The category of happiness of English phraseological units.

Sovetkhanova M.B., Akynova D.B.

*Eurasian National University, Faculty of Philology, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan

Abstract.

The phraseology is one of the brightest means of language. The metaphoricalness, emotionality, expressivity inherent in phraseological units give to the speech figurativeness and expressiveness. Understanding of sense of phraseological units of the foreign-language text important both for adequate understanding, and for spiritual enrichment of readers of art or political literature. The phraseology develops figurative thinking, flexibility of thought, facilitates process of communication in language. It is necessary for research of phraseological units a narrow subject which will show all their features. Therefore I chose the category of happiness.

Keywords: phraseologism, idiom, phraseologization, contextualization, target language, idiophraseomatic, phraseosemantic.

Introduction

Phraseology is a comparatively young field of linguistics which has only relatively recently become established as a self-contained linguistic discipline. Phraseology is pervasive in all language fields. Phraseology is studying phraseological units (set expressions, praseologisms, or idioms (in foreign linguistics). Phraseological units differ from free word-groups semantically and structurally: 1) they convey a single concept and their meaning is idiomatic, i.e. it is not a mere total of the meanings of their components 2) they are characterized by structural invariability (no word can be substituted for any component of a phraseological unit without destroying its sense (to have a bee in one’s bonnet (not cap or hat). 3) they are not created in speech but used as ready-made units.

In each cultural context there are typical modes of expression that assemble words in order to signify something that is not limited to the sum of the meanings of the single words that compose them; an extra meaning, usually metaphorical, becomes part and parcel of this particular assembly. "To find oneself between hammer and anvil" does not literally mean to be in that physical condition; it means rather to be in a stressing or very difficult situation. In our everyday life we seldom find the hammer or anvil in our immediate vicinity.

Phraseologisms - or expressions that would aspire at becoming so - are formed in huge quantities, but do not always succeed. Sometimes are formed and disappear almost simultaneously. The only instances that create problems for the translator are the stable, recurrent lexical idioms, that for their metaphorical meaning do not rely only on the reader's logic at the time of reading, but also, and above all, on the value that such a metaphor has assumed in the history of the language under discussion.

Interest in phraseologisms and phraseology grew considerably for last twenty years or about it. While the point of view of the general linguists on phraseology before can be derided probably as ‘the researchers of the idiom and lexicographers classifying and investigating different types of fairly frozen idiomatic expressions’ meanwhile this representation fortunately changed. Presently problems of identification and classification of phraseologisms, and also their integration into theoretical research and practical application have much deeper influence on researchers and their agendas in many various divisions of science of linguistics, and also in language studying, acquisition, and training, natural language processing, etc.

Phraseological unities

The phraseological unity, unlike a combination, represents a motionless syntactic complex. The general meaning of unity (as well as a phraseological combination) is motivated value of the words which are its part, but it doesn't allow neither substitutions, nor replacements. The dictionary, as a rule, gives value of phraseological unity. It is necessary to find it by the main word bearing the main semantic loading.

Phraseological unions

The phraseological union (idiom) represents the turn of speech which developed in language, usually emotionally painted, stiffened long ago. The main feature of phraseological unions, unlike combinations and unities, that their general sense isn't motivated with value of the making elements is and can't be brought out of them. The words which are a part of an union completely lost semantic independence and the values, therefore, don't explain sense of all turn in general. The motivation of a general meaning of the idiom often remains not clear, and in certain cases can be opened only by historical digression to sources of this expression. Objectives: to introduce phraseologism, indicate the problem with translating them and to perform main characteristic of phraseological units.

Findings

If to be guided by theoreticаl reаsons, it would be possible to divide phrаseological unions into four mаin types - depending on whаt cаused or cаused not decomposаbility of expression:

1) phrаseological unions аs a pаrt of which there аre obsolete or died-out, therefore, аt аll unclear words.

2) the phrаseological unions including the grаmmatical archаisms representing syntаctic an integrаted whole or on the system not meeting live stаndards of the modern phrаse.

3) the phrаseological unions which underwent an expressionаl individuаlization and therefore become indecomposаble both lexically, and semantic.

4) the phrаseological unions representing themselves such conjoint semаntic unity that lexical meаnings of components аre indifferent for understanding whole аt all.

However this clаssification is too schemаtical.

It seems itself cleаr why those phrаseological unions which pаrt the lexical components which аren't coinciding with living words of Russiаn are are indivisible.

