Introduction
Foreign
language learning is the attainment of a new national culture, the attempt to
connect to it. Phraseology, which is an integral part of a kind of Treasury of
any language, especially can greatly assist this introduction. Phraseological
units reflect a long history of people and their unique culture and way of
life. That is why it is so important to study them.
Idiom (the
idiom) is an important expressive means of language. An idiom is a set phrase
with a separate meaning. The majority of idioms are created by people, and
therefore closely related to the interests and daily activities of ordinary
people.
In idiomatic expressions reflects the views
associated with work, lifestyle and culture of the people. They fully reveal
the national specifics of language and identity. Thus, the main purpose of
idioms - giving speech of a particular expression, unique originality, accuracy
and imagery.
The value of country-specific idiomatic expressions lies in
the indisputable authenticity of their content. Analyzing them it is possible
to trace the country's history, partially acquainted with its customs and
traditions, to the idea of the mentality of the people speaking the language.
Therefore, I focused on idiomatic expressions that represent a cultural value.
The purpose
of this research: through a comparative analysis of idiomatic expressions in
English, Russian and Kazakh languages to identify similarities and differences
in the mentality of the peoples in question.
To achieve
the aim I have set before myself the following objectives:
the
definition of criteria for the analysis of idiomatic expression in English,
Russian and Kazakh languages;
- definition
and analysis of the factors most strongly influencing the nature of idiomatic
expressions.
To achieve
the objectives of this work were used:
descriptive
method as the source; the gathering of material, classification of material
comparative
method-comparison of idiomatic expression in English, Russian and Kazakh
languages
method of
analysis: analysis of idiomatic expression in each of the considered language
groups separately, as well as groups of idioms, equally occurring in all
considered languages.
1. The
history of the issue
About phraseology
has written many articles, books, dissertations, and interest in this area of
language has not dried up, neither the researchers, nor those who are simply
indifferent to the word. Confirmed the accuracy of the formula, expressed at
the dawn of last century, the famous Danish linguist Otto Espersen, who called
phraseology "despotically capricious and elusive thing." The mere
presence in a language beyond words of the whole verbal complexes, which are
sometimes identical to the word, and often represent a unique linguistic phenomenon
that is characterized by bright expressiveness, figurativeness and emotional,
is an occasion for us to explore this section of the style. However, the
phraseology as the set of all expressions in a particular language is a very
broad field of activity for such a small work as this.
Phraseology
as an independent linguistic discipline appeared in the 40-ies of XX century in
Soviet linguistics. Background of the theory of phraseology was laid in the
works of A. A. Potebnya, I. I. Sreznevsky, A. A. Shakhmatov and F. Fortunatov.
Influence on the development of phraseology was also provided by the ideas of
the French linguist W. Bali (1865-1947). In Western European and American
linguistics, phraseology is not allocated in a special section of linguistics.
The question of studying the stable word combinations in a special section of
linguistics -phraseology - was put in the training-methodical literature in the
20-40 gg in the works of E. D. Polivanov, S. I. Abakumov, L. A. Bulahovskogo.
The study of phraseology was stimulated by the lexicographic practice, on the
one hand, and on the other by Vinogradov works in which questions were raised
about the basic concepts of phraseology, its scope and objectives. In 50-ies
the main emphasis was on the similarities and differences of idioms with the word
and combination of words; problems of phraseology were limited mainly to the
elucidation of criteria of phraseological and clarify the basis of the
classification of phraseological units. Since the late 50-ies the tendency of a
systematic approach to the problems of phraseology, developed the issues
related to the description of phraseology as a structural language units (A. I.
Smirnitsky, O. S. akhmanova). 60-70 years in the development of phraseology are
characterized by the intense development actually phraseological methods of
research of objects of phraseology, is based on ideas of system-level analysis
of the facts of the language (V. L. Arkhangelsky, N. N. Amosov, V. P. Zhukov,
A. V. Kunin, M. T. Tagiyev), the study of the systemic organization of the
phraseological composition (I. I. Chernysheva, N. M.Shan) and its development
(V. N. Mokienko, F. N. Popov, A. I. Fedorov), special attention is paid to the
semantics of phraseological units and its nominative aspect (V. N. Teliya),
phraseformation in its dynamics (S. G. Gavrin, Y. A. Gvozdarev),
characteristics of collocations components (M. M. Kopylenko, Z. D. Popova),
comparative-typological study of phraseological composition (Y. Y. Avaliani, L.
I. Roseton), as well as development of the description of phraseology in
dictionaries (M. A. Babkin, A. I. Molotkov).
The subject
of phraseology as a section of linguistics research are categorical features of
phraseological units on the basis of which highlights the main signs of
frazeologicheskie and the question about the essence of phraseological units as
the particular units of language and identification of regularities of
functioning of phraseological units in speech and their formation processes.
