Give the functions of phraseological units and semantic classification.

Phraseologicalunits occupy an intermediate position between free word combinations and compound words. On the one hand, they are combinations of words and lack external inseparability. On the other hand, they are semantically integral and function as words.

Phraseological units have a set of specific functions, predetermined by their essence. Some functions are constant or definite, in other words – attribute to all phraseological units in any conditions of their use, others are variative, peculiar to some types of phraseologisms. Definitive are communicative, cognitive and nominative functions. ^[1]

The communicative function of phraseological units is their ability to serve as communicative or message means. Communication presupposes a mutual exchange of statements, and message presupposes the transfer of information without a feedback with the reader or the listener.

The nominative function of phraseological units is their relation to objects of the real world, including situations, and also replacement of these objects in speech activity by their phraseological denominations. The filling of lacunas in the lexical system of the language is characteristic of the nominative function of phraseological units. This function is peculiar to the overwhelming majority of phraseological units, as they do not have lexical synonyms. The sub-kinds of the nominative function are neutrally-nominal and nominal functions.

The neutrally-nominal function is the basic one for phraseological units, for example, brown paper. At realization of such phrases in communication the fact of a designation of the object is important, and not the stylistic use of the phrase. The nominal function is also characteristic for semantically transferred phraseological units (idiomatisms and idiophraseomatisms), but it is not neutral, it is stylistically marked.

Function which is closely connected with nominative function is the cognitive function, that is the socially-determined reflexion of objects of the real world mediated by consciousness, promoting their cognition. The social determinacy is shown in the fact that though potential phraseological units are created by separate individuals, these individuals are part of the society, and the realization of the cognitive function by them is possible only on the basis of previous knowledge.

There are three classification principles of phraseological units. The most popular is the synchronic (semantic) classification of phraseological units by V.V. Vinogradov. He developed some points first advanced by the Swiss linguist Charles Bally and gave a strong impetus to a purely lexicological treatment of the material. It means that phraseological units were defined as lexical complexes with specific semantic features and classified accordingly. His classification is based upon the motivation of the unit that is the relationship between the meaning of the whole and the meanings of its component parts. The degree of motivation is correlated with the rigidity, indivisibility and semantic unity of the expression that is with the possibility of changing the form or the order of components and of substituting the whole by a single word though not in all the cases.

According to Vinogradov’s classification all phraseological units are divided into phraseological fusions, phraseological unities and phraseological combinations.

21. GIVE YOUR POINTS OF VIEW ON THE DIFFERENCES OF PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS AND PROVERBS. GIVE EXAMPLES. Phraseological units (also called idiom), a word group with a fixed lexical composition and grammatical structure; its meaning, which is familiar to native speakersof the given language, is generally figurative and cannot be derived from the meanings of the phraseological unit’s component parts. Themeanings of phraseological units are the result of the given language’s historical development. There are several types of phraseological units, as follows. In phraseological concretions the literal and figurative meanings are totallyunrelated, as in tochit’ liasy (“to whittle a piece of linden wood”; figuratively, “to chatter”) or sobakus”est’ (“to know inside out”; literally, “to eata dog”). Other phraseological units have a meaning that is derived from the meaning of the component parts, as in plyt’ potecheniiu (“to flowwith the current”). Phraseological collocations include a word or words with a meaning that is both literal and figurative, as in glubokaiatishina(“profound silence”). Another type of phraseological unit is the idiomatic expression, a word group whose structure and meaning are fixed.

A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) is a simple and concrete saying, popularly known and repeated, that expresses a truth based on common sense or experience. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim. Proverbs fall into the category of formulaic language. Proverbs are often borrowed from similar languages and cultures, and sometimes come down to the present through more than one language. SomeexamplesofEnglishproverbsinclude:

· Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

· It’s no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.

· Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.

· See a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you’ll have all day.

· ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

· Monday’s child is fair of face/Tuesday’s child is full of grace, /Wednesday’s child is full of woe, /Thursday’s child has far to go, /Friday’s child is loving and giving, /Saturday’s child works hard for its living/And a child that’s born on the Sabbath day/Is fair and wise and good and gay.