Topic for presentation

· Neologisms (Заботкина В.И. Новая лексика современного английского …1989)

Seminar 12. Phraseology

Free word combinations, phraseological units, semi-free phrases (collocations). Criteria for phraseological unit: the semantic criterion (transferred meaning, semantic unity); and the structural criterion (divisibility, structural invariability) – restriction in substitution, restriction in introducing additional components, grammatical invariability. Thematic classification of phraseological units. Semantic classification of phraseological units by acad. V.V. Vinogradov: phraseological fusions, phraseological unities, phraseological combinations. Structural classification of phraseological units by prof. A.I. Smirnitsky: traditional phrases, phraseological combinations (one-summit, two-summit, many-summit ones), idioms. Functional classification of phraseological units by prof. I.V. Arnold: substantive, verbal, adjectival, adverbial, interjectional phraseological units. Contextual classsification of phraseological units by prof. N.N. Amosova: phrasemes and idioms. Structural-semantic classification of phraseological units by prof. A.V. Koonin: nominative, nominative-communicative, interjectional, communicative phraseological units. Origin of phraseological units. Proverbs, sayings, familiar quotations, clichés.

Test Questions

1. What is lexical valency?

2. What is the difference between free word-combinations, collocations and phraseological units?

3. What is ‘grammatical invariability’ of phraseological units?

4. What is the basis of the traditional and oldest principle for classifying phraseological units?

5. What other principles can be used for the classification of phraseological units?

6. What is an idiom proper? Give examples.

7. Do you see any controversial points in the classification system for phraseological units by prof. A.I. Smirnitsky?

8. What is the basis of prof. I.V. Arnold’s classification of phraseological units?

9. What are the merits of prof. A.V. Koonin’s classification of phraseological units?

10. What are the main sources of origin of phraseological units?

11. How do proverbs differ from phraseological units?

Tasks and assignments