In the process of defining PU meaning it is important to take into consideration that PUs are not made up according to generative structural-semantic model of variable word combinations, as it is not possible to predict, which feature of the prototype will be the semantic basis of the next PU, and whether it will be created at all.

We maintain after A.V. Kunin that phraseological meaning is an invariant of information, expressed by semantically complicated, discrete language units, which are not formed by generative structural-semantic models of the variable word combinations.

Such an understanding of the phraseological meaning gives the author an opportunity to define its three main kinds: idiomatic meaning, idiophraseomatic meaning and phraseomatic meaning.

Idiomatic meaning is an invariant of information, expressed by means of discrete language units with completely or partially transferred meanings.

Idiophraseomatic meaning is an invariant of information expressed by means of discrete language units, one of which phraseosemantic variants have literal, but complicated meanings, and the others, being their derivatives, are completely transferred.

When a phraseological unit was formed on the basis of a set expression being a term or a professionalism with a complicated semantic structure, it should be regarded as a phraseosemantic variant with literal meaning, for example fight a battle – 1) (military.) be engaged in battle; 2) launch a quarrel

Such a peculiar combination of ideomatics and phraseomatics gives an opportunity to single out ideophraseomatic meaning.

Phraseomatic meaning, according to A.V. Kunin, is invariant of information expressed by means of discrete language units, having non-transferred but complicated meanings.

There are some phraseologism about happiness and their definitions with examples:

over the moon

To be over the moon about something is to be very happy about something: so happy and excited that you imagine you could jump or fly over the moon!

Examples of use:

1. I passed all my exams – I’m over the moon!

2. We feel over the moon about the birth of our grandson.

3. I’m absolutely over the moon to have tickets for the 2012 Olympics in London.

on cloud nine

If you are on cloud nine you are extremely happy.

Examples of use:

1. He was on cloud nine after she agreed to marry him.

2. News headline: Novak Djokovic on cloud nine after defeating Andy Murray to win Australian Open.

3. News headline: Nintendo 3DS users on Cloud 9 after free Wi-Fi deal announced.

in seventh heaven

To be in seventh heaven is also to be extremely happy, or in a state of bliss. In Islamic and Jewish faith there are seven heavens: the seventh is the dwelling place of God and the angels.

Examples of use:

1. We’ve been in seventh heaven since we retired to our farmhouse in Italy.

2. Take That fans were in seventh heaven when Robbie Williams agreed to rejoin the band.

on top of the world

If you are on top of the world you are enjoying great happiness, health or success.

Example of use:

1. England’s cricketers are on top of the world after their recent win.

2. My job is going well and I have a wonderful family: I feel on top of the world!

jump for joy

To jump for joy is to feel very happy about something: so happy that you could jump up and down for joy, or you are actually jumping up and down for joy!

Examples of use:

1. She jumped for joy when she was promoted at work.

2. They were jumping for joy when they discovered they had won the lottery!

3. News headline. Great exam results have students jumping for joy.

walking on air

If you are walking on air you are extremely happy and full of joy: so happy that you feel like you are floating on air.

Examples of use:

1. He’s been walking on air since he met Sarah.

2. I felt like I was walking on air when they told me I’d passed my interview.

3. We were walking on air for weeks after the doctor said we were expecting twins!

Having a whale of a time
have a very good time, have an exciting or fun time

1. How was your birthday party?

2. Oh great, there were a lot of friends, we were playing games and dancing, we really had a whale of a time.

Tickled pink

very much pleased or entertained

1. I suggest picking some flowers for your girlfriend. I’m sure she’ll be tickled pink and she won’t refuse your proposal.

Happy as a clam

very happy and comfortable

1. When her parents left for holiday, she was happy as a clam staying alone in the house.

Buzzing

excited for something that’s going to happen

1. I’m buzzing for the holidays. Imagine, we’re going on a diving trip in Greece.

Conclusion

Phraseological units enrich language means of expression, give it vivacity and figurativeness. From number most widely in language phraseological combinations are used; they occur in texts of any character, and including in scientific and technical literature. As for phraseological unities and unions, they are used in newspaper texts and, most often, in fiction. In my work, I pointed to the particular phraseology, their characteristics. Translation phraseology very awkward if you did not studied before them. Category of happiness is characterized by its diversity. I brought examples and pointed explanation. With further work on this topic, I want to increase the interest and relevance of the use of phraseology. Analysis of types of meanings in the field of phraseology is important not only for the theory of phraseology but also for the progress of the language science as a whole, as without semantics the existence of any language is impossible.

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