АҒЫЛШЫН ИДИОМА ӘЛЕМІНДЕ

Алматы облысы, Қапшағай қаласы,

Заречный ауылындағы

№12 орта мектеп оқушысы

Сәрсенов Мухаммадали

Жетекшісі: ағылшын тілі пән мұғалімі:

Сейдахметова Салтанат Алиаскаровна

Өзектілігі: Кез келген ұлттың идиомасында адам даналығы, рухы мен тәжірибесі жинақталған. Сондықтан, фразеологизмдерді білу, тілді үйрену ғана емес, сонымен қатар әдеттер мен салт — дәстүр, дүниетаным мен адамдардың көзқарас жолдарын жақсы түсінуге, ойлау тәсілін дамытуға көмектеседі.
Мақсаты: Зерттеу және ағылшын тілі фразеологиясын талдау, сондай — ақ фразеология теориясының негізгі түсініктерін жүйелеу, шетел тілін жақсы түсінуге ықпал ету. Оқушылардың идиомалық өрнектерді пайдалану құндылығын анықтау.
Міндеттері: 1. Фразеологизмдердің мәнін зерттеу
2. Әр түрлі тақырыптар бойынша фразеологизмдердің жіктелуін анықтау.
3. Оқушылардың идиомаларды пайдалануға назарын аудару.
4. Зерттелген материалды жүйелеу және талдау
Зерттеу бөлімі: ағылшын фразеологиясы (фразеологизмдердің) ұқсастықтар мен айырмашылықтары
Міндеттері: 1. Фразеологизмдердің мәнін зерттеу
2. Әр түрлі тақырыптар бойынша фразеологизмдердің жіктелуін анықтау.
3. Оқушылардың идиомаларды пайдалануға назарын аудару.
4. Зерттелген материалды жүйелеу және талдау
Зерттеу бөлімі: ағылшын фразеологиясы (фразеологизмдердің) ұқсастықтар мен айырмашылықтары

Content

1. Introduction

а) The aim of research work

b) History of the development of phraseology

c) The hypothesis

1. Main body

a) The definition of the term “idiom”

b) The origin of the word “idiom”

c) The Structure of Idioms

d) Idioms groups

1. Conclusion

2. Used literature

3. Introduction

I’ll start by saying that I got acquainted with idioms last year. I was greatly surprised when I learnt that idioms can’t be translated word by word, because their meanings depend on the meaning of the whole expression.

More over idioms are widely used in the oral speech, in the magazines’ articles, dialogues adding to the language bright and colorful shades of meaning. Obviously without knowing the meaning of the idiom you won’t be able to get the essence of the joke, because as a rule every joke is based on the variety of their meanings.

The English language is full of idioms (over 15,000). Native speakers of English use idioms all the time, often without realizing that they are doing so. This means that communication with native speakers of English can be quite a confusing experience.

We use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly. We often use an image or symbol to describe something as clearly as possible and thus make our point as effectively as possible. For example, «in a nutshell» suggests the idea of having all the information contained within very few words. Idioms tend to be informal and are best used in spoken rather than written English.

The field for my research is the idiomatic similes. To my mind they are widely used in all spheres of our life and if you know their translation exactly you will use them just in the right place and time.

The aim of research work is to learn more about the world of the English idioms and attract my classmates’ attention to them, proving that using idioms in our speech makes it brighter and more intelligent.

Phraseology is the study of set or fixed expressions, such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and other types of multi-word lexical units (often collectively referred to as phrasemes), in which the component parts of the expression take on a meaning more specific than or otherwise not predictable from the sum of their meanings when used independently.

The study of phraseological figurativeness is one of the main and perspective aspects of modern phraseology development. World vision through the phraseological images is specific for each nationality and can be observed as one of characteristics of language system specificity. In this case the great interest is presented with comparative phraseologisms as one of the more efficient means of figurativeness and expressiveness.

“The figurativeness as real peculiarity of various levels’ language units is manifested in their ability to call in our consciousness visual images, bright pictures on the basis of which we accept objectively real and definitely logical content of these units…”.

By phraseological figurativeness we mean “combined vision of two pictures” out of which the third one, new, appears absorbing all the necessary significant features of the previous ones. In other words, we may say about the image as ‘the form of new idea’s embodiment.

