English Phraseological Units: Secondary Interpretation of Knowledge About Social Relations

Abstract

The article deals with phraseological units (hereinafter - PU) of the English language containing somatisms, names of food, clothes and furniture, transmitting information about social relations. It is noted that PU are the result of secondary interpretation of knowledge, which leads to the cognitive models of their semantics formation being considered. The main research method is cognitive modeling. The authors reveal that in the course of secondary understanding of information about social relations, metaphorical, metonymic and metaphtonymic cognitive models can be involved. The research shows that when forming the semantics of PU transmitting information about social relations, the metaphorical model SOCIAL - PHYSICAL, MENTAL - PHYSICAL, as well as the models HUMAN BEING - ANIMAL (insect), HUMAN BEING (head) - CONTAINER can be used in the process of secondary interpretation. Metaphorical projection can be based on the following main characteristics: feature and action. The metonymic models involved are PART1 (product) - PART2 (producer), PART (specific manifestation) - WHOLE (phenomenon), PART1 (workplace) - PART2 (position associated with the workplace), PART1 (body part) - PART2 (external manifestation of an emotion), PART2 (cause) - PART1 (effect). The interaction of the EMOTIONAL - PHYSICAL metaphorical model and the PART1 (organ) - PART2 (functional significance) metonymic model was revealed in the metaphtonymic understanding of information about social relations.