However, there is a single subject of research and despite the many detailed
development of many of the issues of phraseology to the present time, there are
different points of view on what is idiom, what is the volume of phraseology of
the Russian language. Lists of idioms of the Russian language, proposed by
different scholars, so different from each other, that we can justifiably speak
of various, often opposite, even mutually exclusive views on the subject of
research and the inconsistency and confusion in the scientific terminology used
to refer to the relevant concepts. This explains the unclear understanding of
the goals, objectives and the very essence of the term "phraseology",
and the fact that there are not enough specific uniform classification of
phraseologisms Russian language from the point of view of their semantic unity.
Although the most common (clarifications and additions) is the classification
of V. V. Vinogradov. The underdevelopment of the basic concepts of English
phraseology, though in this area, and a large number of works, many of which
are of considerable interest, leading to numerous, often contradictory,
interpretations of the same question, the emergence of some confusing work,
transferring to the English phraseology schemes developed for the Russian
language, as well as to the dispersal of creative researchers. Nevertheless,
among the works of the English phraseology distinguished doctoral dissertation
N.N. Amosova and created on its basis the book " fundamentals of English
phraseology ", which is the most significant of what has been written in
English phraseology. You can also mention the works by T. I. Arbekovo, I. V.
Arnold, V. V. Vinogradov, A. V. Kunin, K. G. Mid A. A. Ivanova and
English-Russian phraseological dictionary by A.V. Kunin. Kazakh phraseology
highlighted in the works of the following authors: M. Lameboy, A. J. Gasymovoy,
A. Bolganbaev, G. Smagulova. Based on the foregoing, the aim of the student was
to compare idiomatic expressions in English, Russian and Kazakh languages, as
very few works in this direction, addressing the languages, not only one group,
but of different families.
The
hypothesis is that by using idioms you can distinguish a native speaker
from the advanced learner and the beginner in studying the English, Russian and
Kazakh languages.
As a
result young generation may not understand the meanings of short proverbs, so
if they don‟t know their meaning they would avoid using the proverbs in their
speech. There is a threat of disappearing of proverbs from the English
language. However, in Kazakh language proverbs and sayings are popular among
all the generations. Proverbs are used by elder people and young people and
proverbs are widely used in media as well. On the one hand, according to Kazakh
traditions young people ought to respect elder people and listen to their
advice. On the other hand, proverbs are used to describe different situations
and correspond to every situation in Kazakh language. Proverbs are piece of
wisdom inherited from our experienced ancestors. The most frequently used
Kazakh proverbs are the followings:
·
There is no place like your Motherland.
·
If sister-in-laws are friendly, there is much food.
·
The home with a child is a bazaar; the childless home is a grave.
·
My house is my song and my bed.
But
there are no idioms in the Kazakh language. Idioms are also collocations,
because they consist of several words that tend to be used together, but the
difference is that we can’t guess the meaning of the whole idiom from the
meanings of its parts. Idioms are phraseological units with a transferred
meaning. They can be completely or partially transferred. For instance: to add
fuel to the fire/flame (to make an argument or a bad situation worse); its
Russian equivalent is подливать масло
в огонь which means to pour the oil to the fire and its Kazakh equivalent
is отқа май құю which has the same meaning
The methods of
research used:
analysis
comparison
questionnaire
2. Main part
The
definition of the term “idiom”
An
idiom is a set expression, the meaning of which is different from the literal
meanings of its components. It refers to a figurative meaning that is known
only through common use. Idioms present a great variety of structures and
combinations that are mostly unchangeable and often not logical and may not
follow basic rules of grammar.
The
Webster dictionary gives following definition: Idiom
is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of
its constituent element as kick the bucket, hang one's head etc., or from the
general grammatical rules of language, as the table round for the round table,
and which is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics.
Oxford
Learner’s Dictionary of English Idioms gives us definition of “idiom”. The word
‘idiom’ is used to describe the ‘special phrases’ that are an essential part of
a language. Idioms may be ‘special’ in different ways: for example, the
expression to kick the bucket seems
to follow the normal rules of grammar, although we cannot say ‘kick a bucket’
or ‘kick the buckets’ , but it is impossible to guess that it means ‘to die’.
Phrases like all right, on second thoughts, and same
here, which are used in everyday English, and especially in spoken
English, are ‘special’ because they are fixed units of language that clearly do
not follow the normal rules of grammar.
Another
formulation of “idiom (Dubrovin M., 'Russian-English Idioms) is set
phraseological units which meaning does not result from the meaning of its
components. The
definition by Dean Curry is “the assigning of a new meaning to a group of words
which already have their own meaning”. Idioms are informal in nature and
although they appear in literature, they are not necessary considered to be
“literary”. They are often colloquial, often slang, and through overuse can
become cliches. Idioms may be adjectival, adverbial, verbal, or nominal. They
also may take the form of traditional saying and proverbs.
The
origin of the word “idiom”
In
fact, the word idiom comes from the Greek root idio, meaning
a unique signature. Thus, each language contains expressions that make no sense
when translated literally into another tongue.
Some
idioms of the "worldwide English" have first been seen in the works
of writers like Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, Lewis Carroll or even in the
paperbacks of contemporary novelists. An example of Shakespearian quotation can
be found in the following sentence:"As a social worker, you certainly see
the seamy side of life." Biblical references are also the source of many
idioms. Sports terms, technical terms, legal
terms, military slang and even nautical expressions have found their way to the
everyday use of English language.
