Phraseology

It’s the branch of lexicology, specializing in word-groups, which are characterized by stability of structure and transferred meaning.

(у меня нет того, пишу что есть после твоего первого предложения)

The vocabulary of the language contains not only separate words simple or compound and free word- groups but also set-phrases with voluable context. Opinions differ as to how these parts of vocabulary should be defined and analyzed. There are several existing termsassociated with these word-groups:

- set-expressions

- set-phrases

-fixed word-group

- collocations

- phraseological unit

- idioms, as they called by most western corse

Their confusion in the terminology in sufficiency of positive or wholly reliable criteria by which phraseological units can be distinguished from free word-groups.

Western scholars approach to the program of phraseology.

Numerous theories have been built around of problem of phraseology and conceptions are differ, the majority of English linguists see the difference in term «an idiom» and «idiom English». They consider that an idiom is an expression consisting of 2 or more words and unchangeable in form and position having a traditional usage.

«Idiom English» is everything in English language characterizing it`s specific qualities. Other linguists don`t completely agree with this, because every language has it`s specific character. Idiomatic expressions exist in all languages. However the English language as a result of its specific development is extremely rich in set-phrases.

Idioms as they are called by western scholars represents as the most picturesque, colorful, and expressive parts of the language`s vocabulary.

The term has been around since antiquity and used in a variety of senses. The meanings «private» and «peculiar» are found in the etymology of the Greek as «idiomatic». This word is polysemantic and the English use it without differentiating between the grammatical and lexical levels. It may also mean a group of words whose meaning impossible to understand from the knowledge of the word considered separately.

Moreover, an idiom may be synonymous to words «language», «dialect» denoting a form of expression peculiar to people a country or to one individual. It’s generally agreed that the study of idiomaticity in Western scholars is underexplored aspects of modern linguistics.

They confine themselves collecting various words word groups presenting some interest of origin, style, usage or other features peculiar to them, and these unites are habitually described as idioms, but no attempt has been made to investigate them as a separate class of linguistic units or as a specific class of word groups.

American and English dictionaries of conventional English contain a wealth of slang words, proverbs, sayings, various lexical units of all kinds, but as a rule don’t seek to lay down a reliable criteria to distinguish between variable word-groups and units.

It has been postulated by Smornitski that the voc. of language consist of words and word-groups that aren`t created in speech but introduced into the act of communication ready-made.

Free word-group are so called because they are each time build up a new in the speech procers whereas phrased units are used readymade with fixed and contrast structure. So set-phrases are characteristic for fixedness and position.

Phraseological units are set word combinations, they differ from syntactical word combinations from the lexical point of view due to their conjoined usage.

The general meaning of syntactical word combinations is understood from the meanings of the word, used in construction.

The syntactic creation reveals the close ties between single words and PHU. Like words and word combinations, PHU may have different syntactic function in the sentence.

- Substantive(main. the subject)

- Verbal (to play a Russian roulette)

- Adjectival(as ugly as a sin)

- Adverbial

- Interjectional(междометные)

Characteristic features of phraseological units

- Fixedness of conponents

- Untangibility of order

- Metaphoric meaning

They can be defined as a reproduce, non-motivated (idiomatic) or partially motivated unit built up according to the model of free word- groups or sentences and semantically brought into correlation with words.

Semantic structure

1) Denotational

2) Connotative

3) Motivational

4) Emotive

5) Stylistic

6) Grammatical

7) Gender

The origin of phraseological units: native and borrow.

The main sources of native PHU

- Terminological and professional expressions

F.E. Physics center of gravity, to put the finishing touch.

- British literature

F.E. the green-eyed monster – “jealously” (W. Shakespeare); never say die – don’t give up

- British traditions and customs

F.E. by bell book and candle – (отлучение от церкви) окончательно и бесповоротно; baker’s dozen - чертова дюжина

- Superstitions and legends

F.E. a black ship – паршивая овца; the halcyon days (птичка зимородок) – спокойные дни

- historical facts and events; personalities

F.E. to do a Thatcher – to stay in power; Blue stocking – белая ворона

- Phenomena and facts of everyday life

F.E. carry coals to Newcastle – в лес со своими дровами не ходят.

Borrowed phraseological units.

- The Holy Script – Святое Писание

F.E. the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing; the kiss of Judas

- Ancient legends and myths belonging to different religious or cultural traditions.

