“A Little Motherland” in the Light of Phraseology and Paremiology of Silesian Dialects (Śląsk Cieszyński, Górny Śląsk, Śląsk Opolski)

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of phrases and proverbs with a toponymic component, which were excerpted from lexicographic sources recording Silesian dialects. The object of description is the image of “a little motherland”, or to be more precise, little Silesian motherlands (Śląsk Cieszyński, Górny Śląsk oraz Śląsk Opolski), which is present in those units (i.e. phrases and proverbs). Thanks to particular toponyms in phraseology and paremiology, the following aspects of old times reality have been preserved: administrative centers, the development of industry and railroading, mental health care, education, prison system, agriculture, craftsmanship, trade, religious life, dialectal differences between residents of neighbouring towns, real estate