Many
idioms are similar to expressions in other languages and can be easy for a
learner to understand. Other idioms come from older phrases which have changed
over time.
To hold one's horses means to stop and wait
patiently for someone or something. It comes from a time when people rode
horses and would have to hold their horses while waiting for someone or
something.
"Hold your horses," I said when my friend started to leave the
store.
Other idioms come from such things as sports that are common in the United
Kingdom or the United States and may require some special cultural knowledge to
easily understand them.
To cover all of one's bases means
to thoroughly prepare for or deal with a situation. It comes from the American
game of baseball where you must cover or protect the bases.
I tried to cover all of my bases when I went to the job interview.
What
for do we use idioms?
- For
emphasis, e.g. The singer’s second album sank like a stone, [failed
completely]
- To
agree with a previous speaker, e.g.
A: Did you notice how Lisa started listening when you said her
name?
B: Yes, that certainly made her prick her ears up. [start
listening carefully]
- To comment on people, e.g. Did you
hear Tom has been invited for dinner with the prime minister? He’s
certainly gone up in the world! [gained a better social position - or more
money - than before]
- To comment on a situation, e.g. The
new finance minister wants to knock the economy into shape, [take action
to get something into a good condition]
- To make an anecdote more interesting,
e.g. It was just one disaster after another today, a sort of domino
effect, [when something, usually bad, happens and causes a series of other
things to happen]
- To catch the reader’s eye. Idioms -
particularly those with strong images - are often used in headlines, advertising
slogans and the names of small businesses. The writer may play with the
idiom or make a pun (a joke involving a play on words) in order to create
a special effect, e.g. a debt of dishonour instead of
the usual debt of honour, [a debt that you owe someone for moral rather
than financial reasons]
- To
indicate membership of a particular group, e.g. surfers drop in on
someone, meaning to get on a wave another surfer is already on.
We will see and hear idioms in
all sorts of speaking and writing. They are particularly common in everyday
conversation and in popular journalism. For example, they are often found in
magazine horoscopes, e.g. You’ll spend much of this week licking your wounds
[trying to recover from a bad experience], or in problem pages, e.g. Do you
think that my relationship has run its course? [come to a natural end] However,
idioms are also used in more formal contexts, such as lectures, academic essays
and business reports, e.g. It is hoped the regulations will open the door to
better management, [let something new start].
Common
metaphors in idioms. What is a metaphor?
Metaphors
describe a person, object or situation by comparing it to something else with
similar characteristics. They are often used in poetry and literature. In Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet, for example, Romeo says ‘Juliet is my sun’, suggesting that
she is the most important force in his life, bringing him light and warmth.
Many idioms are based on metaphors. However, idioms are
expressions that are used so frequently and are so fixed in the language that
people often do not think about the metaphors behind them. The metaphors used
in idioms are therefore much less original and thought-provoking than those
used in literary contexts. People say, for example, ‘The new president was /
took centre stage at the meeting’ [was the most important or noticeable thing
or person], without thinking of the original image of a theatre.
Why idioms and metaphors are so important?
Firstly, they are important because they are very common. It is
impossible to speak, read, or listen to English without meeting idiomatic
language.
The
second reason is that very often the metaphorical use of a word is more common
today than its literal use. For example, we know that farmers plough their
field, but we can plough through a long novel or report; we can plough on with
our work; we can plough money into a business; profits can be ploughed back
into a company; a lorry can plough into a row of parked cars. Using plough in
its literal farming meaning is now much rarer than all its other non-literal
uses.
Types
of idioms
Binominals
Binomials are a type of idiom in which two words are joined by a
conjunction (linking word), usually and. The
order of the two words is fixed. For example, we always say black and white,
NOT white and black: Managing climate change isn't a black and white issue, [separate
and clear]
The words can be:
- synonyms
(words which mean the same): Sara’s work is always very neat and tidy;
- opposites: If you go for cheaper speakers,
the sound quality may be a bit hit and miss, [sometimes good, sometimes
had (informal)];
- the
same word: They finished the race neck and neck, [equal];
- rhyming:
Tables in the canteen take a lot of wear and tear, [damage through
everyday use];
- alliterative:
After the match the players’ legs were black and blue, [very bruised];
- joined by words other than and: The traffic
was bumper to bumper all the way to the coast, [very heavy] Little by
little, Vera gained the horse’s confidence, [gradually] The house must be
worth a quarter of a million, give or take a few thousand, [plus or minus
(informal)];
Trinomials are a similar type
of idiom, in which three words are joined, e.g. I’ve looked here, there and
everywhere for my glasses but can’t find them, [everywhere]
Euphemisms
Euphemisms are a type of idiom used to avoid saying words which
may offend or be considered unpleasant. They are useful to learn, as they will
help to communicate using language which is appropriate for the situation.
Euphemisms are used:
- To
talk about subjects which may upset or offend, such as death.
It was obvious he was not long for this world, but he never lost
his sense of humour. [going to die soon]
To avoid using direct words for body functions
I’m just going to spend a penny. [use the toilet (UK public
toilets used to charge a penny.)]
- For
humorous effect when telling anecdotes.
My boss was effing and blinding because he had lost a confidential
report. [swearing (some common English swear words begin with f or b) (informal)]
- By
the media or political instructions to tone down unpleasant situations.
Many soldiers have made a supreme / ultimate sacrifice for their
country. [died]
He died in a friendly fire accident. [killed by his own side, not
by the enemy]
|
Euphemism
|
Example
|
Meaning
|
|
Four-letter
words
|
The play may offend some
people, as it’s full of four-letter words.
|
Swear
words (many of these have four letters in English)
|
|
Pardon
my French
|
He’s such a bloody idiot, pardon
my French.
|
Apologies
for swearing (humorous)
|
|
Powder
my nose
|
I’m just going to powder my
nose.
|
Use the toilet
|
|
Answer
the call of nature
|
Go behind a tree if you need
to answer the call of nature.
|
Urinate
(more direct)
|
|
Play
the field
|
He said he’s too young to
stop playing the field and settle down.
|
Having
many romantic relationships without committing to one partner
|
|
My
number was up
|
I saw the car heading
straight for me and I thought my number was up.
|
I was about to die (informal)
|
|
Breathe
my last
|
‘This
is where I was born and where I will breathe my last’, said the old woman.
|
Die
|
|
Be
six feet under
|
We’ll be at six feet under
by the time you finish writing your novel!
|
Be
dead (informal)
|
Comparing
and analyzing English, Russian and Kazakh idioms
There is a plenty of Russian and
Kazakh phraseologisms that don’t have any analogs in the English language. For example,
«повесить нос» «ынжырғасы
түсті», «один как перст» «», «без царя в голове», «душа в пятки ушла» «зәре құты қашты, «губа
не дура» «армандама ақ тоқты қыстыгүні көк шөпті», «на
лбу написано» «маңдайына жазылған», «а
Васька слушает
да ест» «», «слона-то я и не приметил» «көрмес, түйені де көрмес», «рыльце
в пуху», «мартышкин труд» , «медвежья
услуга».
While comparing and analyzing English and Russian idioms, I
noticed a similarity in their structure, figure of speech and style:
|
Russian
idiom
|
English
idiom
|
Kazakh
idioms
|
|
Играть с огнем
|
to play with fire
|
отпен ойнау
|
|
сжигать мосты
|
to burn bridges
|
ат құйрығын кесу
|
|
нет дыма без огня
|
there is no smoke without fire
|
жел тұрмаса шөптін басы қимылдамайды
|
|
трудолюбивый, как
пчела
|
busy as a bee
|
Еңбекқор
|
|
жить как кошка с собакой
|
a cat and dog life
|
ит пен мысықтай
|
|
Дела сердечные
|
affair of the heart
|
жүрекке әмір жүрмейді
|
|
дело чести
|
affair of honour
|
ұятын білсін
|
|
рыцарь без страха и упрека
|
knight without fear and without reproach
|
жүрек жұтқан
|
|
сливки общества
|
the cream of society
|
сүзіп алар қаймақтар
|
|
игра стоит свеч
|
the game is worth the candle
|
іске алғысыз
|
|
оборотная сторона медали
|
the reverse side of the coin
|
екі жүзді
|
|
Труден только первый шаг
|
it is the first step that costs
|
басы қатты аяғы тәтті
|
|
искать иголку в стоге сена
|
look for a needle in a bottom of hay
|
тырнақ астынан кір іздеу
|
|
аппетит приходит во время еды
|
appetite comes with eating
|
тәбет астан соң келеді
|
|
браки совершаются на небесах
|
marriages are made in heaven
|
құдай қосқан қосағы
|
|
глаза – зеркало души
|
the eyes are the mirror of the soul
|
көз адамның айнасы
|
|
если бы молодость знала, а старость могла
|
if youth but knew, if age but could
|
қайран жастық шақ
|
|
|
|
|
A part of these idioms has become international, and there are a
lot of languages pretending on their primordial (in each language they are
considered to be its own or they are considered to originate in it).
It’s interesting that many Russian, Kazakh and English expressions
take their origin from the Bible. The Bible is the reachest source of
phraseological units. This greatest work has enriched Russian and Kazakh as
well as English with similar units (phrases).
