Comparative Analysis of English and French Body Idioms

8/10/2019 Comparative Analysis of English and French Body Idioms

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MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Department of English Language and Literature

Comparative Analyi o! En"li# an$ Fren%# Bo$y I$iom

Diploma T#ei

Brno &'()

A*t#or+ Bc. Martina Nmcov S*pervior+ Mgr. Radek Vogel, Ph.D.

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De%laration

I hereby declare that I have worked on thi thei inde!endently and "ed only o"rce lited

in the bibliogra!hy.

Brno, #$th %!ril &'#( Bc. Martina Nmcov

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))).))))))

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A%,no-le$"ement

I wo"ld like to thank Mgr. Radek Vogel, Ph.D. *or hi kind "!!ort, !ro*eional g"idance and

val"able advice that he !rovided me with thro"gho"t thi thei.

Brno, %!ril &'#( Bc. Martina Nmcov

Abstract:

+hi thei deal with a com!arative t"dy o* the elected gro"! o* nglih and -rench body

idiom that contain the *ollowing body organ hand, head andfoot. +he theoretical !art

*oc"e on !eci*ic *eat"re o* idiom, their clai*ication and tr"ct"ral !attern. +he

!ractical !art i devoted to the analyi and com!arion o* nglih and -rench body idiom

*rom the le/ical, *ormal and emantic !oint o* view.+he idiomare analyed and divided

into *o"r categorie according to the level o* their e0"ivalence.

Key words:

Idiom, com!arative t"dy, idiom analyi, body idiom, e0"ivalence,

Anotace:

+ato di!lomov !rce e 1ab2v rovnvac3 anal21o" vybran4 k"!iny anglick2ch a

*ranco"1k2ch idiom5, kter4 obah"63 7ti lidk4ho tla ruku, hlavu a nohu. +eoretick 7t

e vn"6e charakteritice idiom5, 6e6ich ro1dlen3 a tr"kt"8e. Praktick 7t ro1eb3r a

!orovnv anglick4 a *ranco"1k4 idiomy 1 le/ikln3ho, *ormln3ho a v21namov4ho hledika.

Idiomy 6o" ro1dleny do 7ty8 k"!in !odle t"!n ekvivalence.

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Kl!ov" slova:

Idiom, rovnvac3 t"die, anal21a idiom5, lidk4 tlo, ekvivalence

Nmcov, Martina. #omparative $tudy of English and %rench &ody 'dioms. Brno Maaryk

9niverity, &'#(.

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INDE.

#.+heoretical !art...................................................................................................................................:

#.# Introd"ction..................................................................................................................................:

#.& nglih and -rench in the hitorical conte/t.................................................................................;#.&.# +he Norman element in (

&.&.( -oot idiom..........................................................................................................................:?

&.( Diviion o* idiom according to the level o* their e0"ivalence.................................................='

&.> Idiom tatitic............................................................................................................................=?

&.>.# %bol"te e0"ivalence...........................................................................................................$'

&.>.& Aloe e0"ivalence................................................................................................................$'

&.>.( Partial e0"ivalence...............................................................................................................$#

&.>.> None0"ivalence..................................................................................................................$&

&.: Aoncl"ion..................................................................................................................................$>

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(/T#eoreti%al part

(/( Intro$*%tion

Idiom have alway attracted attention o* ling"it, altho"gh they were not given

eno"gh recognition in the !at. +he new trend in nglih le/ical t"die, however, have

thrown a com!letely di**erent light on thee m"ltiword "nit with more or le "n!redictable

meaning. Being regarded a omething inherently linked with a "cce*"l ac0"iition o* a

*oreign lang"age, idiom are o* great im!ortance in any lang"age ytem. ith di**erent

level o* *ig"rativene they re!reent indi!enable le/ical element that hel! any *oreign

lang"age !eaker o"nd more native and !ro*icient. It i obvio" that di**erent lang"age will

have di**erent idiom, both in tr"ct"re and meaning. %lo the re!ertoire o* idiom will vary

*rom one !eron to another, de!ending on their ocial or intelect"al backgro"nd.

Idiomatic e/!reion can be *re0"ently enco"ntered in maga1ine, new!a!er,

movie or +V how. +hey are "ed in everyday !eech and to a certain e/tent they *orm a

!art o* the core val"e o* the c"lt"re. Matery o* idiom *acilitate comm"nication and

!romote an innovative environment o* ocial interaction. @ince idiom convey meaning

0"ickly and enable lang"age "er e/!re themelve more e**iciently, they ho"ld beintegrated into the teaching and learning !roce o* *oreign lang"age. +he readymade

!rod"ction o* thee *ig"rative e/!reion contrib"te to the *l"ency making it !oible *or the

!eaker to be more concentrated on the meage that need to be delivered than on the

*ormation o* a entence with a long literal e/!lanation.

+hi thei deal with com!arion o* nglih and -rench idiom in term o* their

mor!hological and emantic corre!ondence. It e/!lore idiomatic e/!reion related to

h"man body, the *oc" being !laced !artic"larly on body idiom that contain hand, head and

foot. +he analyi o* the elected cor!" o* nglih and -rench body idiom i carried o"t with

re!ect to the tr"ct"re, meaning and "age.

It i a"med that the h"mancentered idiomatic e/!reion are a igni*icant o"rce o*

!hraeology in both lang"age and that they are very *re0"ently "ed in daily written and

!oken lang"age. ith regard to the imilar c"lt"ral legacy o* thee two lang"age, the aim o*

thi com!arative t"dy i to !rove that h"man body idiom re!reent an eential !art o* the

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core vocab"lary both in nglih and -rench and to how that the body idiom o* both

lang"age are imilar in the meaning, tr"ct"re and "age.

(/& En"li# an$ Fren%# in t#e #itori%al %onte0t

+hi com!arative t"dy i !re"!!oed to reveal a coniderable amo"nt o*

corre!ondence between nglih and -rench idiom. +hi a"m!tion i baed on the *act

that thee two co"ntrie hared a lot in the co"re o* their hitorical develo!ment and a

Ba"gh E#;(F highlight, Gwhere two lang"age e/it ide by ide *or a long time and the

relation o* the !eo!le !eaking them are a intimate a they were in ngland, a coniderable

tran*erence o* wordG i GinevitableG. Moreover, the cloe relation both *or !eace and war

that ngland and -rance alway had *rom Norman time "ntil the !reent ha re"lted in a

contant in*l"/ o* -rench word into the lang"age Eckerley >&;F.

(/&/( T#e Norman element in Ol$ En"li#

Henerally, the Norman-rench !eriod in nglih hitory i dated *rom the invaion by

illiam the Aon0"eror in #';;, b"t a ckerley E>&(F !oint o"t, the Norman in*l"encea!!eared already be*ore then. It wa d"e to the cloe contact that had grown "! in the #'th

and ##th cent"rie and the monatic revival re"lting in many nglih monk t"dying in

-rance that -rench loan word tarted to emerge in nglih. -ollowing the e/ile to Normandy

o* dward the Aon*eor, the relationhi! between thee two c"lt"re became even cloer.

%*ter the ret"rn o* dward the Aon*eor to ngland in #'>> with many -rench co"rtier, the

ling"itic cone0"ence o* thi !olitical it"ation were remarkable and a certain amo"nt o*

-rench loan word originated in thi !eriod EArytal &=F.

(/&/& Fren%# in!l*en%e on Mi$$le En"li#

-rench !layed a ma6or !art in ha!ing o* the nglih lang"age in the Middle nglih

!eriod. %*ter the battle o* Cating in #';;, illiam the Aon0"eror tarted to organi1e

ngland on the Norman !attern and bro"ght in the rich learning and develo!ed civili1ation o*

Normandy, !"ting ngland into the *"ll tream o* "ro!ean c"lt"re and tho"ght Eckerley

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>&(F. -or the ne/t three cent"rie all the ing o* ngland !oke -rench. % a re"lt, two

lang"age were !oken ide by ide in ngland -rench wa the Go**icialG lang"age, and

nglih wa !oken only by the GcommonG !eo!le. +here i no do"bt that the vocab"lary wa

a**ected mot igni*icantly.

-rom the ling"itic !oint o* view it i neceary to !oint o"t, tho"gh, that the -rench

loan have become a !art o* the common core o* nglih and the ma6ority o* native !eaker

wo"ld not recogni1e thee word a *oreign any more.

(/) De!inition o! i$iom

De!ite n"mero" ling"itic work that have been written on idiom, there i no

general agreement on the e/act de*inition o* idiomatic e/!reion. %ccording to -ellba"m

E(>?F idiom are a cla o* m"ltiword "nit Jwhich !oe a challenge to o"r "ndertanding o*

grammar and le/i that ha not yet been *"lly metG.

+he *irt !art o* thi cha!ter !rovide de*inition o* idiom that are given in

dictionarie, the econd !art then *oc"e on idiom a they are "ndertood and de*ined by

ling"it.

(he #oncise )*ford Dictionary of #urrent English E:((F give the *ollowing

de*inition idiom i a G!ec"liarity o* !hraeology a!!roved by "age tho"gh having meaning

not ded"cible *rom thoe o* the e!arate word.K

% more detailed decri!tion i given in ebterL New orld Dictionary E;='F idiom

i Ga !hrae, contr"ction, or e/!reion that i recogni1ed a a "nit in the "age o* a given

lang"age and either di**er *rom the ""al yntactic !attern or ha a meaning that di**er *rom

the literal meaning o* it !art taken togetherK.)nline )*ford English Dictionaryde*ine an idiom a a gro"! o* word etablihed by

"age and having a meaning not ded"cible *rom thoe o* the individ"al word.

(he #ambridge Encyclopedia of the English LanguageE#;(F relate to an idiom a an

e/!reion the meaning o* which Gcannot be ded"ced by e/amining the meaning o* the

contit"ent le/emeG, the e/!reion being both grammatically and le/ically *i/ed.

#ambridge 'nternational Dcitionary of 'diomsEviiF "gget that one o* the !roblem

with idiom i that it i o*ten im!oible to g"e the meaning o* an idiom *rom the word that

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it contain, em!hai1ing the *act that idiom o*ten have a tronger meaning than non

idiomatic !hrae.

#ollins #)&+'LD English Language DictionaryE0td. in avka :F decribe an idiom

a a gro"! o* word, which when "ed together in a !artic"lar combination, have a di**erent

meaning *rom the one they wo"ld have i* the meaning o* all the individ"al word in the gro"!

wa taken.

