MULTI-WORD EXPRESSIONS
phraseology, set expression, familiar quotations, binomials, catch phrases, slogans,
clichés, proverbs and maxims
PHRASEOLOGY (polysemantic term)
a) a science of phraseological units – a specific linguistic field,
a branch of lexikology
b) a set of all phraseological units
c) a particular manner of expression
(a person, a field, e.g. Ex-president Trump‘s phraseology,
generally accepted journalistic phraseology, etc.)
PHRASEOLOGY
• the meaning of groups of words (combinations of at least two)
different from the meaning of the words individually
• group of words phraseological unit, phrasemes,
multiword units/lexemes, lexical units,
conventional/fixed expressions,
word combinations, phrasal lexemes, etc.
• Vinogradov (1947): non-motivated word-groups that cannot be
freely made up in speech but are ready-ade units
• Kunin (1970): a stable word-group characterized by a completely
or partially transferred meaning
PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS
PHRASEOLOGICAL UNIT
Convey a single concept as a
whole, e.g. red numbers.
No word can be replaced or
changed, e.g. To carry bring coals
to Newcastle, the big white
elephant.
FREE WORD GROUP
Each meaningful component
stands for separate concept, e.g.
Red flower.
Components may be changed, e.g.
The (big, …) ship (vessel, …) is
carrying coal (cargo, …) to
Newcastle (Liverpool, …).
PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS
CHARACTERISTICS:
• polylexicality (two or more words)
• high frequency
• familiarity (familiar and treated as a unit)
• fixedness (various levels, in some p.u. some change is possible)
• idiomacity (the sense cannot be deduced from the meaning of its components
• Bible p.u., e.g. doubting Thomas, forbidden fruit, daily bread, …
Classical mythology p.u. e.g. Achilles‘ heel, the apple of discord, the Trojan horse, …
Various languages p.u., e.g. all roads lead to Rome, he laughts best who laughs last,
a storm in a cup of tea, lead somebody by the nose, US: time is money, bread and
butter, pie in the sky, the cold war, gone with the wind, …
Classification of phraseological units
• Set expressions
• Familiar quotations
• Irreversible binomials (Siamese twins, binomial, binomial pairs, freezes)
• Catch phrases – slogans and clichés
• Proverbs and maxims
Set Expressions
- word-groups consisting of two or more words → one unit with
non-literal meaning of the whole,
e.g. to sleep like a log, to be busy as a bee, …
1) NOUNS, e.g. white elephant, a skeleton in the cupboard, …
2) VERBS, PHRASAL VERBS, e.g. to bark up the wrong tree, to give up, …
3) ADJECTIVES, IDIOMATIC SIMILES, e.g. like a bull in a china shop, as old as the hills, …
4) ADVERBS, e.g. once in a blue moon, to drink like a fish, …
5) INTERJECTIONS, e.g. God bless me!, …
Familiar Quotations/Quotes
• words/phrases taken from someone else/literary work, e.g.
Caesar: The die is cast.
Oscar Wilde: Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
Woody Allen: My brain is my second favourite organ.
• Bible quotes
Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Mathew 7:6 Do not cast your pearls before swine.
Irreversible Binomials – Siamese Twins
• idiomatic expressions
• two words joined by a conjunction
• fixed order of the words
• words may be synonyms antonyms, alliterations, similar-sounding words,
e.g. to give and/or take, first and foremost, now and then, slowly but surely,
sooner or later, …
Catch Phrases, Sogans, Clichés
CATCH PHRASE a fashionable expression, media-inspired, short-lived,
catchy, to facilitate social communication, e.g.
Make America Great Again! (MAGA /ˈmæ. ɡə/, D. Trump),
What‘s up doc? (Bugs Bunny), Phone home. (ET),
You can‘t be serious. (John McEnroe‘s epic meltdown),
Houston, we have a problem. (Apollo 13)
SLOGAN originally a battle-cry of a Scottish clan, short, strong
rhytm, easy to remember, used to attract attention, e.g.
Make love not war, I‘m loving it (McDonalds), Easy as Dell,
It‘s fingerlickin‘ good (KFC), …
CLICHÉS a phrase or expression that has been used so often, that it
is no longer original or interesting; predictable and boring,
e.g. Ah, to be young and foolish …; better late than never;
life is a bitch; no pain, no gain; …
Proverbs and Maxims
PROVERB - a brief traditional saying that gives advice about how people
should live, or that expresses a belief that is generally thought to be true;
- popular wisdom, use of metaphors to illustrate the truth, e.g.
Never judge a book by its cover.
When the cat‘s away, the mice will play.
One There is no smoke without fire.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
MAXIM - offers a brief rule of conduct or action, or an expression of a general
principle, does not use metaphor; however, its meaning as a whole can
be metaphoric, e.g.
Look before you leap. There is no smoke without fire.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
An apple a day keeps he doctor away.