Classification of phraseological units according to their origin

According to their origin all phraseological units may be divided into two big groups: native and borrowed. The main sources of native phraseological units are:

1) terminological and professional lexics, e.g. physics: center of gravity (центр тяжіння), specific weight (питома вага); military sphere: fall into line (стати в шеренгу) –'conform with others';

2) British literature, e.g. the green-eyed monster –'jealousy" (W. Shakespeare); fall on evil days –'live in poverty after having enjoyed better times' (J.Milton);

3) British traditions and customs, e.g. baker's dozen –'a group of thirteen'. In the past British merchants of bread received from bakers thirteen loaves instead of twelve and the thirteenth loaf was merchants' profit.

4) superstitions and legends, e.g. a black sheep –'a less successful or more immoral person in a family or a group'.

5) historical facts and events, personalities, e.g. as well be hanged {or hung) for a sheep as a lamb –'something that you say when you are going to be punished for something so you decide to do something worse because your punishment will not be any more severe'.

6) phenomena and facts of everyday life, e.g. carry coals to Newcastle –'to take something to a place where there is plenty of it available'.

Proverbs, familiar quotations, sayings

Proverbs –sum up the collective wisdom of the community, a popular truth or a moral lesson in a concise and imaginative way, they are metaphorical, they moralize (Hell is paved with good intentions), admonish (If you sing before breakfast, you will cry before night), criticize (Everyone calls his own geese swans), give advice (Don’t judge a tree by its bark). In proverbs: 1) lexical components are stable; 2) meaning is figurative; 3) are ready-made units; 4) are easily transformed into phraseological units (don’t cast pearls before swine – to cast pearls before swine)

Sayingsare non-metaphorical, not figurative, and grammatically they are finished sentences (Where there is a way, there is a will).

Familiar quotations(крилаті вирази)come from literature, and in contrast to proverbs, they do not express finished judgment (e.g. To err is human.)

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