tailieunhanh - Báo cáo " Idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms in English "

This article is about the following issues: - Defining the concepts of “idiomatic variants” and “synonymous idioms” - Criteria for the distinction between idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms - Forms and signs of idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms 1. Introduction* Several linguists have given a lot of definitions about an idiom basing on its fixed characteristics. | VNU Journal of Science Foreign Languages 25 2009 81-85 Idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms in English Dang Nguyen Giang Department of Foreign Language Tay Bac University Vietnam Received 4 February 2008 Abstract. This article is about the following issues - Defining the concepts of idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms - Criteria for the distinction between idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms - Forms and signs of idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms 1. Introduction Several linguists have given a lot of definitions about an idiom basing on its fixed characteristics. For example An idiom is a phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit 1 . Sharing the same point of view Thomas Hill 1979 2 considered an idiom as a fixed group of words with a special different meaning from the meaning of several words. The fixed characteristics of an idiom can be realized as follows - Form The words of an idiom are generally fixed. It means that the components forming an idiom are unchanged in using. - Structure The fixed characteristic of structure of an idiom is expressed by the fixed order of the components forming an idiom. In fact we can see a lot of idioms violating the principles of their fixed characteristics such as to swear like a bargee - to swear like a trooper to die a dog s death - to die like a dog Tel. 84-4-978977679. E-mail dangnguyengiang1979@ one in a thousand - one in a million etc. This gives us some questions as follows Are the idioms above the idiomatic variants or synonymous idioms What criteria make a clear distinction between idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms What are the forms and signs of idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms 2. Idiomatic variants and synonymous idioms in English . What is meant by idiomatic variants Variant is something that differs in form only slightly from something else as a different spelling or pronunciation of .