Dictionarie !rovide rather general and brie* decri!tion o* idiom. ing"itic work,

on the other hand, which !eciali1e in thi !artic"lar *ield o* idiom, take into conideration

vario" a!ect o* idiom and th" can a!!ear to be more decri!tive.

-ernando E#F decribe idiom a Gconventionali1ed m"ltiword e/!reion that are

o*ten b"t not alway nonliteralG. +hi rather broad "ndertanding o* an idiom i more

retricted by MoonL conce!t o* Ga !artic"lar kind o* "nit that i *i/ed and emantically

o!a0"e or meta!horical, traditionally, not the "m o* it !artG EMoon >F.

Hl"ckberg E;$F highlight the JnonlogicalG nat"re o* idiom, where it i im!oible

to dicern the relation between the ling"itic and idiomatic meaning o* an idiom.

avka E&F "ndertand idiom a le/ically and yntactically heterogeneo" com!le/e

which, on the one hand, work a ingle *orm, *"rther indiviible, and, on the other hand,a!!ear a analyable yntactic tr"ct"re, eventho"gh ometime a little deviant, re!reenting

a contin""m o* vario" dimenion.

I*ill E&F re*er to idiom a *i/ed e/!reion the meaning o* which cannot be derived

*rom a combination o* the meaning o* their com!onent !art. Ce add that the element that

make "! the idiom are limited in the kind o* variability they are able to demontrate.

Riehemann E&=F de*ine idiomatic word a Gword that do not e/it a inde!endent

word with the ame meaning, o not all word that occ"r in idiom are idiomatic word inthat eneG. @he *"rther tate that idiomatic word can only have one o* their literal meaning

when they occ"r by themelve.

-lavell E&>F goe a *ar a to claim that idiom are Ganomalie o* lang"age, maverick

o* the ling"itic worldG. +ogether with -ernando E


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%ccording to Makkai E#&&F idiom are G!olyle/onic le/eme that are made "! o* more

than one minimal *ree *orm or wordG and that are G"b6ect to a !oible lack o* "ndertanding

de!ite *amiliarity with the meaning o* the com!onentG.

+aboi and ardon E#>:F regard idiom a Gtring o* word whoe emantic

inter!retation cannot be derived com!oitionally *rom the inter!retation o* their !artG.

@inclair E#=&F come "! with a de*inition that an idiom i Ga gro"! o* two or more

word which are choen together in order to !rod"ce a !eci*ic meaning or e**ect in !eech or

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avka E#&F come "! with a ditinctive *eat"re o* invariability that et the ty!ical

idiom a!art and which allow *or a certain degree o* variance within grammatical categorie,

a o!!oed to abol"te nonvariability in the yntactic !here. vetko E


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methodological a!!roache. Aacciari E&=F concede that idiomati1ation i a !roce, when a

given tr"ct"re i not idiomatic once and *or all, b"t grad"ally ac0"ire it idiomaticity. @he

*"rther claim that Gidiom are o internally heterogeneo" that the generali1ation o* one

characteritic to the entire cla o* e/!reion can be highly !roblematicG EAacciari (>F.

Idiom a m"ltiword ch"nk coniting o* element that are le/ically and yntactically

bo"nd together can have a variety o* ditinctive *eat"re. -ernando E(F !reent a the mot

*re0"ently mentioned *eat"re o* idiom

Aom!oitene

Intit"tionali1ation

@emantic o!acity

-ernando aign the *eat"re o* com!oitene to the m"ltiword character o* idiomatic

e/!reion, while the intit"tionali1ation i connected with the conventionali1ed nat"re o* the

le/ical item, being the end re"lt o* initially ad hoc e/!reion. +he emantic o!acity, on the

other hand, re*lect the nonliteralne o* idiom. Moon E?F *"rther add that the conce!t o*

intit"tionali1ation varie *rom the e/tremely *re0"ent e/!reion, "ch a of courseto the

*airly rare, "ch a cannot cut the mustard. %ccording to -ernando E(>F, the ma6ority o*

m"ltiword e/!reion in nglih need to con*orm to the grammatical r"le. -"thermore, he!oint to the c"lt"rally alient encoding a!ect, tating that an e/!reion ca!t"re ome

!henomenon !rominent in the collective concio"ne, "ch a blue blood le sangre a-ur

re*erring to Garitocratic birthG.

avka E#=F take into acco"nt the !ro!ertie o* idiomatic e/!reion dealing with

conventionality

*ig"ration

!roverbiality in*ormality and e**ect.

%ccording to avka, the conce!t o* conventionality a!!ear to be the *"ndamental

characteritic and the mot reliable criterion in term o* orting the idiom o"t. It can be

"ndertood a Gcon*orming to acce!ted tandardG. In order to add vividne or bea"ty to the

idiomatic e/!reion, a variety o* *ig"rative mean i "ed, "ch a meta!hor, metonymy,

hy!erbole or imile. Proverbiality, on the other hand, re*lect *olk widom and can decribe or

im!licitly e/!lain it"ation aociated with !artic"lar ocial interet. In*ormality im!lie

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conideration on relatively in*ormal and collo0"ial regiter and !eakerL attit"de Eavka

#$F. % *ar a the *ig"rativene i concerned, Aoo!er E&(>F ay that it i the

conventionali1ed meaning that et idiom a!art *rom other *ig"rative e/!reion, "ch a

imile and meta!hor. Cowever, he goe on to ay that the ditinction i not alway !recie,

beca"e many idiom are dead or *ro1en meta!hor*ig"rative e/!reion which have ac0"ired

conventionali1ed meaning.

vetko E


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e/!ree her notion that G!"rely conventionali1ed "e o* a word ha no reg"larity and

there*ore it i not !redictableG "nlike an ordinary word that i rational and *ollow the normal

convention governing it "e and belie*.

+he conce!t o* com!oitionality bro"ght Hl"ckberg E>F to the theory that there are

two way in which idiomatic meaning can be com!rehended, the *irt one being de*ined a

direct look"! model when idiom are "ndertood im!ly by retrieving the meaning o* an

idiom a a whole. +he econd model i baed on the notion that in order *or an idiom to be

"ndertood, a !ragmatic inter!retation o* the "e o* the e/!reion i needed. Cowever, a

Hl"ckberg E#(F !"t it, com!oitionality i Gneither a neceary nor a "**icient condition *or

an idiom to be varied !rod"ctivelyG. Ce admit that thi i d"e to the *act that idiom can be

!rod"ctive even when their contit"ent word do not ac0"ire !hrae!eci*ic idiomatic

meaning. -rom the !oint o* view o* yntactic and le/ical *le/ibility, H"ckberg E#;F

identi*ie !rod"ctive o!eration "ch a ad6ectival modi*ication, adverbial modi*ication,

0"anti*ication and tene alteration.

In hi cha!ter /hy 'dioms are not Dead 0etaphorsHibb E;(F reveal the notion that

idiom are meta!horically alive and that it i the meta!horical knowledge that motivate the

*ig"rative meaning o* idiom and contrib"te to the idiom com!rehenion. In thi re!ect he!ro!oe the idea that idiom hare the ame arbitrarine o* meaning a a matter o*

convention, a do individ"al word. +h" Hibb E;&F ee the link between an idiom and it

*ig"rative meaning a *"lly conventionali1ed. % well a Aacciari, Hibb E;(F !eak o*

analy1ability o* an idiom, however, he ee thi !ro!erty a being a matter o* degree that

de!end on the aliance o* it individ"al !art. Ce e/!lain that the more alient a word within

an idiom i, the more likely it i that thi word hare the ame emantic *ield a doe it

idiomatic re*erent. % *ar a the yntactic veratility i concerned, Hibb E;(F diting"ihebetween yntactically !rod"ctive idiom that retain their *ig"rative meaning when een in a

variety o* yntactic contr"ction, and the "n!rod"ctive idiom that are conidered to be

G*ro1enG a they loe their *ig"rative inter!retation when yntactically altered. Ce *"rther

note that normally decom!oable idiom Ee.g.pop the 1uestionF tend to be more yntactically

!rod"ctive than emantically nondecom!oable idiom Ee.g. chew the fatF.

-lore dL%rcai E$'F elaborate more on the idea that idiom di**er in the degree to

which they can "ndergo mor!hological and yntactic alteration. % *ar a the amo"nt o*

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*le/ibility i concerned, -lore dQ%rcai !eak o* the degree o* *ro1enne, clai*ying the

idiom *rom very *ro1en to very *le/ible. Ce goe a *ar a to claim that !art o* ome idiom

can be 0"anti*ied, modi*ied or even omitted. @imilarly, cla"e can be embeded in idiomatic

!hrae or le/ical element can be inerted at vario" !oint. %ccording to him E$'F, Gcertain

mor!hological and yntactic o!eration are allowed *or virt"ally all idiom, "ch a an

inertion o* an a"/iliary in the !hrae, while other are !oible only with certain oneG.

-lore dQ%rcai *"rther comment on the tran!arency and o!acity o* idiom, analying the

contin""m o* idiom that di**er *rom more or le tran!arent to more or le o!a0"e, where

the inter!retation o* literal meaning i no longer available. In hi view mot o!a0"e idiom are

6"t *oil in which the literal meaning i only a !hilological c"rioity. Moreover, he E$#F

introd"ce a !oint o* idiom "ni0"ene, e/!laining that it i the !oint at which the idiom

become "ni0"ely identi*iable. Ce !ro!oe that G*or every idiomatic !hrae there m"t be a

!oint at which the !hrae can be inter!reted only a the idiomG.

-or Makkai E#&&F a diin*ormation !otential re!reent another criterion o* idiom,

ca"ed by the nonliteral nat"re o* the com!onent and th" re0"iring !ro!er

conte/t"aliation.

Riehemann E(&F draw attention to canonical *orm o* idiom and claim that G*oreach idiom there i a !artic"lar *i/ed !hrae which i recogni1ed by !eaker o* the lang"age

a the normal *orm thi idiom take and which i "ed m"ch more *re0"ently than wo"ld be

!redicted *rom inde!endent *actorG. %ccording to her, the idiom are clearly determined by

convention and not by emantic reaon.

Neverthele, MoonL t"dy reveal that intit"tionali1ation and *i/edne are not

"**icient criteria by themelve. @he come "! with two other conce!t that !lay a igni*icant

role in idiom recognition and thee incl"de yntactic integrity and !honology EMoon $F. +heyntactic integrity im!lie that idiom *orm yntactic or grammatical "nit, "ch a ad6"nct,

com!lement, nominal gro"! or entence adverbial, while the !honological criterion i

im!ortant when an ambig"ity between com!oitional and noncom!oitional inter!retation

arie and the intonation can diting"ih an idiom *rom other e/!reion EMoon ?F.

