Analysis of Lexicogrammatical Variants of SPF-Idioms
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Idiomatic Creativity – Appendix E: Analysis of lexicogrammatical variants of SPF-idioms Idiomatic Creativity - Appendix E: Analysis of lexicogrammatical variants of SPF-idioms Analysis of lexicogrammatical variants of spf-idioms In this appendix, the conceptual motivation and the tokens of lexicogrammatical variation found for some SPF-idioms are presented. The following comments must be made concerning the layout of this corpus. - To illustrate the correlation between idiom-transparency type, underlying conceptual bases and lexicogrammatical behaviour, I used templates (see below). - Under IDIOM, each template lists the idiom’s citation form and meaning as provided by the Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms. - Further, under DESCRIPTION OF INTERNAL SEMANTIC STRUCTURE, it mentions its type of transparency and the underlying conceptual and image-schematic correspondences as discussed in chapter 5. - In the USAGE-section this information is related to the idiom’s lexicogrammatical behaviour. The variational tokens are ordered according to the lexicogrammatical alterations outlined in chapter 7. When no variations for a certain lexicogrammatical pattern were found, this section was left out. - In the column labeled ‘characterisation’ each specific process of variation is explained, while in the third column ‘supported by’ the conceptual correspondences that motivate this variant are mentioned. For this purpose, the numbering from the UNDERLYING CONCEPTUAL/IMAGE-SCHEMATIC CORRESPONDENCES-section is used. - In the characterisation-column the meaning of variants is paraphrased wherever this is useful for illustrating the variational pattern. (The paraphrase is printed in italics and introduced by a solid arrow: →). Note that for conceptualising idioms such as walk a tightrope, skate on thin ice, be on course for, etc., the paraphrase often sounds clumsy. This is so because the respective empirically-abstract target domains do not provide a rich set of lexical items on the basis of which the conceptual mappings could be ‘translated.’ The problem of finding an adequate paraphrase illustrates the conceptualising power of these constructions. Idiomatic Creativity - Appendix E: Analysis of lexicogrammatical variants of SPF-idioms - All idioms listed are further classified according to the idiom-transparency classes discussed in chapter 4.6. The boundaries between these classes are not always fully clear-cut. This problem becomes most obvious with those idioms that I have called motivated idioms with a latent isomorphic structure or latently isomorphic idioms (see chapter 7). Here, these constructions are classified as motivated idioms, because they are conventionally used as non-isomorphic phrases. The latently- isomorphic structure, however, becomes obvious with some tokens of lexicogrammatical variation. - Within the idiom-transparency-classes I further order the idioms according to the metaphorical models that they are motivated by. This ordering, however, just serves reader orientation; it does not claim full systematicity. Moreover, this subclassification might give the impression that some models are better represented with a given transparency-type. This impression, however, is the mere result of my own arbitrary choice of idioms for illustration. - The corpus also contains a few idioms, e.g. spill the beans, that are discussed in the analytical part but do not belong to the set of SPF-idioms. This is particularly true for the set of opaque idioms for which constructions belonging to other word fields were added. Idiomatic Creativity - Appendix E: Analysis of lexicogrammatical variants of SPF-idioms Isomorphic and constituental motivation – Quality of base-form: (Literal) compositionality, (global) motivation, constituental motivation, figurative-literal isomorphism a. CONSUMPTION-models 1. IDIOM: swallow the bitter pill; a bitter pill to swallow ‘accept the unpleasant fact’ DESCRIPTION OF INTERNAL SEMANTIC STRUCTURE TRANSPARENCY TYPE: motivated and isomorphic; lexicalised figurative senses of swallow = accept, and bitter pill = unpleasant issue, fact, experience UNDERLYING CONCEPTUAL/IMAGE-SCHEMATIC CORRESPONDENCES Type Description Effect Metaphoric 1) CONSUMPTION ---> DEALING WITH AN ISSUE SWALLOW ---> ACCEPT 2) CONSUMED GOOD ---> ISSUE isomorphism QUALITY OF GOOD ---> QUALITY OF ISSUE BITTER PILL ---> UNPLEASANT FACT isomorphism USAGE USAGE ACCORDING TO BASE FORM Mr Major - salary £76,234 - hopes that with Ministers taking a lead in the bid to keep down wages the nation can be persuaded to swallow the bitter pill. (CEN: 5900) VARIATIONS Tokens: Characterisation: Supported by: Determiners The traditionalist camp has had to swallow some bitter pills. (A1V: