MODIFICATIONS OF IDIOMS IN CROATIAN AND GERMAN LANGUAGE OF FASHION

Abstract: This paper investigates modification techniques and the use of modified idioms in Croatian and German language of fashion. Fashion journalists present fashion trends not only with photos but also with effective idiomatic expressions. The language use in Croatian and German magazines shows many similarities as well as a number of equivalent modified idioms. Proverbs and catch phrases are mostly modified and used in titles in order to draw readers’ attention. They are used quite often in the media so we can remember them faster and recognize them easily. Two modification techniques are present in the corpus: formal with semantic modification (achieved first and foremost with lexical substitution) and semantic without formal modification (achieved with photos). A short survey among Croatian and German female readers of magazines shows that they recognize modified proverbs and names of popular films and songs. We can thus conclude that journalists successfully apply idiomatic modifications in the language of fashion.