Aowie E(&F !oint to the le/ical *"nction that are aociated with !eci*ic idiomatic

tr"ct"re. Ce de*ine a le/ical *"nction a Ga very general and abtract meaning, co"!led with

a dee! yntactic role, which can be le/ically e/!reed in a large variety o* way de!ending

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on the le/ical "nit to which thi meaning a!!lieG. Aowie E(>F diting"ihe between

!aradigmatic *"nction dealing with election and yntagmatic *"nction dealing with

combination on the one hand, and tandard ver" nontandard le/ical *"nction with re!ect

to the n"mber o* their !oible keyword and val"e element on the other. % one o* the mot

igni*icant !ro!ertie o* idiomatic e/!reion Aowie conider *i/edne, which he decribe

a Gthe 0"antity o* imilar !hraeme that e/it *or the !hraeme "nder coniderationG EAowie

>&F. Ce goe on to ay that Gthe degree o* *i/edne i an inde!endent !arameter o*

!hraeme, c"tting acro their de*ining !ro!ertie, "ch a retrictedne o* election and

irreg"larity o* combinationG. ith regard to thi, he re*er to collocation a idiomatic

e/!reion with a very low degree o* *i/edne, decribing them a element that may be

emantically tran!arent and whoe coocc"rrence i "**iciently !redictable a o!!oed to the

!hraeologically bo"nd and emantically nontran!arent idiom.

(/8 Clai!i%ation o! i$iom

+here i a variety o* criteria according to which idiom can be clai*ied. vetko

E%ra-eol2giaF !oint to many di**erent a!ect that need to be taken into conideration in

an attem!t to carry o"t an overall clai*ication. Ce mention the emantic and contr"ctional

!oint o* view, *i/edne and variability, *"nction, tylitic and etymology. Cowever, the

"ndertanding o* idiom by !artic"lar ling"it varie and there*ore di**erent categori1ation

arie.

ith regard to the com!oitionality o* idiom Hl"ckberg E=(F o**er the *ollowing

diviion

Non9%ompoitional i$iomO there are no relation between the idiomL contit"ent

and the idiomL meaning cannot be dicerned

6artially %ompoitional i$iomO there are ome relationhi! between an idiomL

contit"ent and it idiomatic meaning can be dicerned and e/!loited

F*lly %ompoitional i$iom O the contit"ent corre!ond directly with their

idiomatic re*erent

Aacciari E(:F, *ollowing the ame criteria, diting"ihe among

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Normaly $e%ompoa2le i$iomthat are analy1able and im!ly convention whereby

each o* the idiomL contit"ent can be "ed to re*er to the idiomatic re*erent, e.g.

break the ice, pop the 1uestion

A2normally $e%ompoa2le i$iomwhere we are able to identi*y thi relation only by

virt"e o* conventional meta!hor that govern the ma!!ing *rom contit"ent to

idiomatic meaning, e.g. hit the ceiling, throw in the sponge

Non$e%ompoa2le i$iomthat re!reent the gro"! o* o!a0"e idiom

avka E#>F, however, ee the conce!t o* com!oitionality in a di**erent light. Ce

conider *ree combination a com!oitional, collocation a emicom!oitional and idiom

!ro!er a noncom!oitional.

Baed on the level o* tran!arency, idiom can be clai*ied according to the e/tent to

which the meaning o* an idiom can be derived *rom the meaning o* it !artic"lar contit"ent.

Hl"ckberg E=>F re*er to

Opa:*e i$iom where the relation between an idiomL contit"ent and it meaning

may be o!a0"e, b"t the meaning o* individ"al word can neverthele contrain both

inter!retation and "e

Tranparent i$iom where there are onetoone emantic relation between theidiomL contit"ent and com!onent o* the idiomL meaning.

-"rthermore, Hl"ckberg E=:F introd"ce a 0"aimeta!horical ty!e o* idiom, the

meaning o* which i conveyed thro"gh it all"ional content. +hee idiom re*er to an ideal

e/em!lar o* a conce!t !roviding at the ame time a characteri1ation o* an event or it"ation a

an intance o* that conce!t.

+he notion o* the contin""m *rom o!acity to tran!arency lead Aacciari E(?F to come

"! with the *ollowing diviion o* idiom Totally opa:*e i$iom

Retrope%tively tranparent i$iom O they become tran!arent once the !eaker

either know the meaning or i reminded o* the e!iode or etting that originated the

idiom

Dire%tly tranparent i$iom O the ene o* the word lead the !eaker to the

idiomatic meaning o* the tring Ee.g. by mean o* the recreation o* an analogical or

meta!horical ma!!ingF

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Fi"*ratively tranparent i$iomO they are com!oed o* other idiom, or !art that

a!!ear in other idiom or a meta!horical device

Makkai E#&&F identi*ie two ma6or ty!e o* idiom encoding and decoding. Idiom o*

encoding com!el the !eaker to con*orm to a !artic"lar conventionali1ed way o* !eaking

while retaining a relatively tran!arent inter!retation, wherea the meaning o* idiom o*

decoding i not o !redictable. Idiom o* decoding are clai*ied a le/emic and ememic

EMakkai #&&F. Ce de*ine le/emic idiom a Gany !olyle/onic le/eme which i made "! o*

more than one minimal *ree *orm or Emor!hologicalF word, each le/on o* which can occ"r in

other environment a the reali1ation o* a monole/onic le/emeG.

%ccording to Makkai, the le/emic idom incl"de

6#raal ver2O the contit"ent tr"ct"re o* thi ty!e o* idiom i alway verb adverb

To*rn*re i$iomO conit at leat o* three le/eme, having a com!"lory it in a *i/ed

!oition between the verb and the adverb EMakkai #>$F

Irreveri2le 2inominal i$iomO de*ined a a *orm"la coniting o* !art % and B the

order o* which cannot be revered EMakkai #::F

6#raal %ompo*n$ i$iom

6e*$o9i$iomO all le/emic idiom one o* whoe contit"ent i a *oili1ed term that

doe not make any ene on it own, "ch aspic and span EMakkai #;?F


21/95

Literal i$iomO meet the eential criterion *or idiom, which i invariabilty or

retricted variation, they are le emantically com!le/ than !"re and emiidiom, e.g.

on foot, on the contrary

In accordance with clai*ication baed on idiomatic clae, idiom can be divided

into entential and nonentential Eaying and !roverbF. +he diviion can go even *"rther

orting the idiom into verbal and verble idiom, the latter one being mainly nominal,

ad6ectival and adverbial idiom Evetko (=F.

AowieL E&$F clai*ication *oc"e not only on the yntactical and emantic *eat"re o*

!hraeme, b"t alo on their !ragmatic a!ect, which indicate that the choice o* an

a!!ro!riate meaning o* a le/ical "nit i red"ced to one !oibility only. +h" the ready made

e/!reion like greeting, converational *orm"lae, !roverb, clich4 or aying, de!ite

being emantically and yntactically com!oitional, are conidered to be noncom!oitional

!ragmatically, being retricted to !artic"lar ocial or c"lt"ral conce!t. In thi re!ect Aowie

E&?F introd"ce !ragmatic !hraeme or !ragmateme a o!!oed to the emantic !hraeme

whoe com!onent are electionally contrained or retricted by ling"itic convention. Ce

et "! three categorie within emantic !hraeme that contit"te

-"ll !hraeme, or idiom O e.g.shoot the bree-e, pull sb3s leg @emi!hraeme, or collocation O e.g. crack a 4oke, give an ultimatum, launch an

attack

S"ai!hraeme, or 0"aiidiom O e.g.give the breast to sb., start a family

(/; Str*%t*ral pattern o! i$iom

+he *act that idiom can "ndergo a certain amo"nt o* variability how that idiom

have internal tr"ct"re o* ome kind. I*ill E#=F "gget that the tr"ct"re o* idiom i related

to the tr"ct"re o* their nonidiomatic co"nter!art. Ce *ind the rationale *or thi idea in the

conce!t o* !oible variability in !aivi1ation and modi*ication. +h" he make a ditinction

between tran!arent idiom whoe yntactic tr"ct"re i the ame a their co"nter!art and

o!a0"e one whoe yntactic tr"ct"re i di**erent EI*ill #=F. Ce *"rther claim that ince all

idom have internal tr"ct"re, no idiom can be tr"ly aid to be *i/ed. Cowever, the behavio"r

o* idiom i a**ected by the way the tr"ct"re relate to their nonidiomatic co"nter!art.

20


22/95

-rom the !oint o* view o* their contr"ction, idiom can be divided into !hraal and

entence idiom Evetko,


23/95

N edTing Aom!l voice crying in the wilderness

N and N part and parcel

+able &. @tr"ct"re o* nonverbal idiom

%d6ectival idiom, on the other hand, can be tr"ct"red a

Str*%t*re o! a$'FStr*%t*re o! a$ver2ial i$iom E0ample o! i$iom

N N and N hook, line and sinker

%dv and %dv back and forth

%dv Pre! E%d6F N once in a blue moon

Pre! N Pre! N from rags to riches

Pre! %d6 N in the long run

Pre! NL N within the stone3s throw

N Pre! N step by step

Pre! N Pre! N from time to time

+able >. @tr"ct"re o* adverbial idiom

Moon E$:F make even more detailed analyi o* idiomatic e/!reion in her book

%i*ed E*pressions and 'dioms in English: A corpus based a!!roach, where he deal with

*i/ed e/!reion and idiom and re*er to them a -I. @he diting"ihe between

22


24/95

!redicative -I, nominal gro"!, !redicative ad6ectival gro"!, modi*ier, ad6"nct and

entence adverbial.

