ILMIY VA PROFESSIONAL TA’LIM JARAYONIDA MULOQOT, FAN VA MADANIYATLAR
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Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages
ANALYSIS OF PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH
AND UZBEK LANGUAGES
Nosirova Rano Azizovna
Teacher Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages
Abstract.
This article explores the field of phraseology, focusing on the structure, usage,
and significance of phraseological units in contemporary English and Uzbek languages. It delves
into the distinctive characteristics of these units, their role in linguistic expression, and the
complexities they present for learners. Additionally, the study examines the pedagogical
challenges associated with teaching phraseological units and idioms, highlighting difficulties in
comprehension, contextual application, and acquisition by non-native speakers.
Keywords:
phraseological units, idioms, collocations, grammar, general vocabulary,
syntagmatic combinations
Phraseology has always been and remains a relevant topic. Although a significant number
of studies on this subject have been published in recent years, they are still insufficient because
didactics related to phraseology has not been studied in classrooms as extensively as other areas,
such as general vocabulary or grammar. Similarly, we consider phraseology an intriguing issue
worth focusing on, as scholars claim it to be the cornerstone of any language's lexicon.
Composite units such as phraseological expressions and idioms are considered extremely
complex for non-native speakers, as they represent traditional forms of expression. In Uzbek, we
say "vafot etmoq" or "tish tirnogi bilan," while in English, the equivalents are "to join the
majority" or "tooth and nail." Likewise, Uzbek and English have different social interaction
formulas and expressions with metaphorical or figurative meanings that are interesting to
compare and contrast.
Although several renowned authors have studied phraseology, such as E.D. Polivanov,
V.V. Vinogradov, S.I. Abakumov, G.K. Damilov, A.I. Efimov, A.Yu. Rozhansky, F.F.
Fortunatov, A.A. Shakhmatov, Sh. Rakhmatullaev, Ruiz Gurillo (1997), Cowie (1998), or Gläser
(1998), for our purposes, we will use the definition of phraseological units provided by Corpus
Pastor (1996:20). The author defines them as multi-word lexical units consisting of at least two
graphic words (with a whole sentence as its upper limit), characterized by a high frequency of
component co-occurrence and varying degrees of institutionalization, including formal rigidity,
internal fixation, and semantic specialization or opacity.
Phraseological units are highly multifaceted. Among them, we find quotes, proverbs,
semantic statements, and others. This article focuses on proverbs (statements that constitute a
complete text and independently express a fundamental truth or practical prescription) and social
order formulas (expressions that must be inserted into a specific context to make sense and are
usually used to demonstrate the speaker’s subjectivity in their speech). These are the most
frequently used in everyday life. Therefore, both represent complete statements, speech acts, and
units possessing internal and external fixation.
As Siyanova and Schmitt suggest, "Teachers must make fundamental changes in their
vocabulary teaching pedagogy by focusing on phrasal elements rather than individual words.
They should also avoid mechanical memorization of vocabulary, as learning new words one by
one without interaction provides little benefit to students." Consequently, a new perspective is
needed to give phraseological units the importance they truly deserve in second-language
learning. Firstly, students should be made aware of the different categories they belong to and
will be exposed to. They should be introduced to collocations, proverbs, idioms, and social
routines, their essential characteristics, and how to recognize and gradually use them. Thus, in
foreign language classes, beyond the grammatical component, other competencies and skills
should play a crucial role, such as interactive competence, which ensures genuine
communication between speakers.
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Once these strategies are identified and put into practice, misunderstandings among
English learners will decrease. This will likely help avoid further frustration for readers/listeners
and encourage them to continue reading and engaging in oral communication. Continuous
exposure to real English will increase the chances of encountering the same expressions
repeatedly, leading to eventual mastery through practice and repetition. Although the four
categories of phraseological units discussed in this article share some common features, we
consider it essential to highlight certain aspects of their understanding and acquisition to raise
specific awareness of key points.
Regarding proverbs, we emphasize Mieder’s (2004) statement: "Proverbs should be used
in teaching as didactic tools due to their educational wisdom content. They belong to the
common knowledge of almost all native speakers; they are indeed very effective means of
conveying wisdom, truth, morality, traditional views, and knowledge about human nature and
the world in general." When it comes to their comprehension, the development of speech
competence continues from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood. Research on
proverbs has shown that compared to other types of figurative language (metaphors, similes,
etc.), proverbs are generally more difficult to understand. Like most figurative language, they do
not follow a fixed rule, so they must be learned through exposure, repetition, and everyday use.
Temple and Honeck discuss the figurative comprehension of proverbs, explaining that "it
involves problem-solving, requiring understanding and integrating the proverb’s theme,
discourse context, figurative meaning, and the speakers’ ‘pragmatic cues.’"
Thus, working with proverbs is a way for learners to immerse themselves in the lifestyle of
a foreign community, striving to connect both the proverb’s theme and its cultural significance.
Social phraseological formulas, for example, are used to greet someone, say goodbye, express
gratitude, offer condolences, congratulate, welcome someone, introduce someone, and so on. As
we see, these are common situations we often encounter and should correctly incorporate into
our speech. Hence, teaching them should be active, culturally relevant, and context-based.
As Levin states, "Knowing a noun allows learners to name a concept, but that is far from
enabling them to discuss it." Thus, when a learner makes an error in collocation while trying to
discuss a topic, it presents an excellent opportunity to expand and structure their vocabulary
more effectively. Teachers should not only correct the mistake but also provide additional
collocations. However, we should not wait for mistakes to appear before teaching collocations in
context. When focusing on daily reading, we can go beyond the traditional question, "Are there
any words you don’t know or need clarification on?" and highlight collocations and specific
expressions that could be useful for learners’ communicative activities.
Furthermore, students already know many "simple" words but cannot use them effectively
because they fail to recognize their common collocations. Therefore, following Levin (2001),
"time spent on semi-familiar language is more likely to aid acquisition than time spent on
entirely new material." Often, the pedagogical challenge is not to focus on entirely new words
but to make relatively new words more accessible. This is why proposed activities should be
communicative and authentic, emphasizing everyday events that require repeated communicative
use. Only through continuous encounters and practical application in communication will
receptive knowledge of collocations transform into productive knowledge, gradually building
students’ confidence in using collocations in a second language.
Finally, idioms must be addressed. As mentioned earlier, an idiom is an expression whose
meaning is not always easily derived from the ordinary meanings of its constituent elements.
Idioms can be both figurative and literal; for example, "kick the bucket" does not mean to die,
"pull someone’s leg" does not always mean joking, and "spend a fortune" does not imply literally
protecting one's limbs.
These factors make idioms particularly challenging for second-language learners, leading
them to often avoid idioms altogether. However, avoiding idioms is not a solution, as students
will encounter them in various forms of discourse: conversations, lectures, films, radio programs,
television shows, newspapers, and more. Although some researchers, such as Nippold (1991),
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argue that mastering idioms is an endless challenge, studies have been conducted to determine
the best ways to learn them and overcome "idiom-phobia."
Thus, phraseological units and idioms are deeply tied to understanding the social and
cultural aspects of a foreign language, helping learners comprehend different cultures, manage
language in specific communicative situations, and serve as crucial tools for communication.
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