Waste and dirt in short folklore forms

Abstract

The article examines the concept and metaphorical meaning of waste and dirt in short folklore forms, including archival material (phrasemes, proverbs, and beliefs) and also internet memes as a new, contemporary folklore form. Waste and dirt are traditionally conceptually linked to metaphors of unwanted, used, lower-quality, or even immoral. Slovenian proverbs and phrasemes, on the other hand, do not thematize waste management or handling dirt; only beliefs show some part of this. New forms, on the other hand, emphasize environmental pollution directly, using concepts of waste and pollution combined in words and images intended to persuade the viewer or recipient to change their behavior into environmentally responsible behavior. Waste and dirt reveal themselves as important metaphorical elements, as well as a contemporary topic for new folklore genres.