F.E. a Procrustean bed – Прокрустово ложе; to blow hot and cold – колебаться

- facts and events of the world history

F.E. to cross the Rubicon – получить что-то, что невозможно изменить; punctuality is a politeness of princess

- Variants of the English language

F.E. to brush upon – проштудировать, просмотреть; to sprinkle the flower – давать в долг

- Other languages (classical and modern)

F.E. second to none – equal with any other and better than most; sub rosa – тайно, секретно; per capita – на душу населения; storm and stress – буря и натиск; after us the deluge – после нас хоть потоп.

Classification of phraseological units.

Aspects of idiomacity have been the most successfully.

Vinogradov (1947, 1964); Amosova (1963); Archangelskij (1964); Babkin (1964); Sanskij (1963); Smirnitskij (1956); Koonin (1963, 1977)

It is still mentioned that the 1^st scientist who gave rise to the theory of classification of phraseological units was the French linguist Charles Balley (1903).

Most Russian scholars use the term “phraseological units” which was first introduced by academic Vinogradov.

The classification of Phraseological units (Vinogradov) is based on semantic principles. He classifies it:

1) Phraseological fusions – are completely non-motivated word groups such as “kick the buckled”). Their meaning can usually be gathered. The meaning of the components has no connection with the meaning of the whole group. Idiomatically is combined with complete stability of the lexical components and the grammatical structure of the fusion. F.E. tit for tat – око за око, зуб за зуб. To make the bag – убить как можно больше дичи на охоте.

2) phraseological units (единства) are particularly non-motivated as their meaning can be usually been gathered from the metaphoric meanings of the whole phraseological unit. F.E. to praise to the skies – хвалить до небес; to wash one’s dirty linen in public. Phraseological units are marked by a high degree of stability of the lexical components.

3) Phraseological collocations (сочетания) are motivated but they’re made up of words possessing a certain degree of stability in such word-combinations. In phraseological collocations the variants of the components is strictly limited. F.E. to bear a grudge (иметь зуб на кого-то) may be changed into “to bear malice”, but not into “bear a fancy or liking”.

The habitual collocations tend to become the kind of clishes where the meaning of the components is to some extend dominated by the meaning of the whole group.

Due to this phraseological collocation have a certain degree of semantic in a separatability. It has been pointed out by Amosova and Koonin that this classification been developed to the Russian phraseology doesn’t fit a specifically English features.

Phraseological units in modern English are also approached from contextual point of view.

This approach is suggested by professor Amosova. She defines the phraseological units as units of fixed context. She subdivided their into 2 groups:

- phrasemes are two-member word groups in which one of the members has specialized meaning dependent on the second component. F.E. small beer (слабое пиво) – small hours (ранние часы); bear-faced - безбородый; dead as a door-nail – без признаков жизни.

- idioms are distinguished from phrasemes by the idiomaticity of the whole word-group. F.E. red tape – волокита, бюрократизм, in buff - нагишом, sofa potato – любитель сериалов.

Idioms are semantically and grammatically inseperable units. They may comprise unusual combination of words. F.E. a mare’s nest – иллюзии, заблуждение.

Most Russian scholars laze stress on the structural separateness of the elements on the whole and on the certain minimum stability.

This classification is based on the combined structural semantic principle.

4 groups:

1) Nominative phraseological units are represented by word-groups with one meaningful word and coordinative phrases. F.E. wear and tear – утомление.

This class also includes word-groups with a predicative structure. F.E. As the crow flies – по прямой, напрямую, кратчайшим путем; see how the land lies – как развернутся события; see how the cat jumps – когда ветер подует; ships that pass in the night – мимолетные встречи.

2) Nominative-communicative phraseological units include word-groups of the type. F/E/ to break the ice – the ice is broken.

That is verbal-word-groups which are transformed into a sentence when the verb is used in a passive voice.

3) Phraseological unit which are neither nominative nor communicative include interjectional word-groups. F.E. – Good heavens! – Hear, hear! – Like hell! – Bless you!

4) Communicative phraseological units are represented by proverbs and sayings (пословицы, поговорки) F.E. Life is not a bed of roses; speech is silver, but silence is golden.

These 4 classes are devices into sub-groups according to a type of structure of phraseological units. This classification is the latest outstanding achievement in the Russian theory of phraseology. Koonin thought that phraseology must developed as an independent science, not as a part of lexicology.

Поиск по сайту: