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Phraseological units adopted from American English



A lot of phraseological expressions came to England from the USA. They belong to intralingual adoptions. Some of these phraseological expressions were assimilated that in English dictionaries there is no mark of their American origin. To such «Americanisms» we could attribute, for example, bark up the wrong tree – ошибиться, обратиться не по адресу, do one's level best – сделать все возможное, не щадить усилий; face the music – стойко переносить неприятности, расплачиваться; а ( or the) green light – зеленая улица, свобода действий; sell like hot cakes – раскупаться как горячие пирожки, нарасхват; sit on the fence – занимать нейтральную или выжидательную позицию; spill the beans – выдать секрет, проболтаться, проговориться; take a back seat –стушеваться, отойти на задний план, занимать скромное положение and others.

    The mark like chiefly US shows the partial assimilation of Americanism. To such phraseological expressions we could attribute off limits – вход запрещен; out of sight – великолепно, несравненно; small potatoes – мелкая сошка and others.

    There are no American words in mentioned above phraseological expressions and in many others, so they could easily be accepted as primordial English phraseological expressions. Their American origin we could ascertain with lexicographical facts and with analysis of sources.

    In some Americanisms we could find American words, take for instance, cent and dollar: a red cent – медный грош; feel (or look) like a million dollars –отлично себя чувствовать (отлично выглядеть; иметь шикарный вид) and others.

The creators of the most set phrases are known.

Benjamin Franklin: Time is money – время – деньги («Advice to a Young Tradesman», 1748)

Washington Irving: the almighty dollar – «всемогущий доллар»

Fennimore Cupper: go on the warpath – вступить на путь войны, быть в воинственном настроении

Henry Longfello: ships that pass in the night – мимолетные, случайные встречи

John Hoy: the grapes of wrath – гроздья гнева

Jack London: the call of the wild – «зов природы»; the iron heel – «железная пята», империализм

Theodor Roosevelt: the big stick – политика большой дубинки, политика силы.

Nowadays we think that there is a difference between the American English and the British English, but the difference is connected with the pronunciation of some words, meaning of some word and we thing that Americans use wrong language. They could use wrong tense, wrong word, and we not to mention pronunciation. It is possible that some of us would think that it was a stupid thing to adopt phraseological expressions from the American English.

In our opinion, there is not anything bad in idiom adoptions from the American English. British people just wanted to improve and renew the English language. They did not change anything in American phraseological expressions. So, we cannot imagine how we would live if we did not have these expressions.

 

Biblical phrases

 

The Bible is considered as one of the most important sources of phraseological expressions. The scientist Smith says that the Bible was widely read book and often cited in England for more than one hundred years. Not only separated words were adopted from the pages of the Bible, but also intact idiomatic expressions were adopted. The amount of bible phrases which were gone down into the English language is too much, that it is impossible to count them.

Bible phrases are considered as full assimilated adoptions. We give some examples of the most widely-spread bible phrases, which are also used in the Russian language:

at the eleventh hour – в последнюю минуту, в самый последний момент; can the leopard change his spots? – горбатого могила исправит; cast pearls before swine – метать бисер перед свиньями; filthy lucre – презренный металл, деньги; in the twinkling of an eye – в мгновение ока; new wine in old bottles –новое вино в старых мехах, новое содержание в старой форме; the olive branch – оливковая ветвь; the root of all evil – корень зла; a wolf in sheep's clothing – волк в овечьей шкуре etc.

    Bible phrases have some changes with their bible prototype. We have mentioned only the main types of such changes.

1. Bible prototype is used in literal meaning. And phraseological units are created after its rethinking. Take for instance the set phrase kill the fatted calf which were used in parable about prodigal son in literal meaning « заклать упитанного тельца ». Later this set phrase gained new meaning угостить лучшим , что есть дома .

A millstone about somebody's neck – тяжелая ответственность, камень на шее.  In the Bible the phrase was used in literal meaning. Nowadays this phraseological expression could be used with the verbs hang and have. We could substitute the word about with the words round or around.

2. When the variant of prototype becomes separate phraseological unit. For example the set phrase live on the fat of the land – жить в роскоши, жить припеваючи (кататься как сыр в масле) supplanted the prototype eat the fat of the land, which did not become widely used. 

3. Changing the form of bible phrases. Take for instance the phraseological expression a drop in the bucketкапля в море is considered as changed bible phrase Behold the nations as a drop of a bucket.

Or for example in the phraseological unit gall and wormwoodнечто ненавистное , постылое word order was changed and all articles were felt. The wormwood and the gall.

4. Phraseological components which were used in the Bible in literal meaning, but do not create variable combination. The phraseological expression loaves and fishes земные блага . In the Bible the word loaves and the word fishes were used, but not the word combination loaves and fishes.

5. Creation of phraseological units with word-play. Take for instance

the land of Nod - царство сна appeared with the word game. The word nod – дремота and Nod – the place. This expression was created by Swift: go into the land of Nod – отправиться спать .

For example: for better or for worse – на радость и горе , в счастье и несчастье; from the bottom of one's heart – от всего сердца , от всей души were created with the word-play.

Bible phrases are not set citations without any changes. In Modern English language they could also change their meaning, could have some additions or fallings. We would like to give some examples: cast in (or throw in) one's lot with somebody – связать свою судьбу с кем-либо; proclaim (cry or shout) from (or upon) the housetops – объявить во всеуслышание, разгласить на всех перекрестках; a drop in the bucket (or ocean) – капля в море etc.

As it was started above bible phrases as any other phraseological expressions could lose their meaning, emotional nuance. But we need to mention that almost all of these bible phrases are used in written form and in rare instances they could be used in spoken language, but not often.

In every day speech we use such word combinations, which we cannot name bible phrases. They are more connected with popular belief. Take for instance such expressions: My God! (or Good gracious! or My goodness!) – Боже мой!; Good grief! (or Good heavens! or Holy cow!) – Боже праведный!; Thank God! (or Thank goodness!) – Слава Богу!; For God’s sake! (or For heaven’s sake! or For goodness’ sake!) – Ради Бога!; And so help me God! – И да поможет мне Бог!;
God bless you! – хранит вас Бог!; God willing, I’ll be back soon! – Бог даст, я скоро вернусь!; God forbid! – Не дай Бог! Боже упаси!; A God-given right (talent etc.) – Богом данное право (талант и т.д.); Godforsaken place – Богом забытое место (захолустье).


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