17 Phraseologisms Allusion Its sources

There is much controversy in lexicology concerning the term “a set-expression”, since it overlaps the notion of an idiom, a cliché, a phraseological unit.

A set expression is a word combination, a phrase, a sentence that exists as an entity within a cert. culture and is familiar to most l-ge users. These units include clichés (phrases) that have become hackneyed (trite) through frequent use. Clichés make it easy to recognize a certain functional style, e.g. business l-ge or political oratory (all above mentioned the point of argue, on behalf of, with reference to your letter etc). Clichés may also reveal certain characteristics of a literary personage, his profession, stereotypical mentality etc.

Proverbs and Sayings.

Proverbs always have finality e.g. think twice before u cut once. It’s always didactic. Bell can never sound well.

Sayings exist as an entity, lacks finality e.g. as different as chalk and cheese; to carry coals to new castle.

They certainly make discourse more expressive because many of them are allegoric, meaning more than they say. But on the other hand, a piece of discourse abounding in proverbs and sayings may sound very trivial.

Quotations- are expressions from books, Latin: Consuetudo est altera natura-привычка- вторая натура, vivere est cogitare-жить значит мыслить!

Allusion- is an indirect reference to a certain historical, literary, political fact. It’s more like a hint, so more than a quot-n it relies on the background knowledge of the listener/reader. A quot-n can become an allusion, if it’s broken off.

But an allusion can appear in a single word or in a short word comb-n.

allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, a place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implication.

Martin Luther King, Jr., alluded to the Gettysburg Address in starting his "I Have a Dream" speech by saying 'Five score years ago..."; his hearers were immediately reminded of Abraham Lincoln's "Four score and seven years ago", which opened the Gettysburg Address. King's allusion effectively called up parallels in two historic moments.

Allusion is usually very compressed, that’s why it’s often used in titles.

-to antique mythology (“Pygmalion”, “Ulysses”; my example “Orpheus descending” Tennessee Williams)

-to the Bible (“Absalom, Absalom!” “The sun also rises”) my example “Paradise lost”

-to another work of literature (“of mice and men”, Othello )

-to proverbs (“A friend in need” S. Maugham, “Свои люди сочтемся” Островский)

-to a nursery rhyme (“three, four shut the door” Saroyan, “One, two buckle my shoe” A.Christie)

-to a common saying, a familiar wisdom, a prayer (“In our time” Hemingway)

Decomposition of set-expressions.

Set-expressions, esp. proverbs or sayings can often be intentionally decomposed to gain effect.

The basic mechanisms:

1. Insertion:

To put all one’s eggs into one basket

…Soames forever put his emotional eggs into one basket, first Irene, then Fleur (Galsworthy)

2. Addition:

As old as hills

The family of Dedlocks is as old as hills and infinitely more respectable (Bleak House)

3. Substitution:

One man’s meat is another man’s poison.

One man’s fish is another man’s poison

In this example the substitution of meat by fish is accompanied by a graphical playing upon words.

4. Telescoping- 2 set expressions into one

Куй железо не отходя от кассы.

Не в свою лужу не садись

Одна голова хорошо, а 2 сапога пара