Word combinability. English Phraseology

Combinability of Words and Context

 

Key words: a word combination (phrase), combinability (valency), lexical and grammatical valency, lexical and grammatical context, context of situation.

Look up these terms in the glossary or in the sources indicated in the bibliography to the glossary. Compare the definitions given in English and in Russian.

 

 

Problems for Discussion

 

1. A compound word – a free word combination – a phraseological unit. Problems of boundaries and criteria.

2. Factors of government and binding words into phrases. Lexical and grammatical valency.

3. Context. Types of context.

4. The role of context in text perception.

 

 

Questions and Tasks

 

1. Analyze the following complex units and define their status as compound words or word combinations: avalanche of ice, papers, letters, blows, missiles; till the cows come home; craft-brother; Eskimo pie; field-telegraph; field pea; field bean; fiery sun, beams, trial, eyes, speeches, horse, disposition; glow-worm; glowing eyes, furnace, admiration, account; see smth (the joke, the point, the meaning of smth, smb’s reason); international law (agreement, trade, conference, code), international lawyer; intermediate gear, intermediate steps (measures). Find your own examples of units of various types. Comment on the criteria you have used to define the type of a complex unit.

2. Analyze the following word combinations from the point of view of grammatical and lexical valency of their components: teach well, badly, competently, skilfully; teach children, adults, a mixed class of boys and girls; teach smb a good lesson; bring a present, his things, one’s luggage upstairs, chairs, spoons; bring an answer, good news, a message; bring snow, rain, bad weather; bring him to see my point, bring them to see the wisdom of his plan; bring smth home to smb. Give your own examples of grammatical and lexical valency of English words.

3. Compare the valency of the following English words to that of their Russian correlates: face (the window, the terrace, the room, the house), face smb (the problem, the task that faced us), face the danger, the future, enemy, death bravely, unflinchingly; love smb dearly, devotedly, love smth (sweets, ice-cream, comfort, mountain-climbing), love to be praised, to be admired; reply (to a letter, a question, a toast); wonder (at smb, smth, at your behavior, at her saying that); yield (to smth, to force, to pressure, persuasion, temptation).

 

 

Recommended Reading

Арнольд, И.В. Лексикология современного английского языка / И.В. Арнольд; на англ. яз. – 3-е изд. – М.: Высш. шк., 1986. – C. 153–164.

Лексикология английского языка / Р.З. Гинзбург [и др.]; на англ. яз. – 2-е изд., испр. и доп. – М.: Высш. шк., 1979. – C. 127–140.

Смирницкий, А.И. Лексикология английского языка / А.И. Смирницкий. – М.: Изд-во лит. на иностр. яз., 1956. – С. 71–83, 99–100.

Харитончик, З.А. Лексикология английского языка / З.А. Харитончик. – Минск: Вышэйш. шк., 1992. – С. 166–176.

 

 

English Phraseology

 

Key words: stability vs. changeability, idiomaticity vs. motivation, word equivalence, set expressions, idioms, phraseological units (PhU), phraseological fusions, phraseological unities, phraseological collocations; traditional collocations, idioms proper, ready made utterances; free (variable) context combinations – non-variable (stable) context combinations, phrasemes vs. idioms.

Look up these terms in the glossary or in the sources indicated in the bibliography to the glossary. Compare the definitions given in English and in Russian.

 

 

Problems for Discussion

 

1. Motivation and variability of word combinations.

2. Free phrases versus phraseological units. Criteria and difficulties of differentiation.

3. Types of phraseological units. Classifications and their evaluation.

4. Linguistic laws of PhUs formation. Activity of words and syntactic patterns.

5. Contrastive study of phraseology. Common sources as the foundation for equivalent phraseological units. Socio-cultural properties of phraseological units.

 

 

Questions and Tasks

 

1. Analyze the following word combinations and comment on their meaning and variability of the components: settle the future of the country, shake hands on (over) the bargain, sink or swim, speak of the devil and he is sure to appear, wait for the postman, for a friend, for the train, for instructions.

2. Classify the following phraseological units using semantic, contextual and functional criteria: drenched to the bone, a break in the clouds, creditors have better memories than debtors, good egg, put all one’s eggs in one basket, separate the husk from the grain, Attic salt, to lick the boots, break bread with smb, shoot the bull.

 

Recommended Reading

 

Арнольд, И.В. Лексикология современного английского языка / И.В. Арнольд; на англ. яз. – 3-е изд. – М.: Высш. шк., 1986. – C. 153–164.

Лексикология английского языка / Р.З. Гинзбург [и др.]; на англ. яз. – 2-е изд., испр. и доп. – М.: Высш. шк., 1979. – C. 127–140.

Смирницкий, А.И. Лексикология английского языка / А.И. Смирницкий. – М.: Изд-во лит. на иностр. яз., 1956. – С. 71 – 83, 99–100.

Харитончик, З.А. Лексикология английского языка / З.А. Харитончик. – Минск: Вышэйш. шк., 1992. – С. 166–176.

 

 

Topic 6