Abstract
The present study focuses on the distinction between the ‘idiom’ and the ‘open choice’ principle in constructing speech with reference to phrasal and semi-phrasal verbs in contemporary English. The semi-compositional reading of some phrasal verbs points to their syntactic, not phraseological nature, and distinguishes them from ready-made idiomatic units. If semi-phrasal verbs get into dictionaries, they are usually listed in the adverb’s entry. Compositional phrasal verbs are found to implement semantic patterns with adverbial particles adding pragmatic refinements to the verb’s meaning. Being used in variable contexts, semi-phrasal verbs get the ‘support’ from adverbial particles showing the ‘vector’ of the action expressed by the verb. The analysis of pragmatic characteristics of phrasal verbs suggests that one of the factors that affect the selection process for the speaker in choosing between a phrasal verb and a monolexemic verb of Romance origin is the functional-stylistic feature of formality / informality. In a preliminary way, variation of choice was considered with reference to translation versions of a literary text. There are indications that monolexemic verbs occur more frequently in the translation version published in the USA. As for lexicographic descriptions and ELT instruction, it is concluded that the adverbial element should be brought more into the limelight as shaping the semantic pattern of the phrasal construction and its functioning in speech.
Highlights
It is a widely held view that phraseology covers under its title a large variety of phenomena which, being articulated in form, are perceived as semantically global units
Phrasal verbs present a challenge for linguists and language learners because of their polysemy, polyfunctionality, and, last but not least, what has been described as their ‘convoluted’ semantic content
Non-compositional phrasal verbs belong to the idiomatic variety as part of the speaker’s mental lexicon
Summary
It is a widely held view that phraseology covers under its title a large variety of phenomena which, being articulated in form, are perceived as semantically global units. Homonymous with phrasal verbs proper are verb-adverb combinations depending on the context that can be used to resolve ambiguity and specify their meaning in discourse These are non-idiomatic units which are not registered in dictionaries being a realization of ‘the open-choice’ principle, for example:. There exists the phrasal verb ‘to sigh away’, which means ‘to sigh continuously’, the context helps us to choose the appropriate interpretation of the action that is being described Most probably, both meanings are realized here: the phrasal one (to waste one’s time sighing again and again) and a non-idiomatic ‘free’ meaning conveyed by the adverb ‘away’, i.e. The broad term ‘phrasal verb’ may, embrace cases when the proper and effective use of this type of construction will depend not so much on one’s knowledge of the idiomatic meaning of the whole phrase, but on the insights into the sematic and functional potential of the adverbial particle
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