A Comparative Analysis of the Semantic and Structural Features of Phraseological Units in Azerbaijani and English

Abstract

This article compares the semantic and structural features of phraseological units in Azerbaijani and English on the basis of selected dictionary examples. It aims to determine how cross-linguistic semantic correspondence relates to imagery, component composition, and grammatical organization. The study adopts a qualitative comparative approach, examining five Azerbaijani and five English expressions arranged into five comparison pairs. The lexical meanings of the units are checked against AZLEKS and Merriam-Webster resources, while sentences illustrating contextual differences are constructed for analytical purposes. The analysis considers semantic core, underlying imagery, syntactic pattern, morphological variation, and communicative appropriateness. The examples show that semantic similarity does not require identical lexical imagery or grammatical structures. Even expressions drawing on the same domain of imagery may differ in component selection, word order, and the grammatical means used to express relationships. In particular, semantic features such as intentional or unintentional disclosure of information define the limits of translation equivalence. Phraseological fixedness is explained as a set of conventional constraints that ensure recognition of an expression rather than as absolute invariability. The findings from the selected examples are not presented as indicators of prevalence across the entire phraseological systems of the two languages. The main contribution is an analytical framework that evaluates semantic, figurative, and structural levels of equivalence separately and can be applied in translation and language teaching. This framework helps explain errors arising from the mechanical identification of similar expressions and supports the selection of contextually appropriate equivalents.