+he mot common tr"ct"re o* !redicative -I Moon clai*ie a *ollow

@"b6ect !redicator ob6ect 5 bends 63s ear, 5 pulls 53s weight

@"b6ect !redicator ob6ect ad6"nct 5 brings 6 to heal, 5 gets sth. off the ground

@"b6ect !redicator ad6"nct 5 comes to grief, 5 sticks to 53s guns

@"b6ect !redicator com!lement 53s days are numbered, sth. is not 53s cup of tea

@"b6ect !redicator ad6"nct ad6"nct 5 lives from hand to mouth, 5 comes up

against a brick wall

@"b6ect !redicator com!lement ad6"nct 5 is a credit to 6, sth. is music to 53s

ears

@"b6ect !redicator indirect ob6ect direct ob6ect 5 shows 6 the door, 5 gives 6

63s head

@"b6ect !redicator ad6"nct ob6ect 5 lets off steam, 5 throws in the towel

@"b6ect !redicator ob6ect catenated !redicator 5 makes ends meet, 5 starts the

ball rolling

@"b6ect !redicator ob6ect ob6ect com!lement 5 calls a spade a spade, 5 keeps53s fingers crossed

@"b6ect !redicator sparks fly, the penny drops

@"b6ect !redicator ob6ect ad6"nct ad6"nct 5 has sth. down to a fine art, 5

gives sth76 up as a bad 4ob

Nominal gro"! are in MoonL view rather !roblematic, ince the bo"ndary i not

alway clear between nominal -I and no"n com!o"nd EMoon $=F. Cowever, Moon E$$Fclaim that -I, "nlike nominal com!o"nd, Gtend to be *oili1ed in !artic"lar cla"e

!oition or to have retriction on colligating determiner or !re!oitionG. %ccording to her

the yntagmatic, in*lectional or collocational de*ectivene !rovide a key to tell thee two

gro"! a!art. -"rthermore, he e/!lain that nominal -I are meta!horical and eval"ative

rather than decri!tive or denotative and !rovide the *ollowing ditinction o* nominal -I

E$$F


25/95


26/95

idiom, i o*ten more com!rehenible and vivid *or !eaker. @toyanova E&F ay that idiom

coniting o* omatic e/!reion are conidered to be one o* the mot *re0"ently met idiom

ty!e. @he alo highlight the e/itence o* m"lti!le analog"e o* h"man body idiom in

di**erent lang"age, claiming that thee analog"e are very cloe in their *ig"rative meaning.

@toyanova E&F goe on to e/!lain that it i not only a matter o* direct borrowing that ca"e

the congr"ency o* body idiomL *ig"rative meaning in di**erent lang"age, b"t rather the *act

that the name o* the body !art re!reent the mot archaic and the mot contant le/ical layer

that i cloely related to h"man body !erce!tion.

Baed on the ob6ect o* denotation, the omatic contr"ction can be clai*ied "nder

the *ollowing gro"! E@toyanova (F

Somonymi%le0ithat denote !art o* the h"man body Ehand, neck, heart etcF, "ch a

from head to foot, straight from the shoulder or dead from the neck up

Oteonymi% le0i that denote !art o* the keletal ytem o* h"man organim skin

and bones, a skeleton in the closet, to make no bones about sth

An"ionymi% le0i that denote !art o* circ"latory ytem o* the h"man organim too

rich for sb3s blood, in one3s blood, blue blood

Splan%#nonymi% le0i that denote internal organ o* the h"man body at the top of

one3s lungs, to have the nerve, from the bottom of the heart, hard to stomach

Senonymi% le0i that denote ene organ o* the h"man body to be all ears, to have

a good nose, to see eye to eye, apple in sb3s eye, to count noses

>eneral 2o$y le0i that re*er to body a "ch in the flesh, put flesh on sth,to press

the flesh

+he emantic a!ect o* nglih body omatim are no le im!ortant. +hey can

e/!re h"man emotion and *eeling or trait o* h"man character. ith regard to the

lang"age *"nction, h"man body idiom can ac0"ire di**erent Eboth !oitive and negativeF

emantic connotation. % "ch they can be divided into everal thematic gro"! E@toyanova

;F

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?*man emotion an$ !eelin"/ Body idiom can be very emotional, they can e/!re

emotion "ch a la"ghter, cry, moaning a well a delight, ha!!ine, 6oy carry sb of

his feet, to rub one3s hands, love or !aion Eto win sb3s hand, to offer sb one3s handF.


28/95

ling"itic !oint o* view Econtrative a!!roachF or *rom the !oint o* view o* tranlating idiom

in literary te/t Etranlation a!!roachF.

In the contrative a!!roach idiom o* # are com!ared with idiom o* &, the *oc"

being !laced on the m"t"al e0"ivalence and lang"age inter*erence. Di**erence may occ"r in

the *orm, content, meaning and "age o* individi"al word and e/!reion. Aontrative

!hraeology reveal that when com!aring idiom o* two di**erent lang"age, two ty!e o*

e0"ivalent are recogni1ed !hraeological or non!hraeological Eword, collocation or

!eri!hraiF. %n idiom either ha it idiomatic co"nter!art in the target lang"age or an

idiomatic e0"ivalent i not available beca"e it either doe not e/it or the reality decribed by

the idiom i not known in the target lang"age. @"ch an idiom can be then "btit"ted by a non

idiomatic co"nter!art, !eri!hrai or cal0"e. % *ar a the degree o* e0"ivalence i concerned,

vetko !ro!oe three baic ty!e ELe*icology#'?F

a2ol*te e:*ivalen%e O idiom that literally corre!ond in everal lang"age and

come *rom the ame o"rce allowing *or ome variation, however, m"t"al

corre!ondence !revail

relative e:*ivalen%e 5 idiom have identical or very cloe meaning b"t di**erent

le/ical item non9e:*ivalen%eO idiom that do not have their idiomatic e0"ivalent and need to be

"btit"ted by a word, collocation or decri!tion

ithin the !here o* abol"te and relative e0"ivalent vetko *"rther diting"ihe

between the identical and cloe e0"ivalent on the one hand, and !artially and totally

di**erentiated e0"ivalent on the other E%ra-eol2gia#'(F.

Baed on vetkoL broad ditinction and with regard to the contin""m o* abol"te and

relative e0"ivalent, the degree o* imilaritie and di**erencie between the idiomatice/!reion will be in thi thei e/!lored and orted into the *ollowing categorie

A2ol*te e:*ivalen%e O the idiom in both lang"age are identical in term o*

emantic, le/ical and *ormal level

Cloe e:*ivalen%e 5 in thi gro"! belong idiom with a certain e/tent o* varietie,

however, thee are not conidered a "btantial, "ch a mor!hological deviation

Edi**erent grammatical cae or !re!oition, "e o* ing"lar in one idiom and !l"ral in

the other, "e o* com!o"nd a o!!oed to ingle wordF

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6artial e:*ivalen%e 5 the idiom are emantically e0"ivalent b"t reali1ed with

di**erent contr"ction E"e o* di**erent le/ical mean, di**erent body le/eme, di**erent

yntactic tr"ct"re, holonym or meronym, etc.F

Non9e:*ivalen%eO thee idiom do not have any e0"ivalent and are e/!reed non

idiomatically

+he above lited categorie will be more elaborated on in the !ractical !art o* thi

thei.

&/ 6ra%ti%al part

&/( Typolo"y o! i$om analyi

% ha been mentioned in the introd"ction, the cor!" o* idiom *or thi thei ha

been gathered *rom everal o"rce. +he ma6ority o* nglih idiom related to the three body

organ were *o"nd in general dictionarie or idiom dictionarie, both !rinted and online one.

Re*erence book on idiom were alo "ed and re!reent an im!ortant tool in creating thi

databae. In order to earch *or the -rench idiomatic e0"ivalent, it wa neceary to "e

!rimarily two di**erent online dictionarie and then check the *orm and "age o* the

!artic"lar idiom by con"lting them with a -rench native !eaker. +hee dictionarie

incl"ded electronic verion o* #ambridge Advanced Learner3s Dictionary and #ollins

%rench8English Dictionary a well a online verion o* /ordeference Dictionary and

everso Dictionary. Cowever, not all nglih idiom o* thi cor!" have their idiomatic

-rench co"nter!art. In "ch cae the nonidiomatic e0"ivalent are !rovided and e/!reedby mean o* !ara!hrae. +hi thei contain a total o* &$' nglih and -rench idiom that

have been analyed and orted into the categorie that how the e/tent o* their corre!ondence

on the emantic, le/ical, grammatical and *ormal level. +he ty!ology "ed in thi thei ha

been baed on vetkoL com!arative t"dy o* nglih and @lovak idiom E%ra-eol2gia#'>F,

however, it ha been ad6"ted with re!ect to the di**erence and !ec"liaritie o* the -rench

lang"age.

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30/95

+he elected nglih and -rench body idiom have been analyed and divided into the

*ollowing *o"r categorie according to the level o* their e0"ivalence

&/(/( A2ol*te e:*ivalen%e

+he com!ared idiom corre!ond on all three level, i.e. on the emantic, le/ical and

*ormal EyntacticF level.

kee! oneL head garder a tte 1achovat i hlav"

+hi category cover idiom that have the ame meaning and *ollow the ame yntactictr"ct"re o* a verbal or nonverbal idiom. +he nglih idiom keep one3s headwith it -rench

co"nter!art erve a an e/am!le. +he le/ical mean em!loyed are identical, both idiom "e

the ame body !art and tylitically ne"tral verb with the ame denotation. ith regard to all

thee *eat"re it can be aid that thee idiom are abol"tely e0"ivalent on the *ormal, le/ical

and emantic level.

&/(/& Cloe e:*ivalen%e

+hee idiom are imilar in meaning and *ig"ration, they have the ame yntactic tr"ct"re

and corre!ond on the le/ical level, however, they how minor di**erence in the

mor!hological !here. +hee idiom are *"rther "bcategori1ed according to the ty!e o* the

deviation they di!lay

aF "e o* a di**erent !re!oitionbF "e o* ing"lar v. !l"ral *orm

cF "e o* a !re!oitional v. non!re!oitional !hrae

dF change o* word order

a4 *e o! a $i!!erent prepoition

in the hand o* entre le main de v r"kch koho

Idiom that belong to thi "bcategory *ollow the ame yntactic tr"ct"re, "ch a

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31/95

Pre! N Pre!, however, the "ed !re!oition i di**erent. +he nglih idiom "e G inG,

wherea it -rench co"nter!art GentreG, which mean ;between


32/95

aF "e o* a di**erent body le/eme

bF "e o* meronym v. holonym

cF "e o* a di**erent verb

dF "e o* le/ically di**erent word

eF "e o* a com!o"nd v. two le/eme

a4 *e o! $i!!erent 2o$y le0eme

kee! oneL hand in th garder "n !ied dan 0ch nevy63t 1e cvik"

Idiom o* thi "bcategory are characteri1ed by the di**erent body le/eme "ed in

both idiom. +he idiom above how that the GkillG that need to be !ractied o a not to be

lot i in the nglih idiom e/!reed by the le/eme GhandG, wherea the -rench co"nter!art

re*er to GfootG.

