“Structural and Semantic Properties of Phraseological Units”

, ?. ?. Structural and semantic becomingties of phraseological social wholes IV -48 . ?. ?. 2011 Plan Introduction 1. Problems with the interpretation of phraseological building blocks. The groups of phraseological units according their signifi green goddessce 2. Ways of forming of phraseological units 3.Semantic building of phraseological units Conclusions References Introduction Phraseological units, or idioms, as they argon c wholeed by most western scholars, re position what give the gate uniformly be described as the most picturesque, colourful and expressive portion of the languages vocabulary. If synonyms can be figuratively referred to as the tints and colours of the vocabulary, then phraseology is a kind of picture gallery in which be collected vivid and amusing sketches of the nations customs, traditions and prejudices, recollections of its yesteryear history, scraps of folk songs and fairy-tales.Quotations from great poets a rgon writed here on base the dubious pearls of philistine wisdom and crude slang witticisms, for phraseology is non only the most colourful but probably the most egalitarian area of vocabulary and draws its resources loosely speaking from the genuinely depths of popular speech. Our abstract is attached to the problem of defining the phraseological units and to their structural and semantic features. We try to analyze the full treatment of varied scholars, which researched these marvels and to systematize their conclusions. Problems with the definition of phraseological units.The groups of phraseological units according their pith In fresh linguistics, there is consider able-bodied discombobulation ab prohibited the end putinology associated with these word-groups. several(prenominal)(prenominal) Russian and Ukrainian scholars example the term phraseological unit, which was first introduced by schoolman V. V. Vinogradov whose contribution to the theory of Russian phraseology can non be overestimated. The term idiom, widely apply by western scholars, has comparatively recently constitute its way into Russian and Ukrainian phraseology but is applied mostly to only a original display case of phraseological unit as it leave al champion be clear from further explanations.There are some other(a) damage denoting more or less the same linguistic phenomenon set-phrases, phrases, fixed word-groups, collo putions. The confusion in the terminology reflects insufficiency of affirmatory or wholly sure criteria by which phraseological units can be distinguished from waive word-groups. It should be pointed out at once that the freedom of free word-groups is relative and arbitrary. Nothing is all in all free in speech as its linear relationships are governed, dependant and regulated, on the one hand, by requirements of logic and common sense and, on the other, by the rules of grammar and combinability.One can speak of a black- kerneld girl but not of a black-eyed table (unless in a piece of modernistic song where anything is come-at-able). Also, to say the child was gay is quite correct, but a rejoicing child is wrong because in Modern English glad is attributively used only with a precise limited number of nouns (e. g. glad news), and names of mortals are not among them. Free word-groups are so called not because of any absolute freedom in using them but only when because they are each term built up anew in the speech process where as idioms are used as off-the-peg units with fixed and constant social systems.So we can give the definition of each type of unit given above to use them correctly. First of all, set-phrases imply that the basal criterion of differentiation is stability of the lexical components and well-formed structure of word-groups. The term word-equivalent stresses not only semantic but excessively functional inseparability of certain word-groups, their aptness to function in speech as single words. A collo scourion is twain or more words that often go together. These combinations just leaden right to native English speakers, who use them all the time.On the other hand, other combinations whitethorn be unnatural and just sound wrong. Look at these examples the fast tutor the quick train fast food quick food The term idioms generally implies that the immanent feature of the linguistic units under consideration is idiomaticality or lack of motivation. Uriel Weinreich expresses his location that an idiom is a complex phrase, the importation of which cannot be derived from the meanings of its elements. He substantial a more truthful supposition, claiming that an idiom is a subset of a phraseological unit.Ray Jackendoff and Charles Fillmore offered a fairly broad definition of the idiom, which, in Fillmores words, reads as follows an idiomatic expression or construction is