The Word-Combinations and Phraseological Units
Alongside with separate words speakers use larger blocks consisting of more than one word yet functioning as one word. These set expressions are extremely variegated structurally, functionally, semantically and stylistically. Some word groups (e.g. at last, point of view, by means of, take place) seem to be functionally and semantically inseparable. Such word-groups are usually described as set phrases and they are studied by the branch of lexicology which is called phraseology.
The component members in other word-groups (e.g. a week ago, men of wisdom, take lessons, kind of people) seem to possess greater semantic and structural independence.
Word-groups of this type are defined as free word-groups or phrases. Words are used in certain lexical context, i.e. in combination with other words. E.g. the noun “question” is often combined with such adjectives as vital, pressing, urgent, disputable, delicate etc.
The aptness of a word to appear in various combinations is described as its lexical valency or collocability.
The lexical valency of correlated words in different languages is not identical.
e.g. English Russian
garden flowers садовые цветы
but
pot-flowers комнатные цветы
Word-groups like separate words may also be analyzed from the point of view of their motivation.
Word-groups are lexically motivated if the combined lexical meaning of the group is clear from the meaning of their components.
e.g. heavy weight, to take lessons – are motivated while structurally identical word-groups red-tape (бюрократизм), to take place – are lexically
non-motivated.
In these groups the constituents do not possess at least synchronically the denotational meaning found in the same words outside these groups (to be more exact do not possess any individual lexical meaning of their own).
The degree of motivation can be different (complete motivation, lack of motivation, intermediate cases).
e.g “old man” and “old boy” – both are motivated lexically and structurally. But the degree of motivation is higher in “old man”
Seemingly identical word-groups are found to be motivated or non-motivated depending on their semantic interpretation.
e.g. “apple sauce” is motivated in the meaning “соус” but non-motivated in the meaning “nonsense”.
It follows that word-groups may also be classified into motivated and non-motivated units. Non-motivated word-groups are habitually described as phraseological units or idioms.
Phraseological units are contrasted to free phrases. A free phrase permits substitution of any of its elements without semantic change in the other element or elements.
If no substitution is possible – it is a phraseological unit.
e.g. phraseological units:
all the world and his wife – жартома, всі без винятку
the man in the street – пересічний чоловік
red tape – бюрократизм
calf love – дитяче кохання
busy as a bee – дуже зайнятий
stuff and nonsense – нісенітниця
time and again – час від часу
tit for tat – зуб за зуб
to and fro – туди-сюди
free phrases:
to cut a poor figure – виглядати смішним we can substitute “poor” by ridiculous, grand).
In speech set phrases are usually used as one member of the sentence:
He took to his heels. – Here we have only 2 members.