24 *e o! meronym v/ #olonym

*ight hand to hand combattre cor! X cor! bo6ovat tlo na tlo

Idiom that belong to thi "bcategory are not e0"ivalent in term o* the emantic

relation o* the body le/eme. In the nglih idiom a meronym body !art G handG i "ed,

wherea the body !art o* the -rench idiom i *ormed by a holonym GbodyG.

%4 *e o! $i!!erent ver2

come hat in hand e !r4enter le bonnet X la

main

!8i63t !ro3kem

+hi "bcategory i characteri1ed by idiom that "e verb with di**erent denotation,

altho"gh the overall meaning o* the idiom i the ame. +h" the nglih idiom em!loy the

verb GcomeG, while the -rench idiom i e/!reed by mean o* the verb GintroduceG.

$4 *e o! le0i%ally $i!!erent -or$

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tand on oneL own *eet voler de e !ro!re aile tt na vlatn3ch noho"

+hi "bcategory contain idiom that are *ormed with di**erent word. It i not limited

only to the "e o* di**erent body le/eme b"t the whole idiom i e/!reed by di**erent le/ical

mean. @o the nglih idiom Gstand on one3s own feetG ha it e0"ivalent in -rench a Gfly on

one3s own wingsG.

e4 *e o! a %ompo*n$ v/ t-o le0eme

by the hand*"l X !leine main Ytd8e

Idiom that are incl"ded in thi "bcategory di**er in the n"mber o* le/eme. herea

nglih lang"age how the tendency to "e com!o"nd, "ch a GhandfulG, the -rench idiom

i *ormed by two le/eme Gfull handsG.

It i neceary to !oint o"t, tho"gh, that all the above mentioned *eat"re that can be

at !lay in determining the e/tent o* e0"ivalence between idiom do not alway a!!ear

e!arately in !artic"lar idiom. It i rather common to *ind them combined. In thi thei,however, the idiom are organi1ed according to the mot ditinctive *eat"re that et the

!artic"lar !air o* idiom a!art, eventho"gh they might *it with their !ro!ertie into other

"bcategorie a well.

&/(/1 Non9e:*ivalen%e

Idiom o* thi gro"! have no idiomatic co"nter!art and their meaning in the target

lang"age i e/!reed by mean o* !ara!hrae.

be a hand*"l tre "n en*ant terrible b2t tWce 1vladateln2

+he nglih idiom with the meaning of being difficult to controlha been *o"nd to

have no -rench co"nter!art and even the -rench native !eaker wa not able to !rovide a

imilar idiomatic e/!reion. +here*ore, in order to convey the meaning o* thi idiom in the

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target lang"age, it wa neceary to !ara!hrae it, i.e. to "e a decri!tion that wa mot

commonly "ed in online nglih O -rench dictionarie.

&/& Analyi o! En"li# an$ Fren%# i$iom

&/&/( ?ea$ i$iom

&/&/(/( A2ol*te e:*ivalen%e

be at the head o* E&F tre en tte de b2t v 7ele 7eho

V Pre! N Pre! V Pre! N Pre!

Both idiom with the meaning o* being in the lead conit o* the a"/iliary verb GbeG

*ollowed by the !re!oitional !hrae, the tr"ct"re o* which i identical both in nglih and

-rench. De!ite the *act that the nglih idiom "e the de*inite article, while in -rench idiom

there i no determiner at all, both idiom have been !laced into the category o* abol"te

e0"ivalence.

kee! oneL head E&?F garder a tte 1achovat i hlav"

V EbLF N V EbLF N+hi !air o* idiom i emantically, yntactically and le/ically identical. +hey hare the

meaning o*staying calm despite great difficulties. Moreover, they are realied with the ame

le/ical mean and verb with the ame denotation.

loe oneL head E(&F !erdre la tte 1tratit hlav"

V EbLF N V N

Both nglih and -rench idiom are verbal idiom that have the ame meaning o* losing

control and not acting in a calm way. +hey are realied with the identical yntactic tr"ct"re

and conit o* verb with the ame denotation. +hey both "e a determiner E!oeive

!rono"n in nglih and de*inite article in -renchF and there*ore they are conidered a

abol"tely e0"ivalent.

t"rn head E>'F to"rner le tte 1amotat hlav"

V N V N

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ith the meaning o* distracting someone by catching their attention with an attractive

look both idiom are com!oed o* the ame contit"ent, "ing verb with the identical

denotation and no"n in !l"ral *orm. In thi cae only the -rench idiom "e the de*inite

article a a determiner, however, thi doe not im!act the yntactic tr"ct"re and there*ore

thee idiom are !laced in thi category.

&/&/(/& Cloe e:*ivalen%e

a4 *e o! $i!!erent prepoition

No idiom have been *o"nd to *it thi category.

24 *e o! in"*lar v/ pl*ral !orm

bang oneL head againt the

wall E#F

e cogner la tte contre le

mZr

tlo"ct hlavo" o 1e[

V EbLF N Pre! N V N Pre! N

Both nglih and -rench idiom are emantically e0"ivalent with the meaning o*

wasting time to accomplish something that is completely hopeless. +he verb have the ame

denotation, however, the -rench idiom "e the re*le/ive *orm o* the verb. In cae o* thee

two idiom the mor!hological deviance i related to the !l"ral *orm o* GwallG that i "ed in

the -rench idiom a o!!oed to the ing"lar *orm o* GwallG in the nglih one.

*rom head to *oot E#(F de la tte a"/ !ied od hlavy aW k !at

Pre! N Pre! N Pre! N Pre! N

ith the meaning o* completely covering the bodyboth idiom are emantically and

le/ically identical, however the -rench idiom "e body !art in !l"ral *orm G*eetG, wherea

nglih re*er to G*ootG in the ing"lar.

%4 *e o! prepoitional v/ non9prepoitional p#rae

No idiom have been *o"nd to *it thi category.

$4 %#an"e o! -or$ or$erhave a good head on oneL avoir la tte bien "r le m3t hlav" !evn na rameno"

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ho"lder E#;F 4!a"le

V N Pre! N V N Pre! N

Aorre!onding on the emantic and yntactic level, both idiom mean to have common

sense. herea the nglih idiom e/!ree the *ac"lty o* Ggood eneG by having a good

headreali1ed with an ad6ective *ollowed by a no"n, the -rench idiom *oc"e on the *act that

the head i Gattached wellG to the ho"lder and "e a no"n *ollowed by an adverb intead.

kee! a cool head E&$F garder la tte *roide 1achovat i chladno" hlav"

V %d6 N V N %d6

ith the meaning o*staying calm in a difficult situation and being com!oed o* V

N contit"ent, the two idiom are emantically and yntactically identical. Cowever, they

how a deviance in term o* di**erent !oition o* a no"n and ad6ective in the no"n !hrae.

herea the nglih idiom "e ad6ective a a !remodi*ier o* the no"n, in the -rench idiom

the ad6ective i !oitioned a*ter the no"n.

&/&/(/) 6artial e:*ivalen%e


get th into oneL head E#>F Len*oncer 0ch dan le cr\ne v13t i do hlavy


Both nglih and -rench idiom have the meaning o* starting to believe something.

-rom the le/ical !oint o* view the nglih idiom !oint to the head, while the -rench

co"nter!art "eskull. @imilarly, there i a di**erence in the denotation o* the verb, nglih

"e ne"tral verbget, wherea -rench *oc"e on the re*le/ive and more e/!reive verb with

the meaning o*sink into orpress.

go to one head E#:F monter a" cervea" X 0"L"n vl41t do hlavy

V Pre! EbLF N V Pre! N Pre! N

De!ite the ame meaning o* making someone think that they are very important thi

!air o* idiom di**er in term o* the yntactic tr"ct"re and "age o* body le/eme. herea

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the nglih idiom "e head, the -rench one re*er to the GbrainG. %!art *rom the le/ical

deviation, both idiom "e di**erent grammatical cae in their attrib"te. In nglih there i

the genitive *orm o* sb3s head, wherea -rench em!loye the dative by mean o* the

!re!oition to, which i !laced a*ter the no"n.

have eye in the back o*

oneL head E#?F

avoir le ye"/ dan le do m3t o7i v1ad"


%ltho"gh emantically e0"ivalent with the meaning o* knowing everything that is

happening around,both idiom re*er to di**erent body !art. +he nglih idiom e/!ree the

*ac"lty o* eeing everything by mean o* having eyes on the reverse side of the head, while

the -rench one !oint to the back. @yntactically both idiom *ollow the ame tr"ct"re, even

tho"gh the nglih idiom "e a com!oite !re!oition in the back of.


do th tanding on oneL head

E##F

*aire 0ch le doigt dan le

ne1

dlat levo" 1adn3

V N ad6"nctTcom!l V N ad6"nctTcom!l

ith the meaning o* doing something very easilythe two idiom can be conidered a

emantically e0"ivalent. In com!liance with vetkoL categori1ation o* tr"ct"ral !attern o*

idiom, both nglih and -rench idiom corre!ond on the yntactical level a well. +hey

di**er le/ically, tho"gh. +he nglih idiom convey the notion o* GeaineG by standing on

someone3s head, while it -rench co"nter!art !oint to the act o* havingfingers in the nose.

!"t an idea into one head

E(>F

mettre la !"ce X lLoreille de

0"L"n

naadit bro"ka do hlavy

V N Pre! N V N Pre! N Pre! N

hile having the ame meaning o* making someone want to do something they had

not thought about before, both idiom di**er le/ically, coniting o* di**erent body !art. In

term o* emantic relation the nglih idiom re*er to the holonym head, wherea in -rench

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there i a !re*erence *or the "e o* it meronym ear. @imilarly, nglih idiom "e anideaa

o!!oed to thefleain -rench with the meaning o*putting the flea in the ear of someone. -rom

the yntactical !oint o* view both idiom *ollow the ame !attern with the di**erence in the

no"n !hrae, which i in nglih e/!reed bysomeone3s head, wherea in -rench there i the

!re!oition ofEear of someone.

talk oneL head o** E($F caer le oreille X 0"L"n ml"vit aW 6de 1 toho hlava

kolem

V N %dv V N Pre! N

Both the nglih and -rench idiom hare the ame meaning o* talking to someone

for a long time. e/ically, however, the nglih idiom re*er to the holonym head, while in

-rench the !l"ral *orm o* it meronym eari "ed. Moreover, in nglih it i one3s head that

i talked off, while in -rench the tr"ct"re "e dative and goe a tobreak ears to someone.