As the result of combinability of these features new structures are formed in our consciousness, so called ‘concepts’. The concept is “mental representation which determines the way things associate with each other and how they refer to definite categories… ”. The main role which concepts play in our thinking is categorization; it is the ability to group all the objects possessing definite similarities into corresponding classes.

No doubt, phraseologisms bear the “pictorial” character, among which we mark out the following types: “pictures”, concept-schemes, concept-frames and concept-sceneries.

1.2 History of the development of phraseology

Phraseology is a scholarly approach to a language which developed in the twentieth century. It took its start when Charles Bally‘s notion of locutions

phraseologiques entered Russian lexicology and lexicography in the 1930s and 1940s and was subsequently developed in the former Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries. From the late 1960s it established itself in (East) German linguistics but was also sporadically approached in English linguistics. The earliest English adaptations of phraseology are by Weinreich (1969) within the approach of transformational grammar, Arnold (1973), and Lipka (1992 [1974]). In Great Britain as well as other Western European countries, phraseology has steadily been developed over the last twenty years. The activities of the European Society of Phraseology (EUROPHRAS) and the European Association for Lexicography (EURALEX) with their regular conventions and publications attest to the prolific European interest in phraseology. Bibliographies of recent studies on English and general phraseology are included in Welte (1990) and specially collected in Cowie & Howarth (1996) whose bibliography is reproduced and continued on the internet and provides a rich source of the most recent publications in the field.

The hypothesis is that by using idioms you can distinguish a native speaker from the advanced learner and the beginner in studying the English language.

The methods of research used:

analysis

comparison

questionnair

1. Main part

The definition of the term “idiom”

An idiom is a set expression, the meaning of which is different from the literal meanings of its components. It refers to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use. Idioms present a great variety of structures and combinations that are mostly unchangeable and often not logical and may not follow basic rules of grammar.

The Webster dictionary gives following definition: Idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent element as kick the bucket, hang one’s head etc., or from the general grammatical rules of language, as the table round for the round table, and which is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics.

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of English Idioms gives us definition of “idiom”. The word ‘idiom’ is used to describe the ‘special phrases’ that are an essential part of a language. Idioms may be ‘special’ in different ways: for example, the expression to kick the bucket seems to follow the normal rules of grammar, although we cannot say ‘kick a bucket’ or ‘kick the buckets’ , but it is impossible to guess that it means ‘to die’. Phrases like all right, on second thoughts, and same here, which are used To comment on people, e.g. Did you hear Tom has been invited for dinner with the prime minister? He’s certainly gone up in the world! [gained a better social position — or more money — than before]

3. To comment on a situation, e.g. The new finance minister wants to knock the economy into shape, [take action to get something into a good condition]
4. To make an anecdote more interesting, e.g. It was just one disaster after another today, a sort of domino effect, [when something, usually bad, happens and causes a series of other things to happen]
5. To catch the reader’s eye. Idioms — particularly those with strong images — are often used in headlines, advertising slogans and the names of small businesses. The writer may play with the idiom or make a pun (a joke involving a play on words) in order to create a special effect, e.g. a debt of dishonour instead of the usual debt of honour, [a debt that you owe someone for moral rather than financial reasons]

Binomials are a type of idiom in which two words are joined by a conjunction (linking word), usually and. The order of the two words is fixed. For example, we always say black and white, NOT white and black: Managing climate change isn’t a black and white issue, [separate and clear]

The words can be:

1. synonyms (words which mean the same): Sara’s work is always very neat and tidy;
2. opposites: If you go for cheaper speakers, the sound quality may be a bit hit and miss, [sometimes good, sometimes had (informal)];
3. the same word: They finished the race neck and neck, [equal];
4. rhyming: Tables in the canteen take a lot of wear and tear, [damage through everyday use];
5. alliterative: After the match the players’ legs were black and blue, [very bruised];
6. joined by words other than and: The traffic was bumper to bumper all the way to the coast, [very heavy] Little by little, Vera gained the horse’s confidence, [gradually] The house must be worth a quarter of a million, give or take a few thousand, [plus or minus (informal)];

Trinomials are a similar type of idiom, in which three words are joined, e.g. I’ve looked here, there and everywhere for my glasses but can’t find them, [everywhere]

Euphemisms

Euphemisms are a type of idiom used to avoid saying words which may offend or be considered unpleasant. They are useful to learn, as they will help to communicate using language which is appropriate for the situation.

