V Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2013

The problem of phraseological meaning is constantly discussed in linguistics [Антонова и др. 2010: 16]. The appearance of a phraseological unit in a language takes place due to the process of secondary (phraseological) nomination [Федуленкова 1994: 9] which is accompanied by either a simple or a complex shift of meaning.

The complex shift of meaning under the secondary (phraseological) nomination appears in the same way as the simple shift of meaning, i.e. during the transformation of literary meaning of the prototype [Федуленкова 2003: 72]. But in the case of the complex shift of meaning there is always a complicating factor, for example, non-motivation of the meaning of the phraseological unit or associations with extra linguistic factors as a preliminary link in the process of reference.

After A.V. Kunin we maintain that non-motivation of the phraseological meaning is the absence of synchronic derivational connection between the meaning of the phraseological unit and the literary meanings of its components [Кунин 1996: 147].

As a result of non-motivation a change of features denoted by the phraseologism takes place: the features which are characteristic of the PU prototype disappear and new ones (those characteristic of the phraseological unit) appear.

Non-motivation of the meaning doesn't obstruct the communication, as it is supported by the tradition of communicative application.

1. As an example of a non-motivated phraseological unit can serve the phraseological unit send smb to Coventry, which means бойкотировать кого-л. The existing in Modern English variable word combination send smb to Coventry with the meaning послать кого-л. в Ковентри doesn't say anything about the meaning of the corresponding phraseological unit, as it is its homonym. However the etymology of the phraseologisms is established. Clarendon in his book "History of the Rebellion" (1647) points out that during the Civil War in England Coventry was a citadel of the parliamentarianism and in Coventry there were many royalists imprisoned. The phraseological unit send smb to Coventry firstly was connected with the definite situation, rather essential for its time. When this situation disappeared the word combination underwent the shift of meaning, gradually the connection between the meaning of the phraseologism and the literary meaning of its components was destroyed. Originality of this type of semantic shift of meaning consists in the definite role of extra linguistic factors. This type of shift of meaning can be named a circumstantially caused one.

The metonymical shift of meaning is also possible. For example, Joe Miller - 1) сборник шуток, анекдотов; 2) плоская острота, старая шутка, избитый анекдот (according to the name of the actor Joseph Miller (1684-1738) who published the first collection of jokes in England).

The metonymical shift of meaning is a transference of nomination from one denotatum to another associated with it according to the adjacency [Сошникова, Федуленкова 2010: 260].

More than that there are phraseological units with a double, metaphor-metonymical shift of meaning [Федуленкова 1984: 148].

The complex shift of meaning of non-motivated phraseological units is not an object of the direct observation, but it is established with the help of diachronic etymological analysis [Fedulenkova 1999: 41]. In the cases when the etymology of PU is unknown it is impossible to establish the character of the shift of meaning. It is true, for example, for the phrase go the whole hog (colloq.) - делать что-л. основательно, доводить до конца; talk through one's hat - нести вздор, пороть чепуху, etc.

2. Some phraseological units that exist in Modern English originated from an authorial phrase, having a literary meaning.

An example of such a PU is the phrase the last of the Mohicans - последний из могикан (according to the title of the novel by F.Couper). Between the title of the novel and the PU the last of the Mohicans there is an intermediate link, i.e. the text of the novel.

The biblical phrase kill the fatted calf is used in the parable about a prodigal son in the literary meaning заклать упитанного тельца. Later this phrase, as a result of metaphorical shift of meaning, acquired the new meaning угостить лучшим, что есть в доме. The Bible usage is that intermediate link which creates the complex shift of meaning. For the majority of authorial phrases the usage in the single context and designation of the single object is typical. Only the way out of the limits of a single context can create a unit of the language, on the one hand, and the corresponding phraseological abstraction [Fedulenkova 2009: 42] which is characteristic of it, on the other hand.

3. Often the shifted meaning of PU is inherited from an individual authorial phrase which is a creation of a secondary nomination, connected with the definite context. Such a shift of meaning of a PU can be named reduplicated.

An example for it is Shakespeare's the green-eyed monster - чудище с зелеными глазами, ревность ("Othello").

Analogous PU, unlike the authorial phrase, has a wider usage as a result of its peculiar phraseological stability unrestricted with the limits of a single context.

Within the frames of the secondary phraseological nomination the reduplicated shift of meaning can combine with the volume enlargement of the notion as a result of the combinability enlargement. Thus the variable combination by inches - дюйм за дюймом is used by Shakespeare in the figurative meaning постепенно, e.g.:

Messenger: ...They'll give him death by inches ("Coriolanus". Act V, sc.4).

In this example the idiom by inches is used in combination with the verb give and relates to the word death.

In Modern English the combinability of the phraseologism is extended and the volume of the expressed notion is enlarged, e.g.:

But that he had seen her come to this by inches, he never could have believed her to be the same (Ch. Dickens).

I saw myself dying by inches (Th. Dreiser).

During the secondary occasional nomination semantic transformations are always non-imagery [Хостай 2004: 177], because a usual or occasional tertiary nomination appears as a result of figurative shift of meaning. When non-imagery semantic transformations take place, the arch-seme is not forced out by the occasional seme, there is no shift of meaning observed, but only its specification, intensification, changing of stylistic colour takes place. It is achieved by the usage of the system of stylistic devices, such as intrusion, double actualization, replacement of the components and etc. [Кунин 1976: 103]. Here there are some instances of occasional PU usage (cited after A.V. Kunin):

Specification of meaning

Fine words butter no parsnips ~ ‘соловья баснями не кормят':

Having been myself at various times both poor and ill, I am aware that fine words butter no literary parsnips (U. Sinclair).

Intensification of meaning

Give smb the glad eye - ‘бросить на кого-л. многообещающий взгляд':

Charles: ...Didn't you see her giving me enormous glad eyes? Wanted me to come round and see her when it was quieter (J.B. Priestley).

Hyperbolizing character is intensified by unusual usage of the word eye in the plural.

Intrusion of the words bloody, confounded, goddam, etc. not only intensifies the meaning of the phraseological unit, but also changes its stylistic colour, making the utterance more rude, e.g.:

Not on your life - ‘ни за что, ни коим образом, ни в коем случае':

Grace's face darkened and a harsh note came into her lowered voice... ‘Not on your bloody life' (D. Cusack and F. James).

Weakening of meaning

The weakening of meaning of the PU is attained by means of intrusion of words and word combinations in its structure such as almost, a bit of, a little, a trifle and etc.

Talk shop - ‘говорить на узкопрофессиональные темы':

...the Air Force and army boys couldn't help talking a bit of shop (J.B. Priestley).

Intrusion of the word rather into the structure of the PU has a character of conscious reduction, that is rather clear to whom it is addressed, and it colours the utterance emotionally. The originality of such occasional transformation is in the appearance of the litotes, when the meaning of the PU is weakened externally, but in fact its intensification is underlined due to this weakening, e.g.:

Come a cropper - ‘потерпеть неудачу; попасть в беду':

Freeman: If I came rather a cropper that's no reason why you should come one too (W.S. Maugham).

Play havoc with smth - ‘разрушить что-л.':

‘My predecessor, ' said the parson, ‘played rather havoc with the house' (J.Galsworthy).

To sum up our observations in the chosen field of phraseological semantics we would like to stress the point that the complex shift of meaning that takes place during the process of the secondary (or phraseological) nomination often makes the motivation of the resulting phraseological unit less transparent, and to see the actual meaning of the phraseological unit one should appeal to its genetic prototype, i.e. to its initial variable combination of words.

References

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