use of indefinite 2 1025). determiner some: → the traditionalist camp has had to accept some unpleasant issues The Frenchman's release was going to be a bitter pill to swallow if use of indefinite article it was the price to pay for finding Clarion Call. (CEC: 2228). according to be-a-NP-to- V-construction: → was going to be a very unpleasant issue to accept Number The traditionalist camp has had to swallow some bitter pills. (A1V: pluralisation: → the 2 1025). traditionalist camp has had to accept some unpleasant issues Idiomatic Creativity - Appendix E: Analysis of lexicogrammatical variants of SPF-idioms Modifications Although the irony of this situation at a time of teacher shortages use of premodifying 2 will raise a smile among many teachers and educationalists, the real adjective in superlative prospect of losing their jobs will make this the bitterest pill for form to intensify teachers to swallow. (B23: 853). idiomatic meaning: → will make this the most unpleasant fact for teachers to accept Mike Atherton, too, came quietly back, and Tim Munton got his use of intensifier very; 2 first Test cap, DeFreitas's groin injury forcing him to withdraw topic-indicating from the squad.Lamb and Botham had to swallow the very bitter postmodification by of- pill of being dropped. (CU1: 1325). complement: → Botham had to deal with the very unpleasant experience of being dropped We were in such a state we decided to swallow what seemed the topic-indicating 2 bitter pill of Thatcherism. (AHJ: 249). postmodification by appositive of- complement: → we even decided to accept Thatcherism Many governments, most prominent among which was the former topic-indicating 2 Conservative government of Mrs Margaret Thatcher, accepted the postmodification by logic of the above argument and were thereby persuaded to swallow appositive of- the bitter pill of demand deflation and abnormally high complement: → were unemployment rates in exchange for the boon of a sustained fall in persuaded to accept the rate of inflation. (J0U: 1469). demand deflation and abnormally high unemployment rates Lexical substitutions When things get bad enough, he says, the nation will find a new synonymous noun 1, 2 reformer and swallow his bitter medicine. (CRC: 1901). substitution by hyponym Someone he loved more than he loved her, which was a hard pill to quasi-synonymous 1, 2 swallow. (H85: 1685). adjective substitution, slight modification of literal-scene And a firm's environmental history has emerged as another topic-related quasi- 1, 2 potential poison pill no-one wants to swallow. (HC2: 700) synonymous noun substitution (poison pill alludes to the topic environmental history) THE relegation clouds descended on Darlington last night as Ray literal-scene modifying 2 Hankin was obliged to swallow his first bitter taste of managerial noun substitution in defeat. (K52: 3975). accordance with the QUALITY OF FOOD IS QUALITY OF ISSUE TO BE DEALT WITH-metaphor; topic-indicating postmodification by appositive of- complement: → Hankin was obliged to deal with the unpleasant experience Idiomatic Creativity - Appendix E: Analysis of lexicogrammatical variants of SPF-idioms of managerial defeat It's no use my telling you what it is - she might not agree, and then topic-indicating noun 2 it would only be a waste of time. ‘Claudia swallowed bitter substitution through disappointment; Roman didn't even care enough about her to blending: pill ⇒ confide in her, even when his plan concerned her sister. (H8J: disappointment: → 2347) Claudia exeperienced bitter disappointment Passivisation A presidential spokesman described these moves as' bitter pills' passivisation and internal 2 which would need to be swallowed to satisfy IMF conditions. (HL3: relativisation: → 1501). described these moves as very unpleasant fact which would need to be dealt with b. PROGRESS IS FORWARD MOVEMENT IN SPACE 2. IDIOM: make great strides ‘make progress’ DESCRIPTION OF INTERNAL SEMANTIC STRUCTURE TRANSPARENCY TYPE: motivation on the basis of conceptual correspondences, lexicalised figurative meaning, stride = an advance or development UNDERLYING CONCEPTUAL/IMAGE-SCHEMATIC CORRESPONDENCES Type Description Effect Metaphoric 1) MOVEMENT ---> ACTIVITY motivation WALK (FORWARD) ---> ACT / PROGRESS 2) STRIDE ---> ‘STEP’ OF PROGRESS isomorphism MAKES STRIDES ---> PROGRESS USAGE USAGE ACCORDING TO BASE FORM Finally, the discovery of replacement therapy with hormones and vitamins and the introduction of the antibiotics allowed orthodox medical treatment itself to begin to make great strides. (C9V: 581) VARIATIONS Tokens: Characterisation: Supported by: Number A great stride forward was made after 1931 by J.N.L. Myres who singularisation: → a great 2 began the systematic investigation of early Anglo-Saxon pottery advance was made (Myres 1969, pp. 1-5), yet there