%4 *e o! a $i!!erent ver2

be o** oneL head E:F ne !l" avoir a tte 1tratit hlav"

V %dv N V Nith the meaning o* being cra-y the emantic e0"ivalence i achieved in both

lang"age. +he idiom !ro!oe an image o* being without head, neverthele, they "e a

di**erent verb and yntactic tr"ct"re. hile in nglih the idiom "e verb be being without

one3s head, the -rench idiom "e haveEhaving no more one3s head.

be over head and ear in

work E;F

avoir d" travail a"de" la

tte

m3t !rce nad hlav"

V Pre! N Pre! N V Pre! N Pre! N

+hi !air o* idiom corre!ond on the emantic and yntactic level. ith the meaning

o* being e*tremely busy, the two idiom di**er in the "e o* verb. +he nglih idiom "e

verb be, e/!reing the notion o* being immersed in worka o!!oed to havein -rench with

the idea o* having a lot of work.

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have oneL head in the clo"d

EF

tre dan la l"ne m3t hlav" v oblac3ch

V N Pre! N V Pre! N

-rom the emantic !oint o* view, thee two idiom convey the ame meaning o* being

unaware of what is going around. e/ically they di**er in the "e o* verb a well a other

le/ical mean. hile the nglih idiom convey the notion o* having one3s head in the

clouds, the -rench idiom *oc"e on being on the moon.

head will roll E&;F de tte vont tomber b"do" !adat hlavy

N V N V

Both nglih and -rench idiom have the meaning o* being punished for something

bad that has happened. ventho"gh emanticaly and yntactically both idiom corre!ond,

there i a le/ical deviation in term o* the "e o* verb. +he nglih idiom e/!ree the idea

o* heads rollinga o!!oed to the heads falling in -rench. -rom the yntactic !oint o* view,

both idiom are clai*ied a entential idiom.

make head or tail o* th E((F nLavoir ni 0"e"e ni tte nem3t hlav" ani !at"V N or N V EnotF N nor N

ith the meaning o* understanding something both idiom are identical on the

emantic level. Cowever, while the nglih idiom *oc"e on the ability to understand

something, the -rench idiom, being e/!reed in the negative *orm, render the idea o* not

understanding.% *ar a the le/ical deviation i concerned, both idiom "e di**erent verb,

make in nglih a o!!oed to have in -rench. @yntactically both idiom *ollow the ame

tr"ct"re, the no"n !hrae, however, are reali1ed by word in a di**erent order head or tail

in nglih and not tail nor head in -rench.


be not right in the head E>F avoir "n grain nem3t to v hlav v !o8dk"

V %d6 Pre! N V N

+hi !air o* idiom e/!ree the idea o* being mentally ill.%!art *rom containing

di**erent le/ical mean, the nglih idiom i *ormed by a !re!oitional !hrae, *oc"ing on the

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tate o* being right in the head, wherea in -rench the em!hai i !laced on having a grain,

which re!reent very mall 0"antity o* omething and re*er to be a little bit cra-y.

bite bL head o** E?F !aer "n avon X 0""n vy7itit nkom" Wal"dek

V N %dv V N Pre! N

Caving the meaning o*speaking to someone angrily, thee two idiom are e0"ivalent

on the emantic level. Cowever, being reali1ed with di**erent le/ical mean, they di**er

coniderably *rom the le/ical and yntactical !oint o* view. hile the nglih idiom convey

the notion o* biting someone3s head off, it -rench co"nter!art !ro!oepassing a soap to

someone. Moreover, the nglih idiom "e !hraal verb.

have a head *or E#=F avoir la boe de m3t dobro" hlav" na

V N Pre! V N Pre!

Both idiom are emantically e0"ivalent with the meaning o* having the mental

capacity for something. e/ically each idiom "e a di**erent no"n, nglih re*er to head

while -rench "e hump.+he yntactic tr"ct"re o* the idiom i identical.

have wollen head E&(F avoir la groe tte b2t n*"ka

V %d6 N V %d6 N

Both nglih and -rench idiom mean to think of oneself as more important than they

really are. Caving the ame tr"ct"re, thee idiom can be conidered a emantically and

yntactically e0"ivalent. e/ically, de!ite "ing identical verb with the ame denotation,

both idiom di**er in the "e o* ad6ective modi*ying the no"n GheadG. nglih concentrate

on head that i "nnat"rallyswollen, while -rench "egigantic head.

head on E&>F de !lein *o"et !lno" !aro"

N %dv Pre! %d6 N

Both idiom are nonverbal adverbial !hraeme that hare the ame meaning o* at full

speed. Aoniting o* di**erent word, they vary both le/ically and yntactically.

Meta!horically the nglih idiom *oc"e on head going first, while the -rench idiom

convey the notion o* being driven by a whip at full speed.

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head or tail E&:F !ile o" *ace !anna nebo orel

+hi !air o* nonverbal idiom i "ed when throwing a coin to g"e which ide it will

land on. Caving the tr"ct"re o* adverbial !hraeme N or N and haring the ame meaning,

they corre!ond on the emantic and yntactic level, however, they di**er le/ically. +he

nglih idiom "e heads or tails in !l"ral *orm, wherea in -rench a ing"lar *orm o*

reverse side of a coin or facei "ed.

la"gh oneL head o** E(#F e *endre la g"e"le m3chy e !o!adat 1a b8icho

V N %dv V N

Caving the ame meaning o* laughing very much and very loudlyb"t being com!oed

o* com!letely di**erent le/ical mean, thi !air o* idiom corre!ond only on the emantic

level. -rom the le/ical !oint o* view, -rench "e re*le/ive and more e/!reive verb bursta

o!!oed to the ne"tral verb laughin nglih. @imilarly, in nglih it i omeoneL head that i

laughed off,b"t in -rench it i the mouth that iburst.

!"t oneL head in a nooe E(;F e 6eter dan la g"e"le delo"!

chytit e do my7ky

V N Pre! N V Pre! N Pre! N

ith the meaning o* bringing about one3s own downfall there i a emantic

corre!ondence achieved in both lang"age. Cowever, in term o* le/ical and yntactic

e0"ivalence both idiom di**er coniderably. -rench idiom contain re*le/ive and more

e/!reive verb rush, while nglih "e ne"tral verbput. @imilarly, in nglih it i head that

get ca"ght in a noose, -rench idiom, on the other hand, e/!ree the idea o* rushing into the

mouth of a wolf.

"e oneL head E>#F e ervir de m4ninge !o"W3vat hlav"

V EbLF N V Pre! N

Both nglih and -rench idiom corre!ond emantically with the meaning o*thinking

more carefully about things. Cowever, the -rench idiom "e re*le/ive and !re!oitional verb

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se servir de. +he two idiom di**er le/ically a well, with the nglih idiom re*erring to head

while the the -rench one "ing brain.

e4 *e o! %ompo*n$ v/ t-o le0eme

No idiom have been *o"nd to *it thi "bcategory.

&/&/(/1 Non9e:*ivalen%e

+he category o* none0"ivalent idiom contain idiomatic e/!reion that have no

co"nter!art in the target lang"age. In order to !rovide a com!lete !ict"re o* the range o* the

corre!ondence, it wa neceary to incl"de into thi ection both nglihO-rench and-renchOnglih body idiom. @ince thee idiom are known to lack their idiomatic

e0"ivalent, there i no need *or a *"rther analyi o* their le/ical, emantic or yntactic

a!ect. Idiom belonging to thi gro"! have been e/!lained by mean o* !ara!hrae and,

there*ore, only their meaning EMF ha been given. % *ar a the -renchnglih idiom are

concerned, a!art *rom the meaning alo the literal tranlation o* the -rench idiom E-+F have

been !rovided.

En"li# 5 Fren%# i$iom

+hi gro"! incl"de nglih head idiom that have no idiomatic e0"ivalent in -rench.

-irtly, the meaning o* the nglih idiom EMF i given. -or thi !"r!oe #ambridge Advanced

Learner3s Dictionary of English ha been "ed. @econdly, the literal tranlation o* the -rench

e/!reion E-+F i incl"ded. +he none0"ivalent !ara!hraed co"nter!art o* the nglih

idiom have been *o"nd in the electronic verion o* #ollins %rench8English Dictionary.

be head and ho"lder above

E(F

d4!aer le a"tre dL"ne tte !8evyYovat koho o hlav"

0: to be far superior to someone else.

%(: to surpass the others by a head

be over oneL head E=F !aer a"de" la tte de

0"L"n

m3t n7eho aW nad hlav"

0: to be beyond someone3s comprehension.

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%(: to pass over the head of someone

be weak in the head E$F tre *aible de!rit b2t lab4ho d"cha

0: be stupid.

%(: be weak of spirit

come to a head E#'F devenir criti0"e tt e kritick2m

0: to reach a critical or crucial stage.

%(: to become critical

*all head over heel in love

with omeone E#&F

devenir *ollement amo"re"/

de 0""n

bl1niv e 1amilovat

0: be completely in love

%(: to become fully in love of someone

have a head tart E#$F avoir "ne longe"r davance m3t nkok

0: to have an advantage that makes someone more likely to succeed

%(: to have a length in advance

have old head on yo"ng

ho"lder E&'F

tre mZr avant lL\ge b2t !8ed7an vy1rl2

0: to be mature in the young age

%(: to be mature before age

have rock in oneL head E&&F tre cingl4 b2t ckn"t2

0: to act with a lack of intelligence

%(: to be cra-y

hold a g"n to one head E&=F !reer "n !itolet contre la

tte de 0""n

dt !itoli k hlav

0: to use threats to force someone to do what one wants

%(: to press a pistol against someone3s head

knock th on the head E('F mettre *in X 0ch koncovat n73m

0: to stop doing something

%(: to put end to something

!"t oneL head above the

!ara!et E(:F

oer Le/!oer X la criti0"e dt hlav" na Y!alek

0: to be brave enough to state someone3s own opinion

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%(: to dare to e*pose oneself to the criti1ue

cratch oneL head E(=F e gratter la tte Ykrbat e na hlav

0: to have difficulty understanding something

%(: to scratch the head

talk thro"gh the back o*

oneL head E(?F

dire de b4tie ml"vit 1 cety

0: to talk nonsense

%(: to talk nonsense

Fren%# 5 En"li#

@ince the meaning o* the -rench idiom i given by mean o* the !ara!hraed non

idiomatic nglih e/!reion, only the literal tranlation o* the -rench idiom i "!!lied.