something a language user could recrudesce to know while knowing everything else in the langu age. Chafe also lists four features of idioms that arrive them anomalies in the traditional language unit figure ? non-compositionality ? ansformational defectiveness ? un well-formedity ? frequency asymmetry.Generally speaking, the term idiom, both in our terra firma and abroad, is mostly applied to phraseological units with completely transferred meanings, that is, to the ones in which the meaning of the whole unit does not correspond to the current meanings of the components. According to the type of meaning phraseological units whitethorn be frameified into ( miscellanea given by Ryzhkova) ? Idioms ? Semi-idioms ? Phraseomatic units. Idioms are phraseological units with a transferred meaning. They can be completely or partially transferred red tape.Semi-idioms are phraseological units with two phraseosemantic meanings terminological and transferred chain reaction, to lay down the arms. Phraseomatic units are not transferred at all. Their meanings are literal the begging of t he end pins and needles. As we can affect there is no one specific definition for such phenomenon as phraseological units. Different scholars make their own suggestions, which are worth to be considered. Weve adumbrate the principal(prenominal) of them which are necessary to know dealing with this problem in the process of studying of the English language.Ways of forming of phraseological units As we deal with the structure of phraseological units its necessary to pay attention to the classification given by A. V. Koonin. He distinguishes the groups of phraseological units according to the way they are organise. Primary ways of forming phraseological units are those when a unit is make on the basis of a free word-group a) Most productive in Modern English is the formation of phraseological units by elbow room of transferring the meaning of terminological word-groups, e. . in cosmic technique we can point out the following phrases launching pad in its terminological meaning is , in its transferred meaning , to link up ? in its trans make meaning it bureau . b) A large group of phraseological units was make from free word-groups by transforming their meaning, e. g. granny farm , Trojan horse . ) Phraseological units can be formed by means of alliteration, e. g. a sad sack , culture pirana , , fudge and nudge . d) They can be formed by means of expressiveness, especially it is characteristic for forming interjections, e. g. My aunt , Hear, hear etc e) They can be formed by means of distorting a word group, e. g. left over(p)s and ends was formed from odd ends. f) They can be formed by using archaisms, e. g. in brown study means in gloomy meditation where both components preserve their archaic meanings, g) They can be formed by using a sentence in a different sphere of life, e. g. that cock wint fight can be used as a free word-group when it is used in sports (cock fighting), it becomes a phraseological unit when it is used in everyda y life, because it is used metaphorically h) They can be formed when we use some unreal image, e. g. to have butterflies in the stomach , to have kilobyte fingers etc. ) i) They can be formed by using expressions of writers or politicians in everyday life, e. g. corridors of power (Snow), American dream (Alby) locust eld (Churchil), the winds of change (M? Millan). Secondary ways of forming phraseological units are those when a phraseological unit is formed on the basis of another phraseological unit they are a) Conversion, e. g. to vote with ones feet was converted into vote with ones feet. b) Changing the grammar form, e. g. throw hay while the sun shines is transferred into a verbal phrase to make hay while the sun shines. ) Analogy, e. g. Curiosity killed the cat was transferred into Care killed the cat. d) Contrast, e. g. cold surgery a planned before operation was formed by contrasting it with acute surgery thin cat a poor somebody was formed by contrasting it with fat cat. e) Shortening of proverbs or sayings e. g. from the proverb You cant make a silk purse out of a sets ear by means of clipping the middle of it the phraseological unit to make a sows ear. f) Borrowing phraseological units from other languages, either as interlingual rendition loans, e. . living space (German), to take the bull by the horns (Latin) or by means of phonetic borrowings meche blanche (French), corpse delite (French), sotto voce (Italian) etc. phonic borrowings among phraseological units refer to the bookish style and are not used very often. A. V. Koonin distinguishes such types of the phraseological units according the principles given above 1) nominative a saturated nut to crack. They are subdivided into ? Substantive crocodile tears ? Adjective as mad as a hatter as cool as a cucumber ?Adverbial by & by to & fro ? Verbal to have sex care a lord. 2) Nominative- communicative the ice is broken 3) Interjectional & modal emotions, feelings Oh, my eye (= Oh , my God ) as sure as eggs is eggs (, 2?2) 4) Communicative proverbs, sayings There is no smoke without fire. This classification is called structural-semantic one and the phraseological units are grouped depending on the components they are formed by and on the meaning these units express. Semantic structure of phraseological unitsThe semantic structure of phraseological units by professor V. N. Teliya is formed by semantic ultimate constituents called macrocomponents of meaning. There are the following principal macrocomponents in the semantic structure of phraseological units 1. Denotational (descriptive) macrocomponent contains the information slightly the objective reality, it is the procedure connected with categorization, i. e. the classification of phenomena of the reality, based on the common idea roughly what is denoted by a phraseological unit (about denotatum). 2.Evaluational macrocomponent contains the information about the value of what is denoted by a phraseologi cal unit, i. e. what value the speaker sees in this or that object / phenomenon of reality the denotatum. The rational evaluation may be a) positive a home from home a place or speckle where one feels completely happy and at ease b) negative the social lions den a place of great danger c) inert in the flesh in bodily form. 3. Motivational macrocomponent correlates with the picture of the inner form of phraseological unit.The notion motivation of a phraseological unit can be defined as the aptness of the literal reading of a unit to be associated with the denotational and evaluational aspects of meaning. For example, the literal reading of the phraseological unit to have broad shoulders is physical strength of a person. The idea is indicative of a persons strength becomes the base for transference and forms the meaning of being able to bear the full weight of ones responsibilities. . Emotive macrocomponent is the limit of conquerive modality expressing feeling-relation to what is denoted by a phraseological unit within the browse of approval / disapproval, for example, a leading light in something a person who is important in a particular group (spoken with approval), to lead a cat and dog life used to describe a economize and wife who quarrel furiously with each other most of the time (spoken with disapproval). . Stylistic macrocomponent points to the communicative register in which a phraseological unit is used and to the social-role relationships between the participants of communication a) formal sick at heart very sad b) informal be sick to death to be violent and bored because something unpleasant has been happening for too long c) neutral poke out by on the other side to ignore a person who needs help. 6.Grammatical macrocomponent contains the information about all possible structural and syntactic changes of a phraseological unit, for instance, to be in deep water = to be in deep waters to take away smbs tip = to take smbs breath a way Achilless dog-iron = the heel of Achilles. 7. Gender macrocomponent may be expressed explicitly, i. e. determined by the structure and / or semantics of a phraseological unit, and in that case it points out to the class of objects denoted by the phraseological unit men, women, people (both men and women).For instance, compare the phraseological units every Tom, diaphysis and elicit meaning every or any man and every Tom, Dick and Sheila which denotes every or any man and woman. Gender macrocomponent may be expressed implicitly and then it denotes the initial (or historical) reference of a phraseological unit, for example, to wash ones dirty linen in humankind discuss or argue about ones in-person affairs in public. The implicit presence of the gender macrocomponent in this phraseological unit is conditioned by the idea about traditional womens work (cf. with Ukrainian ? ).The implicit gender macrocomponent is defined within the ordinate of three conceptual spheres mascul ine, feminine, intergender. Compare, for instance, the implicitly expressed intergender macrocomponent in to feel like royalty meaning to feel like a member of the august Family, to feel majestic and its counterparts, i. e. phraseological units with explicitly expressed gender macrocomponent, to feel like a queen and to feel like a king. So the semantic structure of phraseological unit is a complex formation with different denotative, hearty and connotative aspects of meaning.The denotative aspect of phraseological meaning is the word subject named by this unit 1) relation between a lexical unit and an extralanguage subject or phenomena, 2) subject denotation the significant aspect is a phraseological unit concept a