Here are some of them:
|
English
Idiom
|
Russian
translation
|
Kazakh
translation
|
|
The beam in one’s eye
|
бревно в собственном
глазу
|
көзін шел басқан
|
|
Daily bread
|
хлеб насущный
|
қара су мен қара нан
|
|
Poverty is no sin
|
бедность не порок
|
кедейлік өлім емес
|
|
Throw nature out of the
door, it will come back again
|
Гони природу в дверь,
она войдет в окно
|
ауру қалса да әдет
қалмайды
|
|
Look not a gift horse in the
mouth
|
Дареному коню в зубы
не смотрят
|
сыйға
алынған - сыйланбас
|
|
A storm in a tea-cup
|
Буря в стакане воды
|
терісі тонына сыймау
|
It’s appeared that the names of our body parts are often used in
formation of phraseologisms. They have symbolic character and images
understandable for both languages: Russian and English. It seems that using the
names of different parts of the body, a person tries to express more fully
his/her thoughts and makes a greater impression by his/her speech. And it’s
interesting that images are similar in these languages.
|
English
Idiom
|
Russian
translation
|
Kazakh
translation
|
|
To
have heart of gold
|
иметь золотое сердце
|
кең пейілді
|
|
With a heavy heart
|
камень на сердце, с тяжелым сердцем
|
сары уайымға салынған
|
|
Armed
to the teeth
|
вооружен до зубов
|
сақадай сай
|
|
To
have heart of kind
|
иметь доброе сердце
|
аузын ашса жүрегі көрінер
|
|
To
wag a tongue
|
языком трепать
|
тілін қышыту
|
|
To
look down a nose at somebody
|
задирать нос
|
мұрнын шүйіру
|
|
To
have lost a tongue
|
язык проглотить
|
тілін жұту
|
|
A
tooth for a tooth
|
зуб за зуб
|
қанға қан, жанға жан
|
|
To
be all eyes
|
смотреть в оба
|
көзіне қарау; сақ болу
|
|
Not to
see beyond the end of a nose
|
Не видеть дальше собственного носа
|
көз алдындағыдан басқаны көрмеу
|
|
One's
hair stood on end
|
Волосы дыбом встали
|
төбе шашы тік тұрды
|
|
To
wash one’s head
|
намылить голову (шею)
|
басын айналдыру
|
|
To
have a good head on the shoulders
|
Иметь голову на плечах
|
ақыл тоқтатқан
|
However, having translated from one language into another it often
happens the change of images. It is a very interesting phenomenon for the
English and Russian languages. We can see the difference between the next
phraseological units:
|
English
Idiom
|
Word
for word translation
|
Russian
Translation
|
Kazakh
Translation
|
|
Laugh in the beard
|
смеяться в “бороду”
|
смеяться в кулак
|
ішінен күлу
|
|
Thick as blackberries
|
толстый как черника
|
хоть пруд пруди
|
арқан тарту
|
|
As sure as eggs are eggs
|
верно, как то, что
яйца - это яйца
|
верно, как дважды два
|
айдан анық
|
|
The rotten apple injures its
neighbours
|
гнилое яблоко портит
соседние
|
паршивая овца все стадо портит
|
бір құмалақ бір қарын майды шірітеді
|
|
To swim like a stone
|
плавать как камень
|
плавать как топор
|
өрісі тар болу
|
|
It is not my cup of tea
|
не моя чашка чая
|
не по мне
|
тақиясына тар келу
|
|
In hot water
|
в горячей воде
|
быть в заботах, хлопотах
|
шыр көбелек айналу
|
|
Head to head, face to face
|
голова к голове, лицо
к лицу
|
с глазу на глаз
|
бетпе- бет
|
|
To make a mountain out of a
molehill
|
делать из кротовины
гору
|
делать из мухи слона
|
түймедейді түйедей ету
|
|
As cool as a cucumber
|
холодный как огурец
|
спокоен, как удав
|
қой аузынан шөп алмас
|
|
Buy a pig in a poke
|
купить “поросенка” в
мешке
|
купить кота в мешке
|
көрмей, білмей алу
|
|
As two peas
|
как две “горошины”
|
как две капли воды
|
егіз қозыдай
|
|
To be born with a silver
spoon in the mouth
|
родиться с серебряной
ложкой во рту
|
родиться в сорочке
|
айы оңынан туды
|
|
Not worth a bean
|
не стоить и боба
|
гроша ломаного не стоить
|
көк тиынға
да тұрмайды
|
|
A piece of cake
|
кусок торта
|
пустячное дело
|
бос іс
|
|
Nothing new under the sun
|
ничто не ново под “солнцем”
|
ничто не ново под луной
|
жаңалық емес
|
The Structure of Idioms
Most
idioms are unique and fixed in their grammatical structure. The expression to sit
on the fence cannot becometo sit on a fence or to sit
on the fences. However, there are many changes that can be made to an idiom.
Some of these changes result in a change in the grammatical structure that
would generally be considered to be wrong. To be
broken literally means that something is broken. The
lamp is broken so I cannot easily read my book. To be broke is
grammatically incorrect but it has the idiomatic meaning of to have no money. I am
broke and I cannot go to a movie tonight.
There can also be changes in nouns, pronouns or in the verb tenses. I sat
on the fence and did not give my opinion.Many people are sitting on the fence
and do not want to give their opinion.
Adjectives and adverbs can also be added to an idiomatic phrase.
The politician has been sitting squarely in the middle of the fence since
the election.
It is for these reasons that it is sometimes difficult to isolate the actual
idiomatic expression and then find it in a dictionary of idioms.