ne rien avoir dan la tte be t"!id m3t !r1dno" hlav"

L(: to have nothing in the head

avoir la tte comme "n ea" be overloaded m3t hlav" 6ako Yko!ek

L(: to have the head like a bucket

avoir tte aille"r think o* other thing m3t hlav" 6inde

L(: to have head elsewhere

tre "n tte en lLair be a ditraction m3t hlav" v oblac3ch

L(: to be a head in the air

X t"ette at the to! o* oneL voice 1 !lna hrdla

L(: until tired head

la tte !r] d" bonnet get eaily angry nem3t daleko k rn

L(: the head near the hat this e*pression originates from the situation when a person that

loses temper throws their hat away

la tte "r le billot claim omething with

certainty

dt krk 1a nco

L(: the head on the block

*aire la tte t"rn oneL noe "! at dlat obli7e6e

L(: to make head

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e cre"er la tte think really hard lmat i hlav"

L(: to dig into the head

e caer la tte get into a tro"ble ro1b3t i no

L(: to break the head

avoir la it"ation en main have th "nder control m3t nco !od kontrolo"

L(: to have the situation in hand

en mettre a main X co"!er be certain o* th dt r"k" do ohn

L(: put your hand to be cut

&/&/& ?an$ i$iom

&/&/&/( A2ol*te e:*ivalen%e

dirty oneL hand with th E:=F e ailir le main avec 0ch 1aY!init i r"ce 73m


+hee idiomatic e/!reion hare the ame meaning o* doing something shameful or

illegal.De!ite the re*le/ive *orm o* the verb in -rench and di**erent ty!e o* determiner

"ed, !oeive !rono"n in nglih and the de*inite article in -rench, both idiom can be

conidered a abol"tely e0"ivalent.

hand in hand E;;F main dan la main r"k" v r"ce

N Pre! N N Pre! N

ith the meaning o* in cooperation or togetherand coniting o* the ame le/ical

mean, thee nonverbal idiom corre!ond with regard to the three e/amined level.

%ltho"gh the determiner i "ed only in the -rench idiom, thi !air o* idiom can be ortedo"t a abol"tely e0"ivalent.

have yo"r hand tied E=&F avoir le main li4e m3t v1n4 r"ce

V N %d6 V N %d6

Both idiom e/!re the inability to act freelyand being identical alo on the yntactic

and le/ical level, they *"ll*il the criteria *or the abol"te e0"ivalence.

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r"b one hand E$=F e *rotter le main mno"t i r"ce

V N V N

ith the meaning o* e*periencing or displaying pleased anticipation or self8

satisfaction,both idiom are identical in term o* their yntactic tr"ct"re and "e o* le/ical

com!onent. +hey both "e determiner a well a verb with the ame denotation. In !ite o*

the *act that the -rench idiom "e re*le/ive *orm o* the verb, the two idiom are viewed "!on

a abol"tely e0"ivalent.

take th in hand E?&F !rendre 0ch en main cho!it e 7eho


Both nglih and -rench idiom mean to take control or assume responsibility for

something. Aorre!onding *"lly on all three level, thi !air o* idiom i abol"tely e0"ivalent.

wring one hand E#''F e tordre le main lomit r"kama

V N V N

Both idiom are "ed to how thatsomeone is worried or unhappy about a situation.

ventho"gh the -rench idiom "e re*le/ive verb and a di**erent ty!e o* determiner, the twoidiom can be regarded a corre!onding on all three level.

&/&/&/& Cloe e:*ivalen%e

a4 *e o! $i!!erent prepoition

at *irt hand E>>F de !remiere main 1 !rvn3 r"ky

Pre! %d6 N Pre! %d6 N

+hi !air o* idiomatic e/!reion convey the meaning o* coming from the original

source. %ltho"gh being yntactically identical, both idiom di**er le/ically in the "e o*

!re!oition O at in nglih a o!!oed to of in -rench.

at hand E>:F o" la main !o r"ce

Pre! N Pre! N

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/!reing the notion o* availability or that omething i close by,both idiom are

emantically identical and *ollow the ame yntactic !attern. Cowever, they di**er in the

!re!oition "ed. hile in nglih the notion o* !ro/imity i e/!reed by mean o*

!re!oition at meaning by or ne*t to, the -rench idiom "e !re!oition under.

by hand E:&F de main r"7n

Pre! N Pre! N

ith the meaning o* manually,the corre!ondence o* both idiom i achieved on the

emantic and yntactic level. e/ically, the nglih idiom "e !re!oition bye/!reing the

mannerwhile in -rench there i "ed !re!oition of intead.

have on yo"r hand E=(F avoir entre e main m3t na tarot

V Pre! N V Pre! N

+he meaning o* thee two idiom i to be responsible for someone or something. Both

idiom corre!ond on all level a!art *rom the "e o* a di**erent !re!oition. +h" the nglih

idiom indicate that the Gb"rden or re!onibilityG i on someone3s hands, while in -rench it i

between someone3s hands.

in the hand o* E=;F entre le main de v r"kch koho

Pre! N Pre! Pre! N Pre!

Both nglih and -rench idiom e/!re the notion o* being held or controlled by

someone else. hile the nglih idiom "e !re!oition in, in -rench the idea o* being

controlled by omeone i e/!reed a being between the hands of someone.

24 *e o! in"*lar v/ pl*ral !orm

*all into omeoneL hand E:?F tomber o" la main de 0""n !adno"t kom" do r"ko"

V Pre! N V Pre! N Pre! N

ith the meaning o* being caught or controlled by someone the two idiom are

emantically identical. Cowever, the nglih idiom "e !l"ral *orm o* hands, wherea in

-rench a ing"lar *ormi "ed. @imilarly, the determiner are di**erent, !oeive !rono"n in

nglih a o!!oed to the de*inite article in -rench. Both idiom di**er alo in term o* their

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tr"ct"re, in nglih there i genitive *orm o* someone3s hands, while in -rench the

!re!oitional no"n !hrae the hand of someone i "ed.

get o"t o* hand E;&F 4cha!!er de main vymkno"t e 1 r"ky

V Pre! N V Pre! N

ith the meaning o* losing control over a situationand *ollowing the ame tr"ct"re,

thee idiom corre!ond both emantically and yntactically. Cowever, thi time it i the

-rench idiom that "e it body !art in the !l"ral *orm. +he nglih idiom, on the other hand,

"e !hraal verb with ne"tral denotation get out, while in -rench there i more e/!reive

verb escape.

lay oneL hand on th E=?F mettre la main "r 0ch dotat co do r"ky


+he meaning o* thi !air o* idiom i to find something. % in the !revio" cae, the

nglih idiom "e !oeive !rono"n a a determiner and !l"ral *orm o* hands, while the

-rench idiom "e de*inite article and the body !art in ing"lar. It i alo worth mentioning

that in nglih the verb lay i more e/!reive than the verb "ed in -rench, which ha thene"tral meaningput.

hake hand E$$F e donner la main !odat i r"k"

V N V N

Both nglih and -rench idiom are "ed to e/!re the gesture of greeting or

congratulating someone. +he nglih idiom em!loy !l"ral *orm o* hands with no

determiner, while in -rench there i de*inite article together with the ing"lar *orm hand "ed.

@imilarly, both idiom "e verb with di**erent denotation, the -rench idiom "e re*le/ive

verb with the ne"tral meaning to give, whilt the nglih idiom *oc"e on the act o*shaking

hands when greeting.

win hand down E?;F gagner ha"t la main levo" 1adn3

V N %dv V %dv N

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+hee idiomatic e/!reion mean to win something very easily. Being emantically

identical, both idiom originate *rom the environment o* hore racing. +he nglih idom,

however, *oc"e on the it"ation when a 6ockey in winning !oition loe gri! on the rein

and dro! hi hand down, wherea the -rench idiom render the notion o* holding hand up

to have the rein more eaily "nder control. -rom the yntactical !oint o* view, both idiom

di!lay di**erent word order o* the no"n and adverb. Moreover, the -rench idiom "e

de*inite article together with ing"lar *orm o* hand.

%4 *e o! prepoitional v/ non9prepoitional p#rae

ak *or hand E>(F demander la main Wdat o r"k"

V Pre! N V N

Being emantically identical with the meaning o* proposing someone, thee idiom

di**er in the yntactic tr"ct"re. +he nglih idiom conit o* a !re!oitional !hrae, the

-rench idiom i tr"ct"red witho"t a !re!oition and "ing de*inite article ask the hand.

change hand E:;F changer de main 63t 1 r"ky do r"ky

V N V Pre! N+hee two idiom convey the meaning o*passing from one owner to another. +hi

time it i the -rench idiom that "e the !re!oitional !hrae change of hand. +he nglih

idiom, on the other hand, "e !l"ral *orm hands in contrat with the ing"lar one "ed in

-rench.

*orce oneL hand E;#F *orcer la main X 0"L"n dotla7it koho k 7em"

V N V N Pre! N

Caving the meaning o* making someone act against their will,both idiom corre!ond

on the emantic and le/ical level. @yntactically, however, the -rench idiom "e a

!re!oitional !hrae that i tr"ct"red a force the hand to someonewhile the nglih idiom

"e genitiveforcesomeone3s hand.

with clean hand E?$F avoir le main !ro!re m3t r"ce 7it4

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Pre! %d6 N V N %d6

/!reing the notion o* not being involved in any wrong doings or illegal matters,

both idiom di**er igni*icantly in their tr"ct"re. +he nglih idiom i com!oed o* a non

verbal !re!oitional !hrae, while the -rench one conit o* a verbal !hrae witho"t a

!re!oition with the meaning o* having clean hands. In -rench there i a determiner and

revere order o* no"n and ad6ective "ed.

