d group is given a detailed analysis (3,101p.)
Professor Smirnitsky offered a classification system for English phraseological units which is interesting as an attempt to combine the structural and the semantic principles. Phraseological units in this classification system are grouped according to the number and semantic significance of their constituent parts. Accordingly two large groups are established :. one-summit units, which have one meaningful constituent (eg to give up, to make out, to pull out, to be tired, to be surprised) ;. two-summit and multi-summit units which have two or more meaningful constituents (eg black art, first night, common sense, to fish in troubled waters) .each of these large groups the phraseological units are classified according to the category of parts of speech of the summit constituent. So, one-summit units are subdivided into: a) verbal-adverbial units equivalent to verbs in which the semantic and the grammatical centres coincide in the first constituent (eg to give up); b) units equivalent to verbs which have their semantic centre in the second constituent and their grammatical centre in the first (eg to be tired); c) prepositional-substantive units equivalent either to adverbs or to copulas and having their semantic centre in the substantive constituent and no grammatical centre (eg by heart, by means of).
Two-summit and multi-summit phraseological units are classified into: a) attributive-substantive two-summit units equivalent to nouns (eg black art), b) verbal-substantive two-summit units equivalent to verbs (eg to take the floor), c) phraseological repetitions equivalent to adverbs (eg now or never); d) adverbial multi-summit units (eg every other day).
Professor Smirnitsky also distinguishes proper phraseological units which, in his classification system, are units with non-figurative meanings, and idioms, that is, units with transferred meanings based on a metaphor (1,248-250p.).
Professor Kunin, the leading Russian authority on English phraseology, pointed out certain inconsistencies in this classification system. First of all, the subdivision into phraseological units (as non-idiomatic units) and idioms contradicts the leading criterion of a phraseological unit suggested by Professor Smirnitsky: it should be idiomatic.
Professor Kunin also objects to the inclusion of such word-groups as black art, best man, first night in phraseology (in Professor Smirnitsky's classification system, the two-summit phraseological units) as all these word-groups are not characterised by a transferred meaning. It is also pointed out that verbs with post-positions (eg give up) are included in the classification but their status as phraseological units is not supported by any convincing argument.
Functional classification suggested by prof. Arnold IV, is based on the grammatical unity typical of all Pus and on their functioning in the language as word equivalents. Pus are subdivided into:
1) noun equivalents-maiden name, cat s paw, green room
2) verb equivalents-take advantage, to give up, pick and choose
3) adjective equivalents-as old as the hills
4) adverb equivalents-tooth and nail, by heart
5) Pus functioning like interjections: Take your time! My eye! (3,102).
Contextual classification was suggested by prof. Amosova NN. She considers PUs to be units of fixed context. Fixed context is characterised by a specific and unchanging sequence of definite lexical components and peculiar relationship between them. Units of fixed context are subdivided into two types: phrasemes and idioms.
Phrasemes are two-member groups in which one of the members has a particular meaning dependent on the second components it is found only inn the given context, eg in small hours - the second component (hours) serves as the only clue to this particular meaning of the first component. Phrasemes are always binary, e.g. in small talk, husband s tea, one of the components has a phraseologically bound meaning, the other serves asa distinguishing context.
Idioms are distinguished from phrasemes by the idiomaticity of the whole word-group. They are semantically and grammatically inseparable units, eg red tape - bureaucratic methods .The meaning of the ididom is created by the unit as a whole: to let the cat out of the bag-to divulge a secret.
The difference between phrasemes and idioms is based on semantic relationship without accepting the structural approach, and the demarcation line between the two groups seems rather subjective (3, 102-103p.). may see that the approaches to the classification ...
