英语词汇学_Unit10English_Idioms

1、English LexicologyUnit 10English IdiomsOverviewnCharacteristics of idiomsqSemantic unityqStructural stabilityqGradable idiomaticitynClassification of idiomsqnominalqverbalqadjectivalqadverbialqsentencenUse of idiomsnOrigin of idiomsSemantic unitynEach idiom is a single semantic unity. The meaning of

2、 an idiom is opaque; i.e. the meaning of an idiom is not the total sum of the meaning of its constituents. qtill the cows come home: for a very long time; for ever HomeStructural stabilitynThe structure of an idiom usually remains unchangeable. qbury the hatchet *bury the axqin (*the) question out o

3、f (the) questionnMany idioms are grammatically wrong, but idiomatically accepted. qLong time no see. qLike cures like. qGo great guns.HomeGradable idiomaticityNotice the idiomaticity of idioms is gradable and may best be thought as a continuum（连续体）.idiomssemi-idiomsloosely idiomatic expressions (the

4、 meaning can be understood from the literal meaning of the constituents)make friends with sb.rain cats and dogsas cool as a cucumberThe more idiomatic the idioms, the more fixed the structure. HomeIdioms nominal in naturenThey function as the subject or the object in a sentence:qa white elephant (沉重

5、的负担, 无用的累赘东西) qbrain trust (智囊团)qapple of discord (祸根)qthe salt of the earth (非常正派诚实等的人)HomeIdioms verbal in naturenThey function as predicate verbs in a sentence.a) verb + prepositionqlook after, look into, dig into, pick up b) verb + particleqlook up, put off, turn on, put on c) verb + particle +

6、prepositionqcome up with, live up to, get away withHomeCompare: turn off vs look afternTurn it off.n*Turn off it. nTurn the radio off.nTurn off the radio.n*Look him after.nLook after him.nLook after the baby.n*Look the baby after.Home“verb + object” idiomsnkeep the pot boiling （维持生活）nbite the hand t

7、hat feeds one （恩将仇报）ngive sb. the bag （解雇某人）HomeIdioms adjectival in naturenThey function as complements or modifiers in a sentence.cut and dried (determined)qThe plan is cut and dried. wide of the mark (inaccurate)qHis guesses were all very wide of the mark. up in the air (uncertain)qThe plan is st

8、ill up in the air.HomeIdioms Adverbial in natureThey function as adverbials in a sentence:ntooth and nail （全力以赴）qWe will work tooth and nail.nheart and soul（全心全意）qWe will serve people heart and soul. nin nothing flat （立刻）qWe will go there in nothing flat.nthrough thick and thin （不畏艰险/同甘共苦）qWe made i

9、t through thick and thin. HomeSentence idiomsnSuch idioms are usually in complete sentential form. They are usually proverbs or sayings.qNever do things by halves.qAll is not gold that glitters.qNothing ventured, nothing gained.qOne swallow does not make a summer. HomeUse of idiomsnIn order to use t

10、he idioms appropriately, one should be aware of the following features of idioms: qstylistic featuresqrhetorical featuresqstructural variations HomeStylistic features of idiomnDifferent idioms show different stylistic meanings. Some are casual, others formal or neutral in style. 1) Colloquialismqbig

11、 wheel: important personChomsky is a big wheel in linguistics.2) Slangqhit the sack: go to bed qin the soup: in trouble I am deep in the soup now. 3) Literary expressionsqbear witness to: prove, showHis action bore witness to his kindness. Rhetorical features of idiom nApart from the stylistic featu

12、res, idioms can bring about certain rhetorical effects in terms of sound and meaning. (1) Phonetic manipulation 音韵手段qa. alliteration such as “part and parcel”qb. rhyme such as toil and moil”(2) Lexical manipulation词语手段qa. Reiteration, which means the duplication of synonyms such as “pick and choose”

13、. 同义词迭用qb. Repetition, which means the repetition of the same word, such as “by and by”. 词语重复qc. Juxtaposition, which means the combination of two antonyms such as “day and night”. 并置对举Rhetorical features of idiomn(3) Figurative manipulation 修辞手段qa. Simile as proud as a peacock / as mute as a fishqb

14、. Metaphora white elephant / a black sheep (败家仔)qc. Metonymyfrom cradle to grave / live by ones penqd. PersonificationActions speak louder than words.qe. Hyperbolea world of troubles / a flood of tearsStructural Variations of idiomsnDespite the property of structural stability, idioms occasionally d

15、o show structural changes:qAdditionn“in good condition” from “in condition”qDeletionn“the last straw” from “It is the last straw that breaks the camels back.”Structural Variations of idiomsqPosition-shifting nday and night = night and dayqReplacementn“break ones word” vs. “keep ones word”qDismemberi

16、ng 分裂，另增加n“ This final feather broke the camel s back.”HomeOrigin of English IdiomsnLiterary worksnThe BiblenMythologynFablesnHistorical eventsnAnimal metaphornDaily lifeHomeIdioms from literary worksnscrew ones courage（鼓起勇气、壮起胆子）-Shakespeare Macbethnto the manner born（与生俱来的）-Hamletnpond of flesh（合情

17、但悖于情理的要求）-Merchant of Venicenman Friday（忠仆、得力助手）-Daniel Defoe Robinson CrusoenBrevity is the soul of wit. (Shakespeare) nLive not to eat, but eat to live. (Franklin)nKnowledge is power. (Bacon) Idioms from the BiblenJudass kiss（犹大之吻，比喻出卖朋友）nmuch cry and little wool（雷声大，雨点小，比喻空叫喊根据圣经故事：魔鬼看见纳巴尔在羊身上剪羊毛

18、，也模仿着在猪身上剪，结果把猪弄得嗷嗷叫，却什么也没有剪下来）nturn the other cheek（忍受暴力、忍受侮辱，上帝在布道时讲如果有人打你的左脸，你就把右脸也递出去)nThe spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.（心有余而力不足）nSpare the rod and spoil the child.（棒打出孝子）。Idioms from MythologynPandoras box（潘多拉的盒子，引申为灾祸之源）nSphinxs riddle（难解之谜，狮身人面怪兽提出 “什么动物早晨四条腿，中午两条腿，而晚上三条腿”的谜语）nthe

19、 heel of Achilles （亦作 the Achilles heel，阿基里斯的脚踵，引申为唯一的弱点、要害）nbetween Scylla and Charybdis（比喻进退维谷、腹背受敌）nDead Sea fruit（比喻某些事物金玉其外、败絮其中，华而不实）Idioms from fablesnnaked truth（原原本本的事实、赤裸裸的事实）nkill the goose that laid the golden eggs（杀鸡取卵、涸泽而鱼）nsour grapes（聊以自慰的话，狐狸吃不到葡萄就说葡萄是酸的）nbell the cat（替别人冒风险，老鼠要给猫带上铃铛的寓言故事）ncats paw（被别人利用的人，猴子想吃火中的栗子，骗猫为其火中取栗）nthe last straw （终于使人不能忍受的最后一击）na wolf in sheeps clothing （披着羊皮的狼，比喻危险人物、面善心毒的人）ncry wolf（狼来了！比喻发假警报）Idioms from historical eventsnmeet ones Waterloo（一败涂地，出自 1815 年的“滑铁卢之战”，类似中国的败走麦城）nburn ones boats (bridges)（破釜沉舟，讲的是古罗马恺撒等名将出征时，常烧毁船只，士兵无路可退，只有勇