As far as I know there are different ways how to render the essence of the
idioms, for example: selecting the Russian equivalents or descriptive
translation. For me, it’s easier to remember the meaning of the idiom if I
manage to find the proper and colorful equivalent.
Idioms
groups
I
continued to do my research work with dividing the idioms
into the groups. I decided to choose the idioms that seemed to be the most
interesting for learning and using in my study of the English language. I
looked through some dictionaries of the idioms and set-expressions.
The
first group of idioms I picked up is people’s
character. We live in the society where each person estimates other people
and their behavior, traits of character and expresses his opinion. Here are
some descriptions which characterize me, you, your friends and people who are
around us.
Ball
of fire: You shouldn’t be panic when somebody says that you are a ball of
fire. You won’t burn. This person means that you are very energetic.
Example: Sally is a real ball of fire. She works late every night.
Full
of beans: If your friend says that he is full of beans. It doesn’t mean that he has
eaten many beans today, he means that he has a good mood.
Example: The head of the company was full of beans
after he was informed that his company won the tender.
Be all thumbs: If
somebody says that you are all thumbs it means that you are very awkward.
Example: - Hey!
You are pouring my coffee on the table!
- Oh, I'm so sorry! I have been all thumbs today.
Move
up in the world: If somebody moves up in the world it means that
he has become a successful person.
Example: The young man is working hard and he is moving up in the world.
The
second group is the idioms
about the time. In the modern English language there are many idiomatic phrases
that help people to explain an abstract meaning of the
time easily.
Against
the clock: This phrase means that the time “works against you”, and you feel
the lack of it for fulfillment of some affairs.
Example: “Hurry
up! You are working against the
clock! We have very little time to do it”.
Like
clock work: This phrase describes regular definite events.
Ex.: “He is
as regular as clockwork in his habits – he goes to the bank every Friday”.
Not
born yesterday: We say this idiom when we want to show that it is difficult to
deceive us.
Example: “This car has a lot of faults. You must think I was born yesterday
if you expected me to buy this car”.
Time
of your life: Somebody says it that when he enjoys what he does, when he has a
good time.
Example: “The
children were tired out when they arrived home – they’d had the time of their
lives playing in the mud, without their parents there to tell them to keep
clean”.
With a
snap of the fingers: If you manage to do
something as soon as you click your fingers, and it comes out in moment, very
quickly. Example: If you
could snap your fingers and immediately have this skill, which would you
choose:
1. Fluency in every European language?
2. Or fluency in Chinese?
The
third group is the
idioms with religious ideas. Faith is something that
helps people to live. And it isn’t extraordinary that in our speech there are
phrase about this part of our live.
Come
hell or high water: When something must
certainly happen, this event will happen even if flood starts or hell falls. In
this case English use this idiom. Example: Finish
the project come hell or high water!
Meet me at the airport come hell or high water!
Sing
form the same hymn sheet: This
idiom means that people say the same things, having the same points of view.
Example: All
political parties sing from the same hymn sheet.
Ninth
circle of hell: In the Dante’s Aligere’s work “God’s comedy” in the Ninth circle
of hell the main character met the most terrible sinner, and saw the most
horrible punishments which were given to them. That’s why when something is
very bad it is the ninth circle of hell. Example: Our
politics in economics is the ninth circle of hell.
Cold
day in hell: Cold day in hell happens once an eternity. Therefore when we say
that something will happen on a cold day in hell it means that it will never
happen.
Example: - When
will you pass your exam?
The
fourth group is business
idioms. In this group there are idioms which you can use when you speak
with your foreign business partners or when you tell about your firm.
Bad
egg: Bag egg is a person that you can’t trust. He is a swindler.
Example: This
businessman has a reputation of a bad egg. Nobody wants to deal with him.
To be
in the red: a person or a firm is in the red when they have debts. On the one
hand red color is the color of danger, problem. And absence money is a suitable
situation. On the other hand in England and America banks sent to debtors
letters where “You have debts! Return them” which was written by red inks.
Example: The
phone company found itself about three millions dollars in the red.
Hot
potato: Have you ever held a hot potato in your hands? You don’t want to
drop it but you can’t hold it any more because it’s too hot and you throw it
from one hand to the other hand while it isn’t getting cold. Hot potato is a
tickly question. It is hard and unpleasantly to deal with it.
Example: This
new local small business law is a true hot potato in our region!
Fat
cat: Fat cat is a person that has much money. But in this phrase there
is disapproval shade of meaning. You can call somebody a fat cat if you don’t
approve the way this person spends his money.
Example: The
owner of this company decided to sponsor “LDPR”. What a fat cat!
The
fifth group is the
idioms about the computers. Nowadays
we can’t imagine our life without it. That’s why here are some idioms which are
connected with computers.
All
hardware sucks: This phrase means that all computer system is disable to fulfill
your orders.
Example: I’m
afraid that there is nothing to do else, because your all hardware sucks.
Blue
screen of death: Blue screen of death describes the situation when all computer
screen became blue and many words, symbols and letters appear on it which you
can’t understand. They advise you to restart the computer.
Example: Running
this program always ends by a Blue screen of death.
