English Idioms
Author: Anastasia Kobeleva
Russia, Tumen region, the city of Yalutorovsk,the First school, 8 form

ABSTRACT

The work considers idioms, from W. Shakespeare’s plays and their interpretation in English and Russian, also the similarities and differences in metaphors in both languages, which helps to learn these languages and understand culture and history.

While introducing the material on this theme it has been realized that without historical and cultural background and the knowledge of Shakespeare’s works the meaning of «shakespearisms» is difficult to understand and use.

So, this idea has become the hypothesis of the work. To prove it we organized the experiment. The first step we search the information on the theme. Next we divided the 8 “c” form into 2 groups. The first group was taught the idioms without historical comments, the second one was explained the origin of the phrases, the plays of Shakespeare. After I tested the both groups and the results confirmed the hypothesis. The second group made fewer mistakes.

The subject is actual because it allows to broaden the general and philological horizons, to know better the native language and English. Using idioms in our speech is one of the ways to demonstrate the richness of