Pecularities of translation into Ukrainian of English phraseological units in the texts of literary discourse

Some linguists who stick to the general understanding of phraseology and refer to it communicational units (sentences) and winged words, define the fourth type of phraseological units.

Phraseological expression is a stable by form and usage semantically divisible construction, which components are words with free meanings [2; 246]: East or West, home is best; marriages are made in heaven; still waters run deep; birds of a feather flock together; something is rotten in the state of Denmark (W. Shakespeare); fools rush in where angels fear to tread (A. Pope); live and learn – століття живи, століття вчися; better untaught than ill taught – краще бути неграмотним, ніж неправильно навченим; many men, many minds – скільки голів, стільки і думок(сколько людей, столько и мнений); easier said than done – легше сказати, ніж зробити; nothing is impossible to а willing heart – хто хоче, той досягне. Phraseological expressions are proverbs, sayings and aphorisms of famous politicians, writers, scientists and artists. They are concise sentences, expressing some truth as ascertained by experience of wisdom and familiar to all. They are often metaphoric in character and include elements of implicit information well understood without being formally present in the discourse.

V.V. Vinogradov’s classification is considered as the best and the fullest one, but also there are a lot of other scientists’ classifications.

The similar, but a little wider classification was later introduced by A. Makkai. He divides the into two big groups and grounds his division on the basis of semantical motivation as V. V.Vinogradov does. Makkai distinguishes phraseological units (his original term is “idiom”) as those of decoding and those of encoding. Phraseological units of decoding are such phrases that “display constructional homonymity with their literal counterparts” (Makkai; 1972:26). The example of such phraseological units can be to spill the beans (= to reveal the secrets). This phrase can be easily understood both: literally and figuratively. Phraseological units of encoding, on the contrary, do not show the homonymity with their literal counterparts. They represent the irregularities (or as Makkai calls them idiosyncrasies) of the language, such as, for instance, nothing loath.

Professor Smirnitsky classified phraseological units as highly idiomatic set expressions functioning as word equivalents, and characterized by their semantic and grammatical unity. He suggested three classes of stereotyped phrases: 

1. traditional phrases (nice distinction, rough sketch); 
2. phraseological combinations (to fall in love, to get up);
3. idioms (to wash one’s dirty linen in public). 

The second group (phraseological combinations) fall into two subgroups: 

1.one-top phraseological units, which were compared with derived words;

a)verb-adverb phraseological units of the type to give up, e.g. to bring up, to try out, to look up, to drop in, etc;

b)phraseological units of the type to be tired, e.g. to be surprised, to be up to, etc;

c)Prepositional substantative units, e.g. by heart, by means of.

2.two-top phraseological units, which were compared with compound words:

a)attributive-nominal, e.g. brains trust, white elephant, blind alley, a month of Sundays; a millstone round one’s neck.. Units of this type function as noun equivalents;

Units of this type are noun equivalents and can be partly or perfectly idiomatic (if the expression is idiomatic, then we must consider its components in the aggregate, not separately). In partly idiomatic units (phrasisms) sometimes the first component is idiomatic: high road; in other cases the second component is idiomatic: first night. In many cases both components are idiomatic: red tape, blind alley, bed of nail, shot in the arm and many others.

b)verb-nominal phrases, e.g. to know the ropes, to take place, to read between the lines; to sweep under the carpet;

The grammar centre of such units is the verb, the semantic centre in many cases is the nominal component: to fall in love. In some units the verb is both the grammar and the semantic centre: not to know the ropes. These units can be perfectly idiomatic as well: to burn one’s boats, to vote with one’s feet, to take to the cleaners’, etc.

c)phraseological repetitions, e.g. ups and downs , rough and ready, flat as a pancake. They function as adverbs or adjectives equivalents;

Such units can be built on antonyms: ups and downs, back and forth; often they are formed by means of alliteration: cakes and ale, as busy as a bee. Components in repetitions are joined by means of conjunctions. These units are equivalents of adverbs or adjectives