toward the surrounding world. Modern media, advertising, and pop culture have reinterpreted these totemic symbols, adapting them to the realities of the 21st century. Brands exploit animal images to evoke desirable associations. Slogans borrow the metaphorical power of totemic phraseology to create memorable messages. Memes, films, and songs reinterpret ancient symbolic patterns, transforming them into ironic or aesthetic elements of global communication. The relevance of this research lies in the fact that, despite the technological progress of society, archaic totemic models continue to function actively in everyday language practices, including media and advertising discourse. This confirms the thesis that phraseology with totemic roots remains a productive mechanism for encoding cultural meanings and influencing the recipient. The purpose of this article is to identify and analyze the linguoculturological features of totemistic phraseology in modern media, advertising, and pop culture, using concrete examples from contemporary discourse. The term totem originates from the language of the Ojibwa tribe (North America) and means “his kinship group” (Frazer, 1910). Totemism is based on the idea that a particular natural object — most often an animal or plant — is a symbolic ancestor, protector, or emblem of a human group. As Claude Lévi-Strauss (1962) emphasized in Totemism, this phenomenon reflects the human tendency to classify the world through binary oppositions and symbolic thinking. In the sphere of language, this has led to the formation of stable symbolic images embodied in metaphors, comparisons, and phraseological units. Totemistic phraseology refers to stable linguistic units (idioms, proverbs, metaphors) that contain references to totemic symbols and express culturally significant meanings. According to Nakhimova (2013), totemic elements in phraseology function as “cultural markers,” encoding ideas about desirable or undesirable qualities of a person. For example, the lion traditionally symbolizes strength and nobility in many cultures (“lion-hearted”, “king of beasts”), while the fox represents cunning (“sly as a fox”). The presence of such phrases in modern discourse demonstrates the continuity of symbolic thinking across eras. Modern marketing actively exploits the symbolic potential of totemic phraseology, primarily through animal images in brand names, logos, and advertising slogans. This practice is not accidental. As George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1980) argue in Metaphors We Live By, metaphorical thinking, including totemic symbols, allows people to structure their perception of reality and instantly decode associative meanings. The usage of animal totems in branding is based on the principle of symbolic tr