Курс лекций по лексикологии английского языка для студентов факультетов иностранных языков



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Lectures.on.Le icology1

of time is demotivated, because the word nick is obsolete. Both phrasemes and idioms 
may be movable (changeable) or immovable. 
A.V. Koonin's classification is based on the functions of the units fulfil in 
speech. They may be nominating (a bull in a china shop), interjectinal (a pretty kettle 
of fish), communicative (familiarity breeds contempt), or nominating-communicative 
(pull somebody's leg). Further classification into subclasses depends on whether the 
units are changeable or unchangeable, whether the meaning of the one element 
remains free, and, more generally, on the interdependence between the meaning of the 
elements and the meaning of the set expression. 
Formal classification distinguishes set expressions that are nominal phrases: the 
root of the trouble; verbal phrases: put one's best foot forward; adjectival phrases: as 
good as gold; red as a cherry; adverbial phrases. from head to foot; prepositional 
phrases: in the course of; conjunctional phrases: as long as, on the other hand, 
interjectional phrases: Well, I never! 
A stereotyped sentence also introduced into speech as a ready-made formula 
which may be illustrated by: Never say die! 'never give up hope', take your time 'do 
not hurry. 
This classification takes into consideration not only the type of component parts 
but also the functioning of the whole, thus, tooth and nail is not a nominal but an 
adverbial unit, because it serves to modify a verb (e. g. fight tooth and nail). 
Within each of these classes a further subdivision is as follows: 


a) Set expressions functioning like nouns: 
N+N: maiden name 'the surname of a woman before she was married'; brains trust 'a 
committee of experts' N's+N: cat's paw 'one who is used for the convenience of a 
cleverer and stronger person' (the expression comes from a fable in which a monkey 
wanting to eat some chestnuts that were on a hot stove, but not wishing to burn 
himself while getting them, seised a cat and holding its paw in his own used it to 
knock the chestnuts to the ground) Ns'+N: ladies' man 'one who makes special effort 
to charm or please women'. N+prp+N: the arm of the law, skeleton in the cupboard. 
N+A: blight errant (the phrase is today applied to any chivalrous man ready to help 
and protect oppressed and helpless people). N+and+N: lord and master 'husband'; all 
the world and his wife. A+N: high tea 'an evening meal which combines meat or some 
similar extra dish with the usual tea'. N+ subordinate clause: ships that pass in the 
night 'chance acquaintances'. 
b) Set expressions functioning like verbs: V+N: take advantage 
V+and+V: pick and choose 
V+(one's)+N+(prp): snap one's fingers at 
V+one+N: give one the bird 'to fire smb' 
V+subordinate clause: see how the land lies 'to discover the state of affairs'. 
c) Set expressions functioning like adjectives: A+and+A: high and mighty 
(as)+A+as+N: as old as the hills, as mad as a hatter 
d) Set expressions functioning like adverbs: N+N: tooth and nail 
prp+N: by heart, of course adv+prp+N: once in a blue moon prp+N+or+N: by hook or 
by crook cj+clause: before one can say Jack Robinson 
e)Set expressions functioning like prepositions: prp+N+prp: in consequence of 
f)Set expressions functioning like interjections: these are often structured as 


imperative sentences: Bless (one's) soul! God bless me! Hang it (all)! 
4. Phraseological stability is based upon: 
a)the stability of use; 
b)the stability of meaning; 
c)lexical stability; 
d)syntactic stability; 
e)rhythmic characteristics, rhyme and imagery. 
5. Proverbs, sayings, familiar quotations and cliches.
The place of proverbs, sayings and familiar quotations with respect to set 
expressions is a controversial issue. A proverb is a short familiar epigrammatic saying 
expressing popular wisdom, a truth or a moral lesson in a concise and imaginative 
way. Proverbs have much in common with set expressions, because their lexical 
components are also constant, their meaning is traditional and mostly figurative, and 
they are introduced into speech ready-made. Another reason why proverbs must be 
taken into consideration together with set expressions is that they often form the basis 
of set expressions. E. g. the last straw breaks the camel's back: the last straw; a 
drowning man will clutch at a straw:clutch at a straw; it is useless to lock the stable 
door when the steed is stolen: :lock the stable door. 
As to familiar quotations, they are different from proverbs in their origin. They 
come from literature and become part of the language, so that many people using 
them do not even know that they are quoting, and very few could accurately name the 
play or passage on which they are drawing even when they are aware of using a 
quotation from W. Shakespeare. 
The Shakespearian quotations have become and remain extremely numerous — 
they have contributed enormously to the store of the language. Very many come from 
"Hamlet", for example: Something is rotten in the state of Denmark; Brevity is the 
soul of wit; The rest is silence; Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; There 
are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio. 


Some quotations are so often used that they come to be considered cliches. The 
term is used to denote such phrases as have become hackneyed and stale. Being 
constantly and mechanically repeated they have lost their original expressiveness. The 
following are perhaps the most generally recognised: the acid test, ample 
opportunities, astronomical figures, the arms of Morpheus, to break the ice, the irony 
of fate, etc. 


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