1. PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN ENGLISH Lecture # 12
Grigoryeva M.

2. PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS
Phraseology as the branch of Linguistics. The problem of terminology
Definition of phraseological units. Criteria for phraseologacal units
Three approaches towards the study of phraseological units
Classification of phraseological units

3. Phraseology is the branch of Linguistics appeared in the 1940s
studies phraseological units of the language

4. Object of Phraseology phraseological units, their nature,
the way they function in speech

5. Problem of terminology
set expression
idiom
set phrase
fixed word-groups
word-equivalent
phraseological unit

6. Phraseological Units
Phraseological units are word-groups that cannot be
made in the process of speech, they exist in the language
as ready-made units (idioms).
They are compiled in special dictionaries.

7. Phraseological Units non-motivated word-groups
cannot be freely made up in speech
reproduced as ready-made units
structurally stable
possess stability of lexical components
reproduced as single unchangeable collocations

8. Criteria to distinguish free-word groups from phraseological units
semantic criterion
structural criterion
syntactic criterion

9. Semantic criterion free word-roups each meaningful
component stands for a
separate concept
a red flower
phraseological units
convey a single concept
red tape

10. Semantic criterion
Phraseological units are characterized by different degrees of semantic change:
semantic change may affect the whole word-group (“complete transferred meaning”)
to skate on thin ice
to have one’s heart in one’s boots

11. Semantic criterion 2. semantic change may affect only one of the
components of a word-group
(“partially transferred meaning”)
to fall in love, small talk

12. Structural Criterion: restriction in substitution
free word-groups – components may be changed
The cargo ship/vessel is
carrying coal to
Liverpool/ Manchester
phraseological units – no word can be replaced without destroying the sense
to carry coals to
Newcastle

13. Structural Criterion: introducing additional components
free word-groups – change can be made without affecting the general meaning
The big ship is carrying
a large cargo of coal to the port of Liverpool
phraseological units – no additional components can be introduced
the white elephant –
NOT
the big white elephant

14. Structural Criterion: grammatical invariability
free word-groups –
red flower – red flowers
phraseological units
to find fault with smb. NOT
to find faults with smb.

15. Approaches to the Study of Phraseological Units
Semantic
functional
contextual

16. Semantic Approach phraseological units are non-motivated (idiomacity)
phraseological units are opposed to free-word combinations which are completely motivated

17. Functional Approach
phraseological units are specific word-groups functioning like word-equivalents
like words they possess structural and semantic inseparability

18. Contextual Approach
phraseological units are used in specific contexts – non-variable, or “fixed”
non-variability is a stability of the lexical components within the semantic structure

19. Phraseological transference
Based on Simile
(intensification of some feature of an object by bringing it
into contact with another object)
As pretty as a picture
To fight as a lion
Based on metaphor
(likening of one object to another)
Flog a dead horse
Join the majority

20. Phraseological transference
Based on metonymy
(transfer of a name-перенос наименования from one object to another
based on the contiguity of their properties, action)
A silk stocking –a rich well-dressed man
Synecdoche (a variety of metonymy- the replacement of the common by the private)
The flesh and blood
To hold one’s tongue

21. Classification of phraseological units
Phraseological fusions (completely non-motivated)
White elephant
“expensive but useless thing”
Phraseological unities (partially non-motivated)
To wash one’s dirty linen in public
To discuss or make public one’s quarrels
Phraseological unities (are motivated and contain one component in its direct meaning)
To meet the necessity

22. Ways of forming phraseological units
By A.V. Koonin –the way they are formed
Primary ways (when a unit is formed on the basis of a free word-group)
Secondary ways (when a unit is formed on the basis of another phraseological unit)

23. Primary ways Transferring the meaning of terminological word-groups
To link up
b) Transferring the meaning of free word-groups
Granny farm
As old as the hills
c) By means of alliteration
sad sack
Culture vulture

24. By means of expressiveness My aunt!
d) By means of rhyming
By hook or by crook
High and dry
By means of expressiveness
My aunt!
By using synonyms
Really and truly
By means of distorting (искажение)
Odd ends Odds and ends

