Филологические науки / 9. Этно-, социо- и психолингвистика

К. филол. н. Маруневич О.В.

Таганрогский государственный педагогический институт им. А.П. Чехова, Россия

Concept “Foreigner” in English Phraseology

Each nation has its own vision of the world. This idea formed the basis of the concept of the ethnic structure of the world, formulated by R. Redfild. Each nation also has an ethnic identity, which is a sense of belonging to a particular ethnic group, the knowledge of its differences and similarities comparing with other ethnic groups, an important feature of an ethnic community, which is reflected in people’s minds in form of really existing ethnic ties and outwardly manifested by self-definition or ethnonym [Sadokhin, 2002: 188].

Linguistic expression of the ethnic identity is proverbs, sayings, literary texts, idioms. Ethnonymic vocabulary is present in many languages, and often participates in the marking of the real world. This fact may be explained as the names of nationalities have a great connotative variety. In this case, the features of connotations associated with their significance for the entire linguistic community, makes them to be one of the carriers of conceptual information in the language. According to E.L. Berezovich and D.P. Gulick, "the reasons for the formation of the ethnonimic certain connotations have extra linguistic nature. They are related to the historical, political, religious and psychological context of this lexis and its referents existence. All these extra linguistic reasons give impetus to the formation of ethnonimic connotations, which can then be usually secured in them, becoming the semantic core of derivatives and phraseology related meanings"[Berezovich, Gulick, 2002].

Connotations of certain ethnonyms are called ethno connotations. Ethnonyms, xenonyms and ethnonimic derivatives recorded in dictionaries are linguistic manifestations of ethno connotative cases, which are also evident in phraseological units and syntactic constructions.

It is reasonable to consider and analyze idioms, included those units, in accordance with the following classification:

• according the denotative meaning;

• according to the significative value;

• according to the connotative meanings.

Classification by denotation singled out the following groups:

1. proper ethnonyms: flying Dutchman – a wanderer (BARFS, 272), street Arab – homeless person, gamin (BARFS, 30);

2. linguistic ethnonyms: it’s Greek to me – something completely incomprehensible (BARFS, 407), pardon me my French – apologizing for using the obscene words in the speech (DSABA, 40);

3. toponyms: from China to Peru – from one end of the earth to another, everywhere, to build castles in Spain – to build castles in the air (BARFS, 142), to carry the war into Africa – to take the offensive, to present counterclaim (BARFS, 1025).

Classification by signification identified the following groups of phraseological units:

1. Idioms, expressing attitude to the foreign language: that’s double Dutch for me – it’s incomprehensible gibberish, full of nonsense (BARFS, 272); Irish bull – a contradiction, absurdity (Partridge, 600);

2. Idioms, expressing different human actions: When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war – the big battle is inevitable between worthy contenders (BARFS, 408), to take French leave – to leave without saying goodbye (the etymology of that expression presumably due to the French tradition of the mid XVIII century to leave the balls without saying goodbye to the hosts) (BARFS, 556), to catch a Tartar – to meet a superior enemy, to marry a Gorgon (BARFS, 958), to frighten the French – to terrorize, to scare (BARFS, 364).

3. Idioms, expressing various human conditions (emotional and physiological): to get somebody’s Irish up – to angry somebody (Partridge, 600), a wooden Indian – a taciturn and reserved man (in front tobacco shops in America there was an advertisement exhibited a wooden figure of an Indian) (BARFS, 510); Dutch comfort – slight comfort (BARFS, 272);

4. Speech clichés, expressions and proverbs: It beats the Dutch! – this is superior to everything (BARFS, 272), Tell it to the Jews! – tell that to your grandmother or somebody else, who will believe you.

The interpretation of phraseological units traditionally allocates the negative, positive and neutral assessment of phraseological meaning, which is based on conviction, endorsement or lack of vivid conviction / approval. From valuation connotations’ point of view the functioning of ethnonyms in and English idioms system has many specific features and peculiarities caused by cultural and historical factors.