Euphemisms are used:

1. To talk about subjects which may upset or offend, such as death.

It was obvious he was not long for this world, but he never lost his sense of humour. [going to die soon]

To avoid using direct words for body functions

Ex.: Sally is a real ball of fire. She works late every night.

Full of beans: If your friend says that he is full of beans. It doesn’t mean that he has eaten many beans today, he means that he has a good mood.

Ex.:The head of the company was full of beans after he was informed that his company won the tender.

Be all thumbs: If somebody says that you are all thumbs it means that you are very awkward.

Ex.: — Hey! You are pouring my coffee on the table!
— Oh, I’m so sorry! I have been all thumbs today.

Move up in the world: If somebody moves up in the world it means that he has become a successful person.

Ex.: The young man is working hard and he is moving up in the world.

The second group is theidioms about the time. In the modern English language there are many idiomatic phrases that help people to explain an abstract meaning of the time easily.

Against the clock: This phrase means that the time “works against you”, and you feel the lack of it for fulfillment of some affairs.

Ex.: “Hurry up!You are working against the clock! We have very little time to do it”.

Like clock work: This phrase describes regular definite events.

Ex.:“He is as regular as clockwork in his habits – he goes to the bank every Friday”.

Not born yesterday: We say this idiom when we want to show that it is difficult to deceive us.

Ex.: “This car has a lot of faults. You must think I was born yesterday if you expected me to buy this car”.

Time of your life: Somebody says it that when he enjoys what he does, when he has a good time.

Ex.:“The children were tired out when they arrived home – they’d had the time of their lives playing in the mud, without their parents there to tell them to keep clean”.

With a snap of the fingers: If you manage to do something as soon as you click your fingers, and it comes out in moment, very quickly.

Ex.: If you could snap your fingers and immediately have this skill, which would you choose:
1. Fluency in every European language?
2. Or fluency in Chinese?

The third group is the idioms with religious ideas. Faith is something that helps people to live. And it isn’t extraordinary that in our speech there are phrase about this part of our live.

Come hell or high water: When something must certainly happen, this event will happen even if flood starts or hell falls. In this case English use this idiom.

Ex.: Finish the project come hell or high water!

Meet me at the airport come hell or high water!

Sing form the same hymn sheet: This idiom means that people say the same things, having the same points of view.

Ex.:All political parties sing from the same hymn sheet.

Ninth circle of hell: In the Dante’s Aligere’s work “God’s comedy” in the Ninth circle of hell the main character met the most terrible sinner, and saw the most horrible punishments which were given to them. That’s why when something is very bad it is the ninth circle of hell.

Ex.: Our politics in economics is the ninth circle of hell.

Cold day in hell: Cold day in hell happens once an eternity. Therefore when we say that something will happen on a cold day in hell it means that it will never happen.

Ex.: — When will you pass your exam?

• On a cold day in hell!

The fourth group is business idioms. In this group there are idioms which you can use when you speak with your foreign business partners or when you tell about your firm.

Bad egg: Bag egg is a person that you can’t trust. He is a swindler.

often they use idioms in their dialogues or situations. And it appeared that they use them seldom or don’t use them at all. Then I asked pupils if they think that idioms enrich the English language and the most of them answered that they have no idea about it.

So I decided to make the list of idioms used frequently by the native speakers and group them according to the meaning.

These are the questions I asked my classmates, schoolmates, friends and acquaintances. I prepared multiple-choice questionnaire.

1. How many idioms do you know?

• I don’t know any idioms.
• I know less than 10 idioms.
• I know 10 – 30 idioms.
• I know more than 30 idioms.
• I know more than 50 idioms.

2. How often do use idioms?

• I don’t use idioms.
• I seldom use idioms.
• I often use idioms.

3. Do you think that idioms adorn English language?

• Yes, I do. To my mind idioms adorn English language.
• No, I don’t. In my opinion idioms don’t adorn English language.
• I don’t know.

I wanted to learn how many idioms students of 9th-11th forms know. I asked pupils in our school

How many idioms

do you know?