engleski

Patterns of Phraseological Units Modifications

The study reported in this paper examines modifications of phraseological units (PUs) and the mechanisms of the creative use of PUs in the English language. In particular, it investigates patterns and regularities of such use, using the corpus of naturally- occurring data in support of statements. The description of patterns is based on 2000 examples found in the British National Corpus and additional examples from the author’ s own corpus. The study first offers a definition of PU modification, and then identifies overall patterns of PU modification organizing them into a taxonomy. The conclusion suggests the existence and interplay of patterns of PU modification in English, governed by the principles of language economy. The proportion of modified vs. canonical use of PUs examined of 43% vs. 57% respectfully, bears witness to an increased tendency to modify PUs than recorded in earlier research.

phraseology; modifications; patterns

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