BIT’ SEBÂ PÂTKOJ V GRUD’ AND MOLČAT’ KAK RYBA OB LËD: EXPRESSIVENESS IN IDIOM VARIANTS

BIT’ SEBÂ PÂTKOJ V GRUD’ AND MOLČAT’ KAK RYBA OB LËD: EXPRESSIVENESS IN IDIOM VARIANTS

Author:  Dronov P.S.

Abstract: 
The paper deals with expressiveness of lexical and grammatical changes of idioms. Being a case study of Russian idioms bit’ sebâ v grud’ ‘to publicly and strongly express emotions of views [that one may not actually feel or support]’ (cf. beat one’s chest ), bit’sâ kak ryba ob lëd ‘to desperately try to better one’s desperate standing and move out of misery, with little to no result’ (literally, “to make like a fish bunting the ice”), molčat’ kak ryba ‘to be completely silent’ (lit. “to be as silent as a fish”), and the blend of the latter figurative units, the article focuses on changes of expressiveness correlated with altering motivational, evaluative, and emotive components of the figurative meaning in idiom variants (in accordance with Veronika Teliya’s concept of the macrocomponential structure of meaning).

Keywords: 
phraseology  ◆  expressiveness  ◆  idioms  ◆  gesture idioms  ◆  comparative figurative units  ◆  lexical and grammatical changes  ◆  idiom variants  ◆  blends of figurative units  ◆  macrocomponential structure of meaning