Abstract
<p>This paper reveals new features of certain phraseological units (PUs) through bottom-up and top-down examination. Previous phraseological research has tended to focus on the PUs characteristically observed in a genre or context or how PUs semantically and syntactically behave to improve communicative competence. However, previous phraseological research has failed to give systematic explanations as to the formation of PUs and the process and conditions necessary for a word-combination to become a PU. By applying existing word-formation rules to various PUs, this study clarifies the formation and formation process for PUs and the four conditions required for a word combination to become a PU. It was found that although the word-formation rules are used, PUs generally arise in an unformed manner. Further, word-combinations are used as PUs only if they undergo a formation process and abide by the four conditions. PU features were found to be function words from a degrammaticalization standpoint. It has been widely accepted that degrammaticalization occurs in words. However, no research to date has dealt with the application of degrammaticalization to PUs. It was found that semantic degrammaticalization occurs in PUs arising from function words.</p>
Highlights
This study (i) uses a bottom-up method to examine how phraseological units (PUs), which are frequently-used word-combinations of at least two words, are formed, what processes lie behind the formation of PUs, and what conditions are necessary to be used as PUs; and (ii) uses a top-down method to examine how PUs made up of function words cause degrammaticalization
To put it another way, PUs formed from function words that behave as content words are semantically essential to the sentences
D. the reason why newly observed PUs tend to consist of function words -> the principle of least effort e
Summary
This study (i) uses a bottom-up method to examine how phraseological units (PUs), which are frequently-used word-combinations of at least two words, are formed, what processes lie behind the formation of PUs, and what conditions are necessary to be used as PUs; and (ii) uses a top-down method to examine how PUs made up of function words cause degrammaticalization. A great deal of attention has been paid to grammaticalization; that is, when lexical items change into grammatical items. As degrammaticalization primarily deals with changes in words from grammatical to lexical items from a historical viewpoint, persuasive research regarding the degrammaticalization of PUs has not been conducted. Phraseology has revealed the outward features of each PU such as the meaning, tone, and syntactic function in a context; the internal features, or how PUs are formed, are unclear. This study contributes to the systematization of phraseology and the advancement of degrammaticalization
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