reflection of certain object concept in human consciousness the connotative aspect is emotionally-expressive side and stylistic act upon of phraseological unit additional word content, its stylistic colouring that superpose upon the main word meaning and convey emotio nally-expressive and estimative attitude of the speaker to the denoted object.Correlation of these aspects in different types of phraseological units is different. One of the aspects may prevail and it causes certain influence of a phraseological unit on the communicative process. In comparative phraseological units significant and connotative aspects predominate. The communicative contribution of phraseological units of this type is fixed with the help of certain object determination, in which they carry pragmatic characteristic defined by emotionally-expressive factor of their meaning. Conclusions Phraseological units are very specific part of any language.It should be noted, however, that no proper scientific investigation of English phraseology has been attempted until quite recently. English and American linguists as a rule confine themselves to collecting dissimilar words, word-groups and sentences presenting some interest either from the point of view of origin, style, usage , or some other feature peculiar to them. These units are habitually described as idioms, but no attempt has been make to investigate these idioms as a separate class of linguistic units or a specific class of word-groups. We systematized the observations of A. V. Koonin, V. N. Teliya, G.Antrushyna connected with the structural and semantic properties of the phraseological units. Using their works we defined several classifications according the ways of forming and according semantic structure. For example, the types of the phraseological units distinguished by A. V. Koonin 1) Nominative (with subgroups) 2) Nominative-communicative 3) Interjectional & modal 4) Communicative. All classifications mentioned above exist simultaneously and describes the main features of the phraseological units 1) fair play (or transference) of meaning means that none of the idiom components is eparately associated with any referents of objective reality, and the meaning of the whole unit cannot be dedu ced from the meanings of its components 2) Stability (lexical and grammatical) means that no lexical substitution is possible in an idiom in comparison with free or variable word-combinations (with an exception of some cases when such substitutions are made by the author intentionally). The experiments conducted in the 1990s showed that the meaning of an idiom is not exactly identical to its literal paraphrase given in the mental lexicon entry.That is why we may speak about lexical flexibility of more units if they are used in a creative manner. Lexical stability is usually accompanied by grammatical stability which prohibits any grammatical changes 3) Separability means that the structure of an idiom is not something indivisible, certain modifications are possible within certain boundaries. Here we meet with the so-called lexical and grammatical variants. To illustrate this point we shall give some examples as hungry as a wolf (as a hunter), as safe as a house (houses). 4) Express ivity and emotiveness means that idioms are also characterized by stylistic colouring.In other words, they evoke emotions or add expressiveness. On the whole phraseological units, even if they present a certain pattern, do not generate new phrases. They are unique. Interlanguage comparison, the aim of which is the exposure of phraseological conformities, forms the basis of a number of speculative and applied trends of modern linguistic research, including the theory and practice of phraseography. But the question of determining the factors of interlanguage phraseological conformities as the main concept and the criterion of choosing phraseological equivalents and analogues as the aspect concepts is still at issue.The analysis of special literature during the determination decades shows that the majority of linguists consider the coincidence of semantic structure, grammatical (or syntactical) organization and componential (lexeme) structure the main criteria in defining the types o f interlanguage phraseological conformities / disparities with the undoubted primacy of semantic structure. References 1. ?. ?. / ?. ?. ?. , 1963. 208 ?. 2. ?. ?. . / ?. ?. , ?. ?. , ?. ?. ?. , 1999. 288 ?. 3. ?. ?. . - ? . . / ?. ?. ?. . , 1986. 295 ?. 4. . . . / ?. ?. . ?. - , 2006. 784?. 5. ?. ?. ? / ?. ?. // . ? . ?. , 1977. ?. 140 161. 6. ?. ?. - ? . . / ?. ?. , ?. ?. , ?. ?. , ?. ?. ?. . , 1979. 169 ?. 7. ?. ?. . . - ? - . . / ?. ?. ?. , 1989. 126 ?. 8. ?. ?. - / ?. ?. ?. , 2005. 1210 ?. 9. ?. ?. / ?. ?. ?. , 1972. 288 ?. 10. Arnold I. V. The English Word / Arnold I. V. M. , 1986. 296 ?.