Moral and Pedagogical Phraseological Units in German, English, and Macedonian: A Comparative Student-Based Study

This study investigates the function and significance of moral and pedagogical phraseological units in German, English, and Macedonian, with particular attention to their ethical, educational, and cultural dimensions. The research adopts a student-centered, comparative methodology, involving undergraduate students of German, English, and Macedonian at Goce Delcev University as active participants in data collection and analysis. Students were tasked with selecting representative phraseological units from each language, examining their semantic content, pragmatic use, and cross-linguistic equivalents. A qualitative-comparative approach was employed, combining descriptive linguistic analysis with cultural contextualization to uncover both convergences and divergences in moral and pedagogical expression. An illustrative example from the study is: German: Lügen haben kurze Beine. English: A lie has short legs. Macedonian: На лагата и се куси нозете Meaning: A warning about the consequences of lying. The findings indicate that moral and pedagogical phraseological units function as enduring vehicles for ethical instruction, practical wisdom, and cultural continuity across languages. Moreover, the student-based, participatory methodology proved effective in fostering critical linguistic awareness, cross-cultural sensitivity, and analytical competence. This research underscores the pedagogical and scholarly value of integrating students directly into comparative phraseological studies, highlighting their potential as co-investigators in applied linguistics and intercultural education.