SEMANTIC RELATIONS IN PHRASEOLOGY

ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGY

1. English phraseology. Characteristics of phraseological units.

1.1. Semantic unity.

1.2. Structural stability.

1.3. Phraseology and free word-combinations.

2. Types of English phraseologisms.

2.1. Thematic classification.

2.2. Etymological classification.

2.3. Functional types.

2.4. Structural types.

2.5. Semantic types.

3. Use of idioms.

3.1 Stylistics features

3.2 Rhetoric features:

3.2.1. Phonetic manipulation:

3.2.2. Lexical manipulation:

3.2.3. Figures of speech:

4. Variations of idioms.

5. Semantic relations in phraseology.

 

RECOMMENDED READING:

Arnold, Irina. The English Word. - Moscow: Vyshaja Shkola. 1966. – Chapter 1 “Introduction” P. 11 – 50.; Chapter 8 “Set Expressions” P.181-208.

Антрушина Г.Б., Афанасьева О.В., Морозова Н.Н. Лексикология английского языка: Учебник для пед. вузов. – 3-е изд-е. - – М.: Дрофа, 2001. – C. 225 - 258.

Rayevskaya N.M. English Lexicology. – Kiev: “Vysca Scola”, 1979. – Chapter 13 “English Phraseology” P. 265-283.

Квеселевич Д.І., Сасіна В.П. Практикум з лексикології сучасної англійської мови: Навч. пос.- Вінниця: Вид-во “Нова книга”, 2001. – С. 84 - 94.

Кунин А.В. Курс фразеологии современного английского языка: Учебник для инст-тов и фак. иностр. яз. – 2-е изд., перер. – М.: Высш. шк. , 1996. (Разделы: «Устойчивость фразеологических единиц» С. 46 – 98; «Системность фразеологии и семантическая структура фразеологических единиц» С. 101 – 198; «Происхождение фразеологических единиц современного английского языка» С. 212-241.)

 

MAIN CONCEPTS OF THE THEME:

functional types of phraseological units;

fusion;

half-fusion;

half-unity;

homophrase;

idiom;

nominative phraseological unit;

nominative-communicative phraseological unit;

non-separability (inseparability);

phraseological expression;

phraseological antonym;

phraseological homonym;

phraseological synonym;

phraseological unit ;

phraseological variant;

proverb;

reproducibility;

saying;

separability;

stable idiomatic simile;

structural types of phraseological units;

 

 

ENGLISH IDIOMS

Characteristics: semantic unity and structural stability.

Gradable idiomaticity: “true” idioms - “semi-idioms” - regular combinations.

CLASSIFICATION OF IDIOMS

criteria	types	subtypes	examples
grammatical function (part of speech)	nominal /substantive function as nouns	white elephant. Grass widow
adjectival function as adjectives	wide of the mark, beyond the pale.
verbal function as verbs	phrasal verbs V + Prep and/or Particle	look into, get away with
verb phrases	call it a day, come back to earth, make ends meet.
adverbial function as adverbs	tooth and nail, in nothing flat, in color
interjectional function as interjections	Good heaves! My eye!
communicative function	nominative correlate with different parts of speech	When pigs fly; a dark horse
communicative proverbs and sayings	Don’t count your chickens until they are hatched.
nominative-communicative can be transformed into sentences	to break the ice – the ice is broken
pragmatic:responsives	My Lord! Bless you!
structure	‘to give up’type	to nose out; to buy into; to sandwich in
‘to be tired’ type	to be interested in; to be fond of
prepositional-nominal	on the doorstep; on the nose
sentence type	declarative sentences	There is no use crying over the spilt milk.
interrogative sentences	Could leopard change its spots?
imperative sentences	First think, then speak.
exclamatory sentences
theme	e.g. associated with sea, or including ‘marine’ element	to be in low waters; to be all at sea; to be in the wrong boat; to be in the same boat
etymology	native
borrowed	to take the bull by the horns (It.)
semantic type	fusion non-motivated word-group	white elephant; to pull smb’s leg
half-fusion word group with leading literal component and idiomatically fused components	to buy for a song; to rain cats and dogs
unity metaphorically motivated	to make a mountain of a molehill “to exaggerate trifles” ;
half-unity binary word-group with one literal component	husband’s tea “weak tea”; French leave “to leave without saying good-bye”
phraseological collocation standardized phrases with limited valency	to make friends, to do one’s hair
phraseological expression proverbs, sayings, quotations	No pains, no gains

