Free word-groups and phraseological units

LECTURE #6

Phraseology

Free word-groups and phraseological units

Different approaches to classification o phraseological units

Free word-groups and phraseological units

Attempts have been made to approach the problem of phraseology in different ways. Up till now, however, there is a certain divergence of opinion as to the essential feature of phraseological units as distinguished from other word-groups and the nature of phrases that can be properly termed phraseological units.

The complexity of the problem may be largely accounted for by the fact that the border-line between free or variable word-groups and phraseological units is not clearly defined. The so-called free word-groups are only relatively free as collocability of their member-words is fundamentally delimited by their lexical and grammatical valency which makes at least some of them very close to set-phrases. Phraseological units are comparatively stable and semantically inseparable. Between the extremes of complete motivation and variability of member-words on the one hand and lack of motivation combined with complete stability of the lexical components and grammatical structure on the other hand there are innumerable border-line causes.

However, the existing terms, e.g. set-phrases, idioms, word-equivalents, reflect to a certain extent the main debatable issues of phraseology which centre on the divergent views concerning the nature and essential features of phraseological units as distinguished from the so-called free word-groups. The term set-phrase implies that the basic criterion of differentiation is stability of the lexical components and grammatical structure of word-groups. The term idioms generally implies that the essential feature of the linguistic units under consideration is idiomaticity or lack cf motivation. This term habitually used by English and American linguists is very often treated as synonymous with the term phraseological unit universally accepted in our country. The term word-equivalent stresses not only the semantic but also the functional inseparability of certain word-groups and their aptness to function in speech as single words

PU differ from free word-groups in several aspects:

1. Semantically. Free word-groups are lexically motivated; PU — non or partially motivated.

2. Scope of valency (степень вариативности). Free word-groups — high variability, restricted only by lexical or grammatical valence. PU are either inveriable or the changes in the components are very limited.

So PU and free word-groups differ in the way they function in speech. Free word-groups are spontaneously formed in the speech. PU are reproduced as ready-made elements (as individual words).

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