idioms and collocation

IDIOMS AND COLLOCATION

Semantics

04/18/23 Aya/semantics/Idiomsandcollocation 1

Idioms [1]

Traditionally, idiom is defined as an expression whose meaning can not be inferred from the meaning of its parte.g. to pull someone’s leg, to kick the bucket

Idiom is a set expression in which two or more words are syntactically related, but with meaning like that of a single unit. e.g. ‘spill the beans’ means revealing a secret

An idiom is an expression whose meaning can not be accounted as compositional function of the meaning its part when they are not parts of idioms

Two things are required from an idiom1. Lexically complex—it should consist of more than

one lexical constituent2. A single minimal semantic unit


Idioms [2]

An idiom may briefly characterized as a lexical complex which is semantically simplex

Idioms also tend to resist interruption by material which, as long as, it remains outside the idiom, is semantically compatiblee.g. Arthur apparently has a chip on his shoulder

Arthur has a chip apparently on his shoulder Idioms show their status as phrases in various ways.

For example, if an idiom may be inflected, the inflectional affixes are carried by the grammatically appropriate elements within the idioms

e.g. John has bees in his bonnet about many things John has bee in his bonnet about many things


Feature of idioms The elements are not separately modifiable without loss of idiomatic

meaning. Only idiom as a whole is modifiablee.g. She pulled her brother’s leg mercilessly She pulled her brother’s left leg mercilessly

The elements do not coordinate with genuine semantic constituentse.g. She pulled and twisted her brother’s leg

The elements cannot take contrastive stress or be the focus of topicalizing transformations and the likee.g. What she did to her brother’s leg was pull it

The elements cannot be referred back to anaphoricallye.g. Mary pulled her brother’s leg; John pulled it too

An idiom does not survive the substitution of any of its constituents elements by a synonym or near-synonyme.g. she tugged his leg about it

Some aspects of grammar e.g. voice may or may not be part of an idiome.g. The bucket was kicked by him


Collocation It is a relation within a syntactic unit between individual lexical

elements. It is used especially where words specifically or habitually go together. For example, blond collocates with hair

The term collocation refer to sequences of lexical items which habitually co-occur, but which are nonetheless fully transparent in the sense that each lexical constituent is also semantic constituente.g. fine weather, light drizzle, high winds

Collocation are of course easy to distinguish from idioms; nonetheless they have a kind of semantic cohesion—the constituent elements are to varying degrees, mutually selectivee.g. heavy drinker

Semantic cohesiveness is even tighter if the meaning of one of the elements of a collocation requires a particular lexical item in its immediate contexte.g. I’m expected to foot the bill

the electricity bill


Examples of Collocation


great heavy high utter extreme deep severe

Frost + + - - ? - +

Rain + + - - - - -

Wind + + + - - - -

Surprise + - - + + - -

Distress - - - + + +

temperature ? - + - + - -

speed - - + - ? - -

Idioms and ‘dead’ metaphor [1] There is a type of expression which is frequently included in the

category of idiom, but which, it will be argued ought to be kept distinct. It is called ‘frozen’ or ‘dead’ metaphor.

A metaphor includes the hearer or reader to view a thing, state of affair, or whatever, as being like something else, by applying to the former linguistic expression which are normally employed in references to the latter.

Dead metaphor for which this is true can be ‘revived’ by substituting for one or more of their constituent parts elements which in their literal are near-synonyms or paraphrasese.g. They tried to sweeten the pill

They tried to sugar the medicine The same process carried out on true idioms dramatically

demonstrates the difference between the two types of expressione.g. John pulled his sister’s leg John tugged his sister’s leg


Idioms and ‘dead’ metaphor [2]

Not surprisingly, dead metaphor as a rule present fewer problems to foreign learners of a language than idioms do.

Idioms and dead metaphor have certain characteristics in common. It’s probable that the majority of idioms began their lives as a metaphor.

Dead metaphor and idioms are not semantically transparent

Dead metaphor has semantic rigidity: the quality of being dead is closely tied to a particular syntactic form and with any modification the modification springs to life: He has one foot in the grave and one of his feet in the grave

Because of their non-transparency and syntactic frozenness, we shall consider dead metaphor to be minimal lexical unit.


idioms and collocation

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