The Russian language is one of the richest and most expressive in the world due to the abundance of expressive means. Phraseology is a branch of linguistics that studies lexically indivisible combinations of words, called special phraseological units. They make speech more beautiful.
What does "phraseologism" mean? Meaning of the term
Every person uses catchphrases in his speech, intentionally or unconsciously, to give it an emotional coloring. Not everyone knows the sources of the origin of phraseological units and how they differ from other expressions. To understand the functions of catch phrases and not confuse them with other units of speech, you need to know their characteristics.
1. Phraseologisms are always complex in composition, that is, they consist of two or more words.
2. They have an undivided meaning. Phraseologism cannot be divided, but can be expressed in other synonymous words. For example, the expression "roll a barrel" is used to mean "unreasonablyblame someone".
3. Unlike free phrases, phraseological units are characterized by a constancy of composition - the components do not change in numbers and genders (you cannot say "the cat cried" instead of the classic combination "the cat cried" or instead of "hens do not peck" - "roosters do not peck"; by the way, phraseological units with the meanings "a lot" and "little" are the most commonly used in speech).
4. Word order is fixed in catchphrases. It is wrong to say "bones and skin" instead of "skin and bones". This rule applies to all phraseological units.
5. Catch phrases of one language, as a rule, are not translated verbatim into another. If in Russian there is a phrase "spit on the ceiling", the English will say "sit and twirl your thumb", while the meaning will be the same - "idle".
Functions of phraseological units in the language
Catch phrases give speech liveliness and imagery. Knowledge of phraseology is valued in all areas of human activity, often journalists turn to such techniques in feuilletons and essays, but for this you need to know exactly what phraseology means. The performance of a humorist or satirist becomes brighter and more expressive if he inserts catchphrases into his speech. The use of phraseological units in newspaper headlines has always been relevant, and often the author of the article subjects them to creative transformations. There are 5 cases where the catchphrase carries a new meaning.
- Extensioncomposition through the use of clarifying words: "Cats, not small fluffy, but large, with dirty sharp claws, scraped her heart." In this case, the well-known phraseologism was divided into other words.
- Reception of reduction (abbreviation) is demonstrated in the famous TV series "Don't Be Born Beautiful". It begs to be continued: "And be born happy."
- Sources of author's phraseological units are drawn from classic stable combinations. So, the Latin motto "veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered") a journalist can remake in his own way: "I came, I saw, I wrote down".
- Combination of several expressions: "Isn't fear called panic because the god Pan laughed with aspic Homeric laughter?" The connection must be successful so that the phrase does not look ridiculous.
- Destruction of the figurative meaning, when the phraseological unit has a direct meaning, and not a metaphorical one, for example: "The Buddha statue had golden hands".
How did catch phrases come about?
The formation of the culture of each nation took place over many centuries, the heritage of one country began to interest others, as a result of which one can notice the phenomenon of assimilation. The sources of Russian phraseological units are divided into two large groups: native Russian and borrowed. Winged expressions in the Russian language were borrowed from Slavic and non-Slavic languages. Interesting phrases "a storm in a teacup", "to be or not to be", "the princess and the pea" came from English. In its turn,Russian phraseological units have spread all over the world. The Czechs and the British are still in awe of the popular expressions "a disservice", "a hero of our time" and many others.
Native Russian phraseological units are divided into three large groups: common Slavic, East Slavic and proper Russian. The differences are explained by the territory in which they were distributed.
- East Slavic phraseological units were spread by Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians ("put a pig" - "commit meanness", "no stake or yard" - "nothing at all").
- Own Russian catchphrases: "with gulkin's nose" - "little", "keep your mouth shut" - "keep quiet".
Stylistic layers of phraseology
A person uses in his speech established combinations of words with a figurative meaning, without even thinking about it, and some of them sometimes seem indecent. Scientists have subdivided all phraseological units into three layers depending on their stylistic coloring.
- Neutral combinations such as "New Year", "point of view". Phraseological units with meanings of a similar plan, as a rule, are easy to interpret, since a person uses them in his speech.often enough.