The largest percentage among British ethnic idioms falls on the image of the Dutchman (Dutch), which have vividly expressed negative connotations. Negative attitude towards this ethnic group dates back to the XVII century – the time of hard-fought political and military opposition between Great Britain and the Netherlands for supremacy on the seas. However, such an attitude can be explained by inner language factors as well. According to Russian linguists adjective Dutch has expressive phonosemantic features. Deteriorative sounding due to the presence of conditionally labial vowel [>] is increased by the expression posed by the fact that the corresponding syllable refers to the peripheral for the English type of syllables. In addition phonosymbolic aspects of “Dutch” connotations supplemented by semasiological reasons, as this ethnonym has diffused semantics. It is still retaining a tendency to denote not a particular nationality, but a group of people, in this case - the continental Germans (Berezovich, Gulick, 2002: 58). Semantic proximity of the proverbs Once a Dutchman, always a Dutchman and Once a German, always a German (DP, 249) indicates this point too.

English language commits a great number of idioms with component Dutch: a Dutch reckoning – a bill that the pub host increases in case of visitor’s protests about too high prices (NARS, 224), talk to smb. like a Dutch uncle – to admonish, chide, chastise (NARS, 224), to beat the Dutch – to go too far (BARFS, 272), Dutch comfort – slight comfort (BARFS, 272), Dutch treat / feast – a feast, paid by everyone party, clubbing together (NARS, 224), Dutch auction – to decrease a price until finding a buyer (NARS, 224), Dutch brevity / courage – pot-valor, drunk-bravery (OALD, 364), to go Dutch – everyone pays for himself (OALD, 363), in Dutch – in unpleasant, difficult situation, to be in the doghouse (BARFS, 272), Dutch gold – an alloy of copper and zinc (NARS, 224), Dutch nightingale – frog (NARS, 224), old Dutch – one’s wife (NARS, 224). Stereotypical images of the Dutchman are further confirmed by English proverbial fund. Proverbs also emphasize the greed of this nation – Dime is a money as Dutchman says (DP, 150), their arrogance and excessive boastfulness – Judge a Dutchman by what he does, not by what he says (DP, 171).

Thus, phraseological units with the ethnonym component are widely represented in English phraseology. Ethnonyms Dutch, French, Greek, Indian, Irish, Jew, Tartar and others are the components of ethnic idioms in the English language. The presence or absence of a particular ethnic group in English phraseology points to their significance in the linguistic and ethnic patterns of the worldview in both linguistic cultures. In addition, a special interest to ethnic idioms of English language is explained by their reflection of stereotypical judgments about other ethnic groups, established in the political, economic and cultural cooperation between Great Britain and other nations.

Having analyzed the lexical consistency of these idioms, we found that they serve as a source of identifing the characteristics of an ethnic group from the perspective of English speaking people. However, it should be noted, that ethnic idioms fix positive qualities of other nationalities to a lesser extent. Much more in the submitted languages they reflect disrespectful, derogatory and even aggressive attitude toward other ethnic groups.

Literature:

1. A Dictionary of Proverbs / Ed. W. Mieder. Oxford University Press, 1992.

2. Berezovich E.L., Gulick D.P. Onomaciologicheskiy portret “cheloveka etnicheskogo” // Vstrechi etnicheskih kultur v zerkale yazyka v sopostavitelnom lingvokulturologicheskom aspecte / Otv. red. G.P. Nemischenko. М: Nauka, 2002.

3. Kunin A.V. Bolshoi anglo-russkiy phraseological slovar. М.:Russkiy yazik-Media, 2005.

4. Matushenkov V.S. Dictionary of Slang in North America, Great Britain and Australia. М.:Flinta, Nauka. 2002.

5. Muller V.K. Noviy anglo-russkiy slovar. М.: Russkiy yazik, 2000. – (NARS).

6. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.6^th edition. – Oxford University Press, 2000.

7. Partridge E. A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: Colloquialisms, Catch-phrases, Solecisms and Catachreses, Nicknames and Vulgarisms New York: Taylor & Francis Group, 2005.

8. Sadokhin A.P. Ethnology. М.: Academy, 2002.