V Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2013

One of the urgent issues in the field of phraseology is the studies of verbal phraseological units (PUs) as the verb is considered to be the nuclear of utterance [Воронина 1979; Федуленкова 1994: 9; Вишенкова 2012: 229; Fedulenkova 2012: 324].

Verbal PUs are classified into nominative and nominative-communicative units, due to the fact that some of them have the form of phrases, while others may have the form of both phrases and sentences [Кунин 2005: 296].

Verbal PU can be completely or partially motivated or unmotivated word combinations with a shift of meaning. Metaphor, metonymy and comparison are the basic types of the shift of meaning. Metaphorical PUs are often hyperbolic or euphemistic. Non-motivation is caused by both linguistic and extra-linguistic factors. In unmotivated word combinations with partial shift of meaning the connection of the verbal component with other PU components is not motivated. As a result of the false etymology re-motivation of fusions may take place, which is explained by the desire of the man to comprehend the incomprehensible. Most verbal PUs refer to a person, to actions committed by a person, or to the state in which the person is located. PUs, unrelated to the man, are much less common, for example, blow great guns (of the storm, the roar of the storm is likened to thunder of artillery). Verbal PUs are divided into non-comparative and comparative ones.

The paper deals with non-comparative motivated verbal phraseological units with a full shift of meaning [Fedulenkova 2003: 86].

At the core of a large number of verbal PUs there is metaphorical reinterpretation of corresponding variable combinations. Transference of nomination is based on the similarity of action. As examples of such transference can serve the following PUs: dance on a volcano;fall on one's feet (like a cat that falls always on foot); look out for squalls (literally: beware of the storm, a flurry);twiddle one's thumbs (literally: twiddle thumbs);let off (a joke, epigram, proverb, pun, speech). The meaning of the set phrase let off appeared as a result of metaphorical transference of the literal meaning shoot. Verbal idioms form numerous semantic groups in phraseology [Федуленкова Т.Н., Игнатович 2012: 226]. Here are some of them.

a) Phraseological units denoting success:

bring down the house or bring the house down;

carry all before one;

carry the day;

get up (or rise) in the world;

kill two birds with one stone;

set the Thames (or the world) on fire.

b) Phraseological units denoting failure:

burn one's fingers;

come a cropper;

miss the boat (or the bus);

play one's cards badly;

put one's foot in it (or in the mouth).

c) Phraseological units denoting deception:

hand smb a lemon;

play smb false;

sell smb a pup.

d) Phraseological units denoting risk:

carry (or take) one's life in one's hands;

play with fire;

put all one's eggs in one basket.

e) Phraseological units denoting dismissal:

give smb his walking papers;

give smb the order of the boot;

give smb the sack.

In some cases it is not easy to refer PUs with the structure V + Adv to one or another semantic group due to the difficulty of determining the conditional nature of the meaning transference of their prototype. Verbal set expressions like beat up, flare up, stir up and others are formed by generating structural and semantic model, and their stability is under question.

Many metaphorical PUs, starting with verbs be and have, mean being in a certain state, such as:

be in smooth water – to overcome some difficulty;

be on one's bones – to need money badly, to suffer from lack of money;

be (or have) one's head in the clouds – to be far from pragmatic;

have a bone in one's (or the) throat – to be unable to utter a single word;

e.g.:...give us a chance, constable: I'm right on my bones. Two bob's all I've got left in the world besides a wife (J. Galsworthy).

Maybe it's good for me to be brought down to earth again. I had my head in the clouds, didn't I? (E. Caldwell).

Alongside with the phraseological units, starting with the verb to be, there are PUs with partially common lexical structure, beginning with the verb to get. Such PUs indicate the transition of man from one state to some other. Examples of such pairs of opposed PU:

be in hot water / get into hot water;

be in somebody's bad books / get into some­body's bad books;

e.g.: Bill: I'm always in hot water with the governor, as it is (J. Galsworthy).

We'll both get into hot water if we're found out (K.S. Prichard).

Some of the verbal set expressions are clearly of a hyperbolic character, for example:

eat out of smb's hand – to fully obey smb;

flog a dead horse – to undertake vain efforts;

split hairs – to go into extreme/ unnecessary details.

Many hyperbolic verbal PUs, including borrowed ones, have no corresponding variable combinations, as they are based on unreal and imaginary situations. Metaphorical character of such phraseologisms is found out by comparing the components of verbal PUs with the same words outside the idiom, such as:

hitch one's wagon to a star;

make a mountain out of a molehill;

twist smb round one's little finger.

