Basic Meaning Of Idioms

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Idioms Idioms possess a meaning that is not a basic function of the literal (non-figurative) meaning of their parts and they show a high level of conventionality in the choice of component lexical elements. Their meaning cannot be presumed from the literal meaning of their parts. Idiomaticity is not a definite property, however, and expressions may be idiomatic to a more prominent or less prominent degree. Some idioms (e.g., kick the bucket) are completely unintelligible for the common speaker while others (e.g., make good time or kick the habit) are rather intelligible. Idioms moreover contrast concerning to the substitutability of their components. Some idioms, particularly those that are semantically obscure, permit little or no variation…show more content…
Uriel Weinreich supposes that an idiom is a complex phrase, the meaning of which cannot be predicted from the meanings of its elements. He built up a more precise assumption, insisting that an idiom is a subdivision of a phraseological unit. Ray Jackendoff and Charles Fillmore suggested a genuinely wide definition of the idiom, which, in Fillmore’s words, is: “…an idiomatic expression or construction is something a language user could fail to know while knowing everything else in the…show more content…
Phraseomatic units are never transferred. Their meaning is literal. Semantic complexity is one of the most crucial characteristics of phraseological units. It’s been brought by the complicated interaction of the component meanings. Idioms contain all information in condense form. It is typical of idioms, it makes them very capacious units. An idiom can give such a brilliant explanation of an object that can be clearer than a sentence. Idioms based on cultural components are not motivated (the good Samaritan, Greek gifts, the Troy horse). Phraseological meaning contains background information. It covers just the most important features of the chosen object. It stands for the fundamental concept, i.e. semantic nucleus of the unit. It is the other variant of information conveyed by semantically complicated word combinations and which is not presumed from the lexical meanings of the conjoined lexical components. According to the class the word-combination fits in, linguists single out (V. Dribniuk): • idiomatic meaning; • idiophraseomatic meaning; • phraseomatic

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