The Semantic Classification

The idea of the semantic classification of phraseological units was first advanced by the Swiss linguist Charles Bally.

This research work was carried out by Acad. V. V. Vinogradov in the field of Russian phraseology.

The underlying principle of the semantic classification is the degree of motivation (idiomaticity), i.e. the relationship existing between the meaning of the whole phraseological unit and the meaning of its components.

The degree of motivation correlates with the semantic unity (cohesion) of the phraseological unit, i.e. the possibility of changing the form or order of the components and substituting the whole by a single word.

Phraseological combinations (collocations) are:

clearly motivated;

made up of words possessing specific lexical valency which accounts for a certain degree of stability in such word-groups; variability of member-words is strictly limited.

e.g. to meet the demand, to make a mistake, to bear a grudge, to pay a compliment, to give a speech etc.

Phraseological unities are:

partially non-motivated, i.e. their meaning can usually be perceived through the metaphoric meaning of the whole unit.

e.g. to lose one’s head, a fish out of water, to show one’s teeth, to wash one’s dirty linen in public, to sit on the fence etc.

Phraseological fusions are:

completely non-motivated, i.e. the meaning of the components has no connection, at least synchronically, with the meaning of the whole group;

characerised by complete stability of the lexical components and the grammatical structure of the whole unit.

e.g. once in a blue moon, to be on the carpet, under the rose etc.

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