Many metaphorical phraseologisms are of euphemistic nature. They are especially numerous among PUs relevant to the verb die:

go the way of all flesh;

go to one's account;

go to one's long rest;

quit the scene.

Etymological research sometimes give the opportunity to cast light on the origin of a PU and, in particular, upon its metaphorical character. So, PU give smb the cold shoulder – give smb cool reception, to meet smb unfriendly – is not related to the shoulder of a man. It is a cold shoulder of mutton, which was served to an intruder. Metonymic transfers occur in verbal PUs much rarer than metaphorical ones:

get a big hand;

make a clean breast of smth.

Metaphorical-metonymic phraseologisms are very rare. An example is the PU hit smb's pockets (or the pockets of smb).

e.g.: Dearer petrol hits the pockets of far more people than those who use cars... ("Morning Star").

Couples of co-referential verbal PUs expressing bilateral relations are called conversives [Kunin 1996]. They are co-referent, as they refer to on and the same referent and can be interchangeable, for example, give smb the sack – dismiss smb, give account to anyone and get the sack – to be fired: he was given the sack = he got the sack. In the first example, the emphasis is on the action and in the second – on the result of this action. Relations between conversives are causal-consequential.

Similar causal relationships are observed in several other idiomatic conversives:

call (have or put) smb on the carpet — be (or find oneself) on the carpet;

leave smb holding the baby — hold the baby;

put the wind up smb — get (or have) the wind up.

Less common conversives are those in which there are no cause-and-effect relationships, such as:

have smb at one's beck and call, be at smb 's beck and call.

Conversive couples can be on the relationship of synonymy and antonymy. Synonymous conversives are already cited above examples give smb the sack and get the sack are PU give smb the bird and get the bird – dismiss smb and be dismissed. Examples of antonymous conversives: the PU put smb on the right scent – to put smb on the right track and be on the right scent – follow the right track are antonyms put smb off the scent – knock smb the trail and be off the scent – foiled.

Conversive relations are characteristic of the active and passive voice of the same PU such as:

beat smb black and blue — be beaten black and blue;

catch smb bending (napping or unawares) — be caught bending (napping or unawares).

All of the above PUs are of metamorphic character.

The next step in our studies of non-comparative phraseological units will be the study of non-motivated bulk of them.

References

Вишенкова Е.А., Федуленкова Т.Н. Одномерное моделирование английской глагольной фразеологии (на материале ФЕ с компонентом have) // Европейский журнал социальных наук (European Social Science Journal). Рига, Москва, 2012, № 10(2). – С. 229-237.

Воронина А.3. Глагольные фраземы в аспекте номинации (на материале фра­зеологических единиц типа «глагол + существительное» в современном английском языке): Автореф. дис. … канд. филол. наук. – М., 1979. – 23 с.

Кунин А.В. Курс фразеологии современного английского языка: Учеб. для ин-тов и фак. иностр. яз. – Дубна: Феникс+, 2005.

Федуленкова Т.Н. Некоторые особенности фразеологи­ческих единиц как знаков вторич­ной номинации / Тюменский гос. ун-т. – Тюмень, 1994. – 28 с. – Рукопись деп. в ИНИОН РАН № 49518 от 27.07.94 г. – См. Библиограф. указатель «Нов. лит. по соц. и гуманитарным наукам. Языкознание», 1995. – № 5-6.

Федуленкова Т.Н., Игнатович Я.П. Характеристика вариантов английских фразеологических единиц с компонентом give // Европейский журнал социальных наук (European Social Science Journal). – Рига, Москва, 2012, № 7(23). – С. 226-232.

Fedulenkova T. English Verbal Phraseological Units of Biblical Origin: Frequent Structural Models // Науковi Працi Кам'янец-Подiльского нацiонального унiверситету iменi Iвана Огiенка: Фiлологiчнi науки. Випуск 30. – Кам'янець-Подiльский, 2012. – С. 324-327.

Fedulenkova T. Phraseological Units in Discourse: Towards Applied Stylistics by Anita Naciscione, 2001. Riga: Latvian Academy of Culture, pp. xi + 283, ISBN 9984 95 19 01 // Language and Literature. – London, 2003, № 12 (1), p. 86-89.

Код для цитирования: Скопировать