UDC

811.111:81’367.625

DOI

10.17238/issn2227-6564.2019.3.55

Authors

Tat’yana N. Fedulenkova
Vladimir State University; ul. Gor’kogo 87, korp. 1, Vladimir, 600000, Russian Federation;
e-mail: fedulenkova@list.ru

Abstract

Verbal phraseology has long been the focus of attention of linguists due to its inexhaustible valence and discourse potential. Being the core of the utterance and the centre of gravity for words belonging to other parts of speech, the verb forms set phrases that are often comprised of words with transferred meaning, i.e. generates phraseological units. On the other hand, phraseological units are an important means of the development of modern English, which, being an analytical language, makes an active use of phraseology in order to expand its nominative potential. In this regard, as the object of our research we chose verbal phraseological units of modern English organized according to the structural model V + (d) + N + Prep + θ, which is one of the most productive structures in the language. The subject of this research is the existence and nature of variability of the component structure of the phraseological units under study. The doctrine about the structural and systemic organization of language as well as the level model system of language formed the methodological basis for this research. The paper’s scientific basis is provided by the phraseological concept developed by Professor A.V. Kunin and supported by his method of phraseological identification. In addition, the authors utilized such linguistic research methods as componential, structural, definitional, and contextual analysis. The results of the study show that invariable phraseological units make only a twentieth part of the analysed units: the majority of them have simple or complex variants. Simple variability is of three types: substantive, verbal, and quantitative. Complex variability is represented by four types: verbal and prepositive, verbal and quantitative, verbal and syntactic, and lexicalgrammatical-quantitative.

Keywords

English phraseological unit, verbal phraseology, simple variability of phraseological units, complex variability of phraseological units

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