USE OF IDIOMS:

Stylistics features:

1. Colloquialisms : e.g. hang in, big wheel, make waves, can of worms

2. Slang: e.g. cancer stick, hit the sack, dish the dirt, feel no pain, in the soup

3. Literaryexpressions: e.g. come to pass, be it that, in the wake of, give the lie to, of note, cross swords.

RHETORIC FEATURES:

1. Phonetic manipulation:

(1) Alliteration: e.g. chop and change, might and main, rough and ready, part and parcel, toss and turn, bag and baggage, sum and substance, neither fish, flesh, nor fowl.

(2) Rhyme: e.g. kith and kin, toil and moil, by hook and by crook, fair and square, “A little pot is soon hot.” “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” “There’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.”

2. Lexical manipulation:

(1) Reiteration (duplication of synonyms): e.g. scream and shout, cut and carve, pick and choose, hustle and bustle, rough and tough, odds and ends, bits and pieces, push and shove, ways and means, by leaps and bounds.

(2) Repetition: e.g. by and by, out and out, such and such, neck and neck, lots and lots, day by day, all in all, face to face, word for word, year in year out.

(3) Juxtaposition(of antonyms): e.g. here and there, up and down, rain or shine, weal and woe, first and last, high and low, back and forth, sooner or later, play fast and loose, move heaven and earth.

3. Figures of speech:

(1) Simile: e.g. as mute as a fish, as dead as a doornail, as graceful as a swan, like a rat in a hole, eat like a horse, sleep like a log, spend money like water, “Time flies like an arrow.”

(2) Metaphor: e.g. black sheep, a dark horse, grey mare, snake in the grass, new broom, flat tire, the salt of the earth, bed of dust, crocodile tears, a wet blanket, black bottle, sit on the fence, fall from grace.

(3) Metonymy: e.g. in the cradle, live by one’s pen, from cradle to grave, make up a purse.

(4) Synecdoche: e.g. earn one’s bread, fall into good hands, two heads are better than one.

(5) Personification: e.g. Failure is the mother of success. Actions speak louder than words. The pot calls the cattle black. Fire and water are good servants, but bad masters.

(6) Euphemism: e.g. the call of nature, sleep around, powder one’s nose, kick the bucket, give leg-bail, big deal, perfumed talk.

SEMANTIC RELATIONS IN PHRASEOLOGY

(1) synonyms: to skate on ice – to platy with fire;

(2) antonyms: (a) differ in one component – up to date VS out of date; to do one’s best VS to do one’s worst; (b) differ in sets of components – to talk nineteen to the dozen VS to keep mum; (c) differ in meaning - by all means – (a) “of course; certainly (granting a permission)”: “May I make a suggestion?” “By all means.”; (b) “by any means or by any manner of means (following a negative) in any way; at all”: “I'm not poor by any means.”

VARIATIONS OF IDIOMS:

(1) Addition or deletion: e.g. behind (the) bars, (for) all night, for good (and all), as broad as (it is) long, thank one’s (lucky) stars, from (the bottom of) one’s heart.

(2) Replacement: e.g. make/cut a figure, make/pull off a great coup, catch/get/seize/take hold of, keep/break one’s word, take/lose heart, down in the bushes/mouth, a drop in the ocean/bucket, on the increase/decrease, in the know/dark, die in harness/one’s boots, in good/high/fine/full feather, on a large/big/vast scale, by all/no means, take long/short views, drop in/over/by, give a handle for/to, turn on/off, go with/against the stream, by/in the lump, flea in one’s/the ear, lay a/one’s course, in a/some sort, come off one’s/the high horse.

(3) Position-shifting: e.g.day and night = night and day, young and old = old and young, play sb a trick = play a trick on sb, fortune’s wheel = wheel of fortune, lie near sb’s heart = lie near the heart of sb.

(4) Shortening: e.g. the last straw = It is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back, velvet paws = Velvet paws hide sharp claws, Jack of all trade = Jack of all trades and master of none, a rolling stone = A rolling stone gathers no moss.

(5) Dismembering: e.g. “The leopard! But he did change them, Dinny.” “He did not, Auntie: he had no spots to change.” (The leopard never changes his spots.) A round peg in the squarest of holes < a square peg in a round hole.