German and Albanian Proverbs in the Intercultural Context

Proverbs have an important role in the acquirement of German as a foreign language. The easiest way to present a cross-cultural comparison of proverbs is the onomasiological approach. In this study, I will attempt to show the names of animals as an element of indication of the similarities and differences between the German language and Albanian (Pferd/(kalë), Hund/(qen), Bär/(ari), etc.). The examples presented will clarify that in both languages there are characteristics and physical attributes of animals as well as their use by people that serve as a motive in the creation of proverbs. Therefore, we often encounter similarities and differences. Moreover, we will start from the German proverbs that reveal even more the comparison between the German and Albanian languages, since identity and idiomatic transformation represent the arbitrary process of naming as well as their cultural similarities and differences. What is particularly interesting for a cross-cultural comparison are the idiomatically transformed Albanian equivalents of proverbs in the German language. In Albanian, when some idiomatic transformations of animal names are replaced, the other components vary.