The thesis is devoted to a comprehensive study of peculiarities of usage of phraseological units in German newspaper text depending on gender factor. Theoretical background of phraseology and gender investigations has been outlined; theoretical and methodological basis for the study of gender peculiarities of usage of phraseological units in German newspaper text has been defined. Special attention has been paid to the analysis of quantitative characteristics of usage of phraseological units depending on gender factor. Ideographic peculiarities of phraseological units used by representatives of different sexes have been outlined. Influence of gender factor on the processes of modification of phraseological units as well as on the usage of borrowed and citation-aphoristic phraseological units has been observed. With the help of linguistic statistic methods (criterion χ2 and Chuprov’s contingency coefficient K) statistically significant differences in the usage of phraseological units by both sexes have been determined. The conducted psycholinguistic experiment has contributed to identification of gender differences in terms of knowledge and usage of hyper frequent, borrowed and citation-aphoristic phraseological units in the speech of men and women.
The results of investigation conducted on the material of the Internet-versions of two most popular German newspapers «Die Zeit» and «Süddeutsche Zeitung» have revealed quantitative differences in the usage of phraseological units by the two sexes mainly in «one-gender» speech. In «two-gender» speech the tendency to relative equality of communicators of both sexes has been observed. Among the
phraseological units used in newspaper articles there is a group of units which is characterised by extremely high frequency of usage (hyper frequent) and which comprises «absolutely masculine», «absolutely feminine», «relatively masculine»,
«relatively feminine» and «gender indifferent» phraseological units.
Both in «one-gender» and «two-gender» speech the biggest number of the used phraseological units belongs to the thematic group «Human being», subgroup
«Human being as social being». This fact may be partially accounted for by the choice of the study material (newspaper articles).
The processes of expansion and substitution have proved to be the most noticeable changes in the structure of both male and female phraseological usages. Significance of usage of elliptical phraseological constructions in «one-gender women» articles has also been statistically proved.
Both men and women in «one-gender» communication show preference for phraseological units borrowed from English. In «two-gender» speech men prefer to use phraseological units borrowed from English, while women – from Latin.
«One-gender» newspaper speech of men is characterized by the usage of citations, while that of women – by slogans and appeals. In «two-gender» communication men show preference for aphorisms.
The results of psycholinguistic experiment have also testified to the differences in the usage of phraseological and citation-aphoristic units by representatives of different sexes. Thus, women more often than men use proverbs in their speech. The number of separate phraseological and citation-aphoristic units used by both males and females in their speech has proved to be rather small. The prevailing majority of suggested in the experiment borrowed phraseological units from the newspapers are known to all respondents.
On the whole the results of investigation reveal that in «two-gender» communication there are no significant differences between peculiarities of usage of phraseological units by both sexes. In «one-gender» speech such differences exist; in other words, communication, namely its speech expression, depends upon the gender identity of both communicants. Thus, for example, men in «one-gender» communication use phraseological units and citations with higher frequency (obviously trying to show their supremacy). Women in «one-gender» communication use smaller number of phraseological units than men, but in a greater variety of ways, resorting to many elliptical constructions, slogans, appeals etc., i.e. they are more emotional, flexible and creative. In their communication with men women are equal communicants, matching men in their phraseological competence.
The directions for further research are seen in comparative study of gender factor influence on the usage of phraseological units on the material of different languages (Ukrainian, Russian, German, English) and texts of different functional styles (colloquial, belles-lettres, publicistic) both in synchronic and diachronic
aspects that will help to investigate different peculiarities of manifestation of speech differentiation depending on gender factor deeper and more thoroughly.
