Semantic structure of phraseological units

Lecture 3. Semantics of phraseological units.

The semantic structure of phraseological units by prof. 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 about the objective reality, it is the procedure connected with categorization, i.e. the classification of phenomena of the reality, based on the typical idea about what is denoted by a phraseological unit (about denotatum).

2. Evaluational macrocomponent contains the information about the value of what is denoted by a phraseological 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 situation where one feels completely happy and at ease';

b) negative: the lion's den - `a place of great danger';

c) neutral: in the flesh - `in bodily form'.

3. Motivational macrocomponent correlates with the notion 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 person's strength becomes the base for transference and forms the meaning of `being able to bear the full weight of one's responsibilities'.

4. Emotive macrocomponent is the contents of subjective modality expressing feeling-relation to what is denoted by a phraseological unit within the range 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 husband and wife who quarrel furiously with each other most of the time' (spoken with disapproval).

5. 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 angry and bored because something unpleasant has been happening for too long';

c) neutral: pass by on the other side - `to ignore a person who needs help'.

6. Grammatical macrocomponent contains the information about all possible morphological and syntactic changes of a phraseological unit, for instance, to be in deep water = to be in deep waters; to take away smb's breath = to take smb's breath away; Achilles's heel = 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, Dick and Harry 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 one's dirty linen in public - `discuss or argue about one's personal affairs in public'.

The implicit presence of the gender macrocomponent in this phraseological unit is conditioned by the idea about traditional women's work (cf. with Russian: выносить сор из избы). The implicit gender macrocomponent is defined within the range of three conceptual spheres: masculine, feminine, intergender.

Compare, for instance, the implicitly expressed intergender macrocomponent in to feel like royalty meaning `to feel like a member of the Royal 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.

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