Hang: If
your computer hangs, it means that all system doesn’t reply any commands
Example: I
can’t connect the net, because my comp hangs again and again!
Big
red switch: There is really big switch on many computer blocks but even if it
is small it is called a big red switch in order to make emphasis on the fact
that switching on it, the complex system, I mean a computer, begins to work.
Example: Don’t
panic when having a blue screen of death, just push a Big Red Switch!
The most interesting group for me is comparative
idioms. In order to make them we must use the construction as…as. I like
this group because there are very funny. For example, when you want to say that
you are very hungry you can say that you are as hungry as a hunter, etc.
As
easy as pie: very easy.
Example: "I
thought you said this was a difficult problem. It isn't. In fact, it's as easy
as pie."
As
hungry as a hunter: very hungry.
Example: I
haven’t eaten anything all day that’s why I am as hungry as a hunter.
As
good as gold: very good.
Example: This
boy helped me very much. He is as good as gold.
As red
as a beetroot: very red
Example: Now
Ann’s face is as red as a beetroot because she has lied.
As
strong as an ox: very strong.
Example: I
think that this man does sports because he is as strong as an ox.
Different
linguists group idioms in different ways. For example, I divide them like this:
- Animal
Idioms
- Plants
Idioms
- Fruits
and vegetables Idioms
- Colour
Idioms
- Body
Idioms
- Food
Idioms
- Feelling
and actions Idioms
Animal
Idioms
Like
a horse It means : to work hard
Как лошадь
As
a bee It means : about very busy man Как Пчелка
As
brave as a lion It means : about very brave man храбрый, как лев
Chicken
It means : a coward man трус
Eagle
eyes It means : someone who has eagle eyes
орлиный глаз
To
work like a dog – работать усердно
A bookworm –
книжный червь ( очень любит читать)
A copycat –
человек, который подражает ( нет своего мнения)
An early bird –
человек, который везде самый первый
Plants
Idioms
As
fresh as a daisy - fresh, healthy man как
огурчик
As
fresh as a rose - about beautiful man свежа, как роза
Shake
like a leaf - to be afraid, tremble as a leaf дрожать
как осиновый лист
To go
around the bush - avoid giving a clear answer ходить
вокруг куста
As hot
as a pepper - very spicy горячий,
как перец
Fruits
and vegetables Idioms
To buy
a lemon - to buy something useless or defective
As
cool as a cucumber - cool headed man in the face of danger or difficulty
Couch
potato - a lazy person, watching TV домосед
Bad
apple - criminal, trouble maker гнилое яблоко
Sour grapes
- pretending to not want something кислое лицо
Lemon
law - protect people from defective food
The
apple of one’s eye – любимый человек
Go
bananas – сходить с ума
Colour
Idioms
Once
in a blue moon - in early days
A
heart of gold - a very kind and good man
To
have green fingers -he is a good gardener
As
white as a sheet - to afraid something
To
born with a silver spoon in his mouth -very lucky man
A dark
horse - nobody know much about him
Out of
the blue – неожиданно
In the
red – быть в долгу
The green light –
разрешение для чего-то
In the black –
при деньгах, богатый
Body
Idioms
I let
my hair down - to have a rest
An old
head on young shoulder - he is too young but wise and clever
It
costs an arm and a leg - it’s very expensive
Break
one’s heart - to do suffer to somebody
To
bite one’s tongue - stop talking
To zip
the lip - to keep silence
Food
Idioms
A big
cheese - an important person, a leader
A bad
egg - a bad person to be avoid
Cry
over spilt milk - to cry about something that has already happened
Bread
and butter - basic needs of life
Piece
of cake - that you consider it to be very easy
Like a
fish out of water - to be uncomfortable situation
Feelling
and actions Idioms
Fall
in love - to love somebody
A
yes man - the man who listen everybody
An
early bird - the man will be the first everywhere
A
man of means -to be a very rich
At
first sight - the first impression of the man
A
man of his word - aperson who keeps promises
Time Idioms
Like clock work –
делать все в одно время
Not born yesterday –
трудно обмануть кого-то( не вчера родился)
With a snap of the fingers – очень быстро
High time - пора
In no time - моментально
To kill time - бездельничать
Numbers Idioms
Sixth sense –
уметь догадываться ( иметь шестое чувство)
At first sight – первое впечатление
Of two minds - нерешительный
In seventh heaven – очень счастливый
«Man and his characteristic features»
Ball of fire – очень энергичный человек.
Full of bеаns – быть в хорошем настроении
Move up in the world – быть успешным человеком
A man of means – богатый человек
To be shorthanded –
нуждающийся в помощи
To zip the lip – не разговаривать
To stretch the truth –
преувеличивать
To have a green thumb –
иметь способность к выращиванию растений
Many teachers
of English like to group idioms in alphabetic order.