25. By using a sentence in different sphere of life
That cock won’t fight (metaphor) cock fighting sport
Using some unreal image
To have butterflies in the stomach
To have green fingers
By using archaism
In brown study
By using expressions of writers or politicians in everyday life
American dream (Alby)
The winds of change (Mc Millan)

26. Secondary ways Conversion To vote with one’s feet vote with one’s feet
(expressing a protest by going away)
Analogy
Curiosity killed the cat Care killed the cat
Contrast
Thin cat (a poor person) Fat cat (a rich person)
Shortening of proverbs by clipping the middle
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear to make a sow’s ear
(To make a mistake)

27. Semantic classification
V.V. Vinogradov
According to the degree of motivation of the meaning
Fusions (highly idiomatic – can’t be translated word by word)
At sixes and sevens
Unities (can be guessed from the meaning of the components but it is transferred - metaphor or metonymy)
To play the first fiddle
Collocations (words are combined in their original meaning but the combination is different )
Cash and carry

28. Structural classification
A.I.Smirnitsky comparing with the words
One top unit (comparison with affixed words --have only one root morpheme)
Two-top unit (comparison with compound words –usually have two root morpheme)

29. One-top unit verb +post position type “to give up” To art up
To nose up
To sandwich in
Passive type structures “to be tired”
To be interested in
Prepositional- nominal (the semantic centre is in the nominal part)
On the doorstep

30. Two-top units Attributive-nominal A month of Sundays - целая вечность
Verb-nominal
To read between the lines – понимать скрытый смысл
Phraseological repetitions
Now and never
теперь или никогда
Ups and downs (antonyms)
взлеты и падения
Cakes and ale (alliteration)
удовольствия жизни
Cool as cucumber (partly or perfectly idiomatic)
Хладнокровный

31. Syntactical classification
I.V.Arnold based on parts of speech
Noun phraseologisms
verb phraseologisms
adjective phraseologisms
adverb phraseologisms
preposition phraseologisms
interjection phraseologism

32. Noun phraseologisms N+N maiden name N’s +N ladies’ man N+prep+N
skeleton in the cupboard
N+A
knight errant
A+N
high tea
N+subordinate clause
Ships that pass in the night ( chance acquaintances)

33. verb phraseologisms V+N To take advantage V+V To pick and choose (
V + one’s +N +prep
To pick and choose
V+one+N
To give one the bird
V+subordinate clause
To see how the land lies

34. Аdjective phraseologisms
A+and +A
High and mighty
(as)+A+as +A
As loose as a goose
Adverb phraseologisms
Adv+prep +N
Once in a blue moon

35. Preposition phraseologisms
Prep +N+prep
In course of
Interjection phraseologism
Catch me!
Ни за что!
Well, I never!
Вот уж не ожидал!
God bless me!

36. The main sources of native phraseological units
Terminological and professional lexics
Center of gravity (physics)
British literature
Green-eyed moster
Jelousy
W. Shakespeare
British traditions and customs
Baker’s dozen
Superstition and legends
Black sheep
Historical facts and events
To do a Thatcher
Facts of everyday life
A carry coal to Newcastle

37. The main sources of borrowed phraseological units
The Holy Script
The kiss of Judas (Matthew XXVI:49)
Ancient legends belonging to different culture
To cut the Gordian knot
Facts and events of the world history
To cross the Rubicon
From other languages
Tilt at windmills (acometer molinos de viente – Spanish)

38. Proverb (пословица)
sum up the collective wisdom of the community, a popular truth or a moral lesson in a concise and imaginative way
are metaphorical

39. Proverbs moralize Hell is paved with good intentions admonish
If you sing before breakfast, you will cry before night
criticize
Everyone calls his own geese swans
give advice
Don’t judge a tree by its bark

40. Proverbs lexical components are stable meaning is figurative
are ready-made units
are easily transformed into phraseological units
don’t cast pearls before swine –
to cast pearls before swine

41. Saying (поговорка) are non-metaphorical, not figurative
grammatically they are finished sentences
Where there is a way, there is a will

42. Familiar Quotations (крылатые выражения)
come from literature
in contrast to proverbs, they do not express finished judgment
To err (ошибаться) is human.