$4 %#an"e o! -or$ or$er

it on oneL hand E?'F reter le bra croi4 edt e 1aloWen2ma r"kama

V Pre! N V N %d6"nctTAom!l.

ith the meaning o* doing nothing about a problem that needs to be dealt with, both

idiom are identical on the emantic level. here" the nglih idiom conit o*

!re!oitional !hrae, the -rench idiom em!loy no !re!oition at all and ha the revere order

o* no"n and ad6ective. -rom the le/ical !oint o* view thi !air o* idiom might a well *it into

the "bcategory o* di**erent body le/eme. +he nglih idiom re*er to hands that are not in

action, the -rench idiom !oint to the arms. @imilarly, both idiom "e di**erent verb, th" in

nglih omeonesits on their hands while the -rench idiom e/!ree the idea o* remainingwith crossed arms.

omeoneL right hand E?#F "n bra droit !rav r"ka nkoho

E@bLF %d6 N N %d6

+hi !air o* idiomatic e/!reion render the notion o* being someone3s indispensable

help. Both idiom di**er le/ically, "ing di**erent body !art hand in nglih and arm in

-rench. +hey both "e determiner, !oeive !rono"n in nglih and inde*inite article in

-rench. +he change o* word order i re!reented by a di**erent !oition o* modi*ying

ad6ective. +h" in nglih there isb3s right hand, while the -rench idiom i !hraed a an

arm right.

wah oneL hand o* th E?:F Len laver le main dt r"ce od n7eho !ry7

V N Pre! N Pre! V N

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ith the meaning o* ending all involvement in something,both idiom conit o* the

ame le/ical com!onent, they "e verb with the ame denotation and the ame !re!oition.

Both idiom "e determiner, in nglih there i !oeive !rono"n, while -rench em!loy

de*inite article. Cowever, in -rench there i a di**erent word order and a re*le/ive verb "ed.

with *olded hand E??F avec le main 6ointe e 1aloWen2ma r"kama

Pre! %d6 N Pre! N %d6

+hi !air o* nonverbal idiom e/!ree the notionof doing nothing, not willing to

help or intervene with something. -ollowing the ame !re!oitional tr"ct"re and being

identcial in the "e o* the le/ical com!onent, the -rench idiom how the tendency to "e the

revere order o* no"n and ad6ective.

with bare hand E?=F X main n"e hol2ma r"kama

Pre! %d6 N Pre! N %d6

/!reing the act o* not using any type of tool or weapon,both idiom di**er in the

yntactic tr"ct"re d"e to the revere !oition o* the no"n and ad6ective in the -rench idiom.

Both idiom conit o* nonverbal !re!oitional !hrae and hare the intr"mental cae,eventho"gh the -rench idiom "e more general and veratile !re!oition =.

&/&/&/) 6artial e:*ivalen%e


have on oneL hand E=>F avoir "r le bra na r"ko"

V Pre! N V Pre! N

+hee idiom mean to be burdened with someone or something.Being emantically

and yntactically *"lly corre!ondent, they di!lay a di**erence in the le/ical !here. +he

nglih idiom "e hands wherea in -rench there i a meta!hor o* b"rdened arms. Both

idiom "e determiner, !oeive !rono"n in nglih and de*inite article in -rench.

kee! oneL hand in th E==F garder "n !ied dan 0ch nevy63t 1e cvik"

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ith the meaning o* reamaining involved in something and with the identical

tr"ct"re, both idiom can be conidered a emantically and yntactically e0"ivalent.

e/ically, however, they di**er in the "e o* a body !art. nglih e/!ree the notion o*

involvement by keeping someone3s hand, while -rench concentrate on keeping foot.

!lay into oneL hand E$>F *aire le 6e" de 0"L"n hrt kom" na r"k"

V Pre! N V N Pre! N

hile corre!onding emantically with the meaning o* assisting someone in their

schemes without fully reali-ing it, both idiom *ollow di**erent yntactic tr"ct"re and "e

di**erent le/ical mean. In nglih it isomeone3s hands that areplayed into, wherea the

-rench idiom *oc"e onplaying the game of someone and *ollowing their interet.


*ight hand to hand E;'F combattre cor! X cor! bo6ovat tlo na tlo


+hee two idiom convey the notion o* being very near or touching each other while

fighting. @emantically and yntactically the two idiom being identical, they di!lay

di**erence in the le/ical !here. hile the nglih idiom em!loy the meronym hand, the

-rench idiom re*er to it holonym body. @imilarly, the nglih idiom "e ing"lar *orm o*

the no"n a o!!oed to the !l"ral in -rench.

%4 *e o! $i!!erent ver2

come hat in hand E::F e !r4enter le bonnet X lamain

!8i63t !ro3kem


ith the meaning o* asking someone for money or help in a way which makes one feel

ashamedboth idiom *ollow the ame yntactic tr"ct"re b"t they deviate in the "e o* verb

and !re!oiton. +he -rench idiom "e re*le/ive verb with the meaning o* introduce oneself

and the dative in the !re!oitional !hrae to the hand, while the nglih idiom *oc"e on hat

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in handand more ne"tral verb come. Moreover, there i no determiner in the nglih idiom,

a o!!oed to the -rench one.

give omeone a big hand E;>F a!!la"dir de de"/ main moh"tn tlekat

V N V Pre! N

/!reing the idea o* applauding by clapping hands, both idiom corre!ond

emantically. ventho"gh thee idiom contain the ame body le/eme, they are not le/ically

corre!onding beca"e they "e di**erent verb, in nglih there i a general verb give, while

in -rench there i more e/!reive verb applaud.Moreover, the nglih idiom *oc"e on the

conce!t o* big hand, wherea in -rench there i re*erence to the act o* applauding with both

hands.@imilarly, there i a di**erence in the n"mber, there i ing"lar in nglih and !l"ral in

-rench. @yntactically, both idiom how deviance in their tr"ct"re a only the -rench idiom

i com!oed o* the !re!oitional !hrae.

have the "!!er hand E=:F !rendre le de" m3t navrch

V %d6 N V N

ith the notion o* having more power than anyone else, thee two idiom areemantically identical. e/ically, however, they vary in the verbal a!ect. In nglih there i

verb have, while in -rench take i "ed. @imilarly, the nglih idiom conit o* a no"n

modi*ied by an ad6ective upper hand, wherea in -rench there i a ingle no"n re*erring to the

upper part.

t"rn oneL hand to th E?(F mettre la main X 0ch cho!it e 7eho


Caving the meaning o* beginning or being able to do somethingand *ollowing the

ame tr"ct"re, both idiom di**er only in the verbal a!ect. +hi time it i the nglih idiom

that "e more e/!reive verb turn, wherea in -rench there i a ne"tral verb put. Both

idiom corre!ond alo in the "e o* determiner and the dative in the !re!oitional !hrae.


be an old hand E>$F conna^tre la m"i0"e b2t tar2 ko1k

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V %d6 N V N

ith the meaning o* being well e*perienced in somethingboth idiom di**er in many

a!ect. ?F avoir le coe"r "r la main m3t rdce na dlani

V %d6 V N Pre! N

In order to e/!re the notion o* being generousthe nglih idiom "e com!o"nd

*oc"ing on the act o* having opened hands. +he -rench idiom, on the other hand, highlight

the *act that omebody ha their heart on the hand. Both idiom di**er not only le/ically, b"t

alo yntactically, *ollowing di**erent tr"ct"ral !attern.

bite the hand that *eed

omeone E:#F

cracher dan la o"!e !livat do !ol4vky

V N "bordinate cla"e V Pre! N

Aoniting o* totally di**erent le/ical mean, both nglih and -rench idiom mean to

act badly towards a person that helped someone. +he -rench idiom "e !re!oitional !hrae,

wherea the nglih idiom i com!ried o* the main and "bordinate cla"e. Both idiom are,

however, connected with the notion o* no"rihment a an inde!enable !art o* a h"man li*e.

hile in nglih the ingratit"de i e/!reed by biting the hand that provides the food for

someone, the -rench idiom *oc"e onspitting into someone3s soup.

catch omeone redhanded

E:>F

!rendre la main dan le ac chytit !8i 7in"

V N ad6"nctTcom!l. V N Pre! N

+he meaning o* the above mentioned idiom i to be seen or caught in the act of doing

something wrong. Both idiom are le/ically com!letely di**erent and do not *ollow the ame

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yntactic tr"ct"re. In nglih the em!hai i !"t on catching a person with the victim3s

blood still on their hands, wherea the -rench idiom *oc"e on catching the hand in the bag.

eat o"t o* oneL hand E:$F obeir 0"L"n comme "n chien 1obat nkom" 1 r"ky

V Pre! N V N Pre! N

Caving the meaning o* being manipulated or dominated by someone, the two

idiomatic e/!reion di**er le/ically. +he nglih idiom i more e/!reive and reveal the

notion o* in*eriority by eating out of someone3s hands, while the -rench idiom re*er toa very

blind obedience that is common for dogs. Both idiom conit o* !re!oitional !hrae,

however, their yntactic tr"ct"re are di**erent.

give a hand E;(F donner "n co"! de main !odat !omocno" r"k"

V N V N Pre! N

Caving the meaning o* helping someone, both idiom "e verb with the ame

denotation o*give.In nglih, however, the *oc" i !laced ongiving a hand, while in -rench

the idiom e/!reegiving a blow of hand to someone. +here*ore, the -rench idiom di**er not

only in the "e o* di**erent le/ical com!onent Eco"! de mainF, it how alo a deviance withregard to the "e o* !re!oitional !hrae. In thi re!ect, the two idiom are diimilar both

le/ically and yntactically.

hand in glove E;=F comme le cin0 doigt de la

main

b2t 6edna r"ka

N Pre! N Pre! N Pre! N

ith the meaning o* being cooperative to do something dishonest, both idiom are

nonverbal and contain the body le/eme hand. Neverthele, they have di**erent yntactic

tr"ct"re and alo "e di**erent le/ical mean. +he nglih idiom convey the notion of being

as cooperative as hand and glove are, while in -rench thi aitance i e/!reed with the

meta!hor like five fingers of the hand.

have a *ree hand E='F avoir carte blanche m3t 1eleno"

V %d6 N V N %d6

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Both nglih and -rench idiom mean to have unrestricted freedom to act. hile in

nglih the em!hai i !"t on having a free hand, in -rench it i a white card that give

omeone *reedom. In com!liance with the tendency to "e revere order o* no"n and

ad6ective in -rench, there i a di**erence in the yntactic tr"ct"re o* both idiom.

have yo"r hand *"ll E=#F avoir *ort X *aire m3t !ln4 r"ce !rce

V N %d6 V %dv in*initive

Both nglih and -rench idiom mean to be fully occupied with something. hile the

nglih idiom re*er to having hands full of work, in -rench the em!hai i !"t on having

much to do. In com!liance with the le/ical variation there i alo a di**erence in the yntactic

tr"ct"re.

know th like the back o*

oneL hand E=$F

conna^tre 0ch comme a

!oche

1nt 6ako v4 boty

V N Pre! N Pre! N V N Pre! N

+he two idiom mean to be very familia

Comparative Analysis of English and French Body Idioms

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