- Book. They can be used not only in printed publications, but also in everyday speech - this will testify to the education of a person ("Babylonian pandemonium", "Achilles' heel"). However, it is inappropriate to use book phraseological units in an informal setting or too often.
- Spoken. Quite often, "white crow", "pea jester" and other phraseological units are used. Grade 6 is the best time to introduce a student to such expressions so that he begins to actively use them.
- Colloquial phraseological units are unacceptable in the speech of an educated person, especially in an official setting. For characterization, you can choose a more decent phrase. So, the phrase "stuffed fool" can be replaced by the idiom "comes like a giraffe".
Catchwords in other languages
All the peoples of the world have a great cultural heritage, which includes literature. Catch phrases are present not only in Russian, but also in many others. Often the components change, so it is not always possible to understand what phraseology means, but its meaning remains the same. Some differences can be seen in the English language.
- The expression "rare bird" ("rara avis") comes from Latin. In Russian, the phraseological unit "white crow" appeared, but in English the translation has not changed.
- "Fight like a fish on ice" - this is how they say about a person who is engaged in a complex and emptywork. In English, the expression sounds like "pull the devil's tail."
- Phraseological units "to make a mountain out of a molehill" and "to make an elephant out of a fly" are full synonyms, but the first one is found among the peoples of Europe.
- In English, the popular expression "as blown away by the wind" sounds like "disappear into transparent air." So they say about a person who quickly and suddenly disappeared without explaining.
- The well-known expression "like twice two four" sounds completely different from the English: "clear as a nose on the face." Is this due to poor knowledge of mathematics?
- In English, the idiom "to call a spade a spade" sounds more literally: "to call a shovel a shovel". An interesting question may arise: "Why a garden tool, and not pudding or coffee?"
- If a Russian person says "keep your mouth shut", an Englishman will make the talker "zip up". To know for sure what a phraseological unit that you have not heard before means, you need to refer to the dictionary.
- Some catchphrases from different peoples of the world completely preserve the dictionary component when translated. So, the phraseological units "pass through fire and water", "verbal diarrhea", "soul wide open" and "look for a needle in a haystack" sound the same in English and in Russian.
Fan expressions of carpenters, sailors and others
In Russianlanguage, a large group is occupied by phraseological units that were once used in a certain type of activity. Pay attention to how phraseological units arise in a narrow circle of people, which subsequently become relevant among the people. So, the sayings popular among sailors "run aground" and "go with the flow" also have a figurative meaning - "to be left with nothing" and "submit to circumstances". The phrases "no hitch", "finish walnut" and others were used in the professional field by carpenters, and subsequently by everyone else. If fishermen use in their speech the phrases "get on the bait" or "peck on the hook" in the literal sense, the rest say so in situations not related to fishing. Thus, the sources of phraseological units can be found in professional fields of activity.
Fan expressions and antiquity
The modern world owes a lot to the culture of Ancient Greece and Rome, since the classical examples of art were laid in this era. Excerpts from ancient myths and epics are used in the literature of the current years. The sources of phraseological units can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, since ancient stories have always interested the public.
Today you can rarely hear the idiom "to fall into the arms of Morpheus", and before the masters of the word often turned to this turnover. The origin of the popular expression is associated with two phenomena at once. Sleeping pills morphine is obtained from the heads of the poppy flower, and the god Morpheus in Ancient Greece was showered with poppy flowers andnever opened his eyes.
Hymen in the ancient world is the patron saint of marriage. Speaking of the union of two lovers, they often use phrases that include a word that symbolizes chains, ligaments or other connecting elements. They tied one person to another with bonds - and this is how the phraseological unit "the bonds of Hymen" appeared, meaning eternal love and affection of two people.
Once upon a time, the goddess of discord, Eris, decided to take revenge on the gods who did not invite her to a feast. She threw them a golden apple with the inscription "to the most beautiful Hera, Aphrodite and Athena." The three goddesses argued for a long time who should rightfully bear this title, but Paris made his choice in favor of the goddess of love. For this, she helped him get Helen, because of which the long Trojan War began. This is how the idiom "apple of discord" appeared.
The ancient Greek fabulist Aesop was not given to everyone to understand. In speech, he often used the technique of allegory, because of which those around him could not guess what he was talking about. Today, the expression "Aesopian language" means the ability to express one's thoughts in allegories and parables.
The role of phraseological units in the media
The task of printed publications is to attract the attention of readers and gain a large target audience, thanks to which the demand for the newspaper will always be high. Competent journalists often try to pick up a bright metaphorical title, which is based on phraseological units. In the CIS countries, Russian writers of the Golden Age are honored and remembered, thereforeoften choose for the title of the article a well-known quote by Griboedov "Who are the judges?" from his work "Woe from Wit". Most often, the authors use phraseological units or supplement them with new vocabulary components. Thus, in the headline "Draft Laws Don't Burn" there is a connection with Mikhail Bulgakov and his famous saying "Manuscripts Don't Burn". Thus, the sources of phraseological units are also fiction. Popular catch phrases "a big ship has a long voyage" and "chickens are counted in autumn" were changed by journalists to "a big ruble is a big voyage" and "May decrees are counted in autumn." Experts confirm that the use of phraseological units in the media always attracts readers. It is important to know the meaning of each stylistic figure so that embarrassment does not occur.
Mistakes when using idioms
An educated person tries to embellish his speech with catchphrases, use professional terms and foreign words. Often the use of one form or another is erroneous, which can affect the meaning of the context and completely change it. There are several missteps that most often appear in a person’s speech.
Some people unjustifiably reduce the composition of the phraseological unit as a result of missing the component: "success of the student wants the best" instead of "success of the student leaves much to be desired." The first form is used incorrectly. Replacing one of the components may be original, but sometimes it just causes a laugh.
Media workers oftenuse in speech phraseologism "where the foot of a journalist has not yet set foot". In a stable combination, in this case, another word was chosen instead of the word "person".
Replacing a component with a similar sound is a mistake that can lead an educated person into a dead end. So, instead of the correct form "do not lose heart" you can hear "do not lose heart" - the verb is chosen in the past tense instead of the infinitive.
Wrong replacement of grammatical forms can also cause laughter, especially when people hear "kill worms" instead of phraseologism "to kill a worm". Change from singular to plural is not allowed.
Often the mistake appears in the mixing of two phrases. Phraseologisms "to matter" and "to play a role" can be confused with each other, resulting in a funny turnover "to play a value".
Misunderstanding the meaning of winged expressions is a rather serious oversight, because it can result in ridiculous sentences, so it is important to know how phraseological units arise and in what cases they should be used. So, the phrase "merry graduates sang their swan song" (the song is sung by a dying bird) sounds ridiculous, so if you are not sure about the use of phraseology, do not risk it.
How often do we use catchphrases? Phraseologisms in everyday speech
A person uses catchphrases in speech much more often than he thinks. As a rule, this happens unconsciously. Yes, forsome say several dozen expressions a day. Often phraseological units are included in the school curriculum (grade 6 and beyond).
We call a "scapegoat" a person who has to account for the misdeeds of others, and when angry with someone, we say "I'll show you Kuzkin's mother!" Trying to achieve the desired result with all our efforts, we "spin like a squirrel in a wheel," and when we become lazy, we begin to "work carelessly." Seeing a quiet, modest old woman, we will call her "God's dandelion", and a person who stands out with the negative side of character - "the black sheep in the family".
Much less often a person wants to choose phraseological units consciously in order to give speech an aesthetic coloring. Speakers, depending on the subject of their speech, begin it with catch phrases so that the listeners show a lively interest. Young guys often "kill the arrow" to sort things out, and before that they decide to "starve the worm" in order to gain strength. Restless children "let past their ears" the wise instructions of their parents, which they "deeply" regret years later. Thus, phraseology has firmly entered the life of every person.