The
site www.learn-english-today.com put
them in such a way:
Negotiations
Anger-irritation
Employment
- Jobs
Number
Idioms
Animal
& bird Idioms
Enthusiasm-impatience
Problems
- difficulties
Anxiety
- fear
Feelings-emotions
Relationships
Arguments-disagreements
Food
Idioms
Safety
- danger
Authority
- power
Frankness
- Sincerity
Secrets
- indiscretion
Behaviour
idioms
Fun-enjoyment
Shopping
Body
idioms
Happiness
- Sadness
Situations
Business
- Work Idioms
Health
Idioms
Speed
- rapidity
Choices
- Options
Hesitation
- Indecision
Sports
Idioms
Clothes
Idioms
Honesty
- dishonesty
Success-failure
Colour
idioms
Intelligence-understanding
Suitability
Communication
Law
& Order
Surprise-disbelief
Comparisons-similitude
Madness
- Insanity
Thoughts-ideas
Consequences-effects
Memory
- Remembering
Time
idioms
Descriptions
of people
Mistakes-errors
Travel-transport
Descriptions
- places-things
Money
Idioms
Weather-atmosphere
d)
Investigation
Last
year I learnt about the idioms at my English lessons at school. My teacher
recommended me to spend more time investigating this field of the language.
It was
interesting for me to know how many idioms the pupils of 9th – 11th forms
know. I handed the questionnaires to the students of our school. It appeared
that they know just a few of them, some students know more than ten idioms and
the others know less than 10 or even don’t know idioms at all. After that I asked
the pupils how often they use idioms in their dialogues or situations. And it
appeared that they use them seldom or don’t use them at all. Then I asked
pupils if they think that idioms enrich the English language and the most of
them answered that they have no idea about it.
So I
decided to make the list of idioms used frequently by the native speakers and
group them according to the meaning.
These
are the questions I asked my classmates, schoolmates, friends and
acquaintances. I prepared multiple-choice questionnaire.
- How
many idioms do you know?
- I
don’t know any idioms.
- I
know less than 10 idioms.
- I
know 10 – 30 idioms.
- I
know more than 30 idioms.
- I
know more than 50 idioms.
2. How often do use idioms?
- I
don’t use idioms.
- I
seldom use idioms.
- I
often use idioms.
3. Do you think that idioms adorn English language?
- Yes,
I do. To my mind idioms adorn English language.
- No,
I don’t. In my opinion idioms don’t adorn English language.
- I
don’t know.
Conclusion
English,
Russian and Kazakh are languages which particularly rich in idioms - those
modes of expression peculiar to a language (or dialect) which frequently defy
logical and grammatical rules. Without idioms English would lose much of its
variety and humor both in speech and writing.
Idioms
can be quite clear (in general; come out; at first; the root of all evil),
or pretty unclear (on end; pack it in; high and low; hard cash). Some
idioms have proper names in them (a Jack of all trades; Uncle Sam), some
other idioms are comparisons (as clear as a bell; as the crow flies).
Proverbs and sayings are idioms, too (every cloud has a silver lining; still
waters run deep).
For my
work I have chosen useful idioms that native speakers use frequently in their
everyday life. These idioms are accepted as part of everyday speech and
undoubtedly are of great practical value to you. Many other idioms, though they
are often interesting and colorful, are not that necessary in your everyday
conversational English.
I
think the fact that a person possesses a good vocabulary does not mean that he
sounds like a native speaker. The mentality of a nation is expressed not only
in grammatically correct sentences but in а variety
of phrases that depict peculiarities of history and culture.
I think that I can use many of inter idioms in my speech. I like them. So to be
an interesting interlocutor you should acquire the idioms that make speech
lively and bright.
The list of the used
literature
1.Richard A. Spears, “American Idioms Dictionary”.
2.Dubrovin M., «Russian-English Idioms», Moskow,
“Prosveshcheniye”,1995
3.Dean Curry “Illustration American idioms”, published by The
Materials Branch English Language Programs Division United States Information
Agency, Washington, 1994.
4.“Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of English Idioms”, edited by Helen
Warren, Oxford University Press, 1994
5.M. J. Murphy “ Test yourself on English idioms”, Moskow, 1968
6.Richard A. Spears “Essential American Idioms”, dictionary
7.James Rogers “The dictionary of cliches”
8.V. H.Collins “ A book of English Idioms”
9.Longman Dictionary of English Idioms, Longman Group limited, 1979
10.Roges G. The dictionary of Cliches. New York. 1985
11.Spears Richard A. Essential American Idioms. National textbook company.
1991
12.Кунин А.В. Фразеология современного английского языка. - М.:
Международные отношения, 1996.
13.Longman Dictionary of English Idioms. L., 1981.
14.Makkai,A. Idiom Structure in English, - The Hague, 1987
15.Кеңесбаев І. Фразеологиялық сөздік. – Алматы: «Арыс»
баспасы, 2007.
16.Хасенов Ә.Тіл білімі. – Алматы: Санат. – 2003.
17. Болғанбаев Ә. Қазақ тілінің лексикологиясы. – Алматы, 1988.
18. Шафрин Ю. А. Идиомы английского языка. – Москва: Лаборатория
знаний. – 2003.
19. Сиротина М.И. Тысячи идиом. - Москва: Владос. – 1997.
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