23. Контекстуальная классификация фразеологизмов.

Prof. N.N. Amosova bases her classification on the contextual criterion. It is argued that free word-groups make up variable contexts whereas the essential feature of phraseological units is a non-variable or fixed context. Fixed context is characterized by specific invariability of the lexical components and the specialized meaning of one of the lexical components, i.e. such a meaning of the word that exists only in the given phrase, not in any other phrase, e.g. the word ‘break’ in the phrase to break the news means‘to tell some bad news carefully so that not to hurt’. Prof. N.N. Amosova gives two categories of fixed context depending on whether just one component of a phraseological unit or both are used in a phraseologically bound meaning, phrasemes and idioms.

Phrasemes are, as a rule, two-member fixed contexts in which one of the members has a bound specialized meaning dependent on the second component as, e.g. in small hours the second component (hours) serves as the only clue to this particular meaning of the first component (hours). Phrasemes are always binary, e.g. in Dutch courage ‘courage given by drink’, to bring to book ‘to bring to justice’, small beer ‘people or things of no importance’, beef tea ‘a drink made by boiling pieces of lean beef’, black frost ‘a frost without snow or rime’,one of the components has a phraseologically bound meaning, the other serves as the distinguishing context.

Idioms are distinguished from phrasemes by the idiomaticity of the whole word-group and the impossibility of attaching meaning to the members of the group taken in isolation. They are semantically and grammatically inseparable units, e.g. to toe the line ‘to do exactly as one is told’, to play with fire ‘to be involved in something risky’, a free lance ‘a person who acts independently’.

N.N. Amosova leaves proverbs and sayings beyond the classification of phraseological units.

24. Структурно-семантическая классификация фразеологизмов проф. Кунина.

1. Nominative

• A hard nut to crack

2. Nominative –communicative

• The ice is broken

3. Interjectional & modal

• (Emotions, feelings)

• Oh, my eye! (= Oh, my God!)

• As sure as eggs is eggs (просто, как 2х2)

4. Communicative (proverbs, sayings)

• There is no smoke without fire.

Nominative:

• Substantive: crocodile tears

• Adjective: as mad as a hatter, as cool as a cucumber

• Adverbial: by & by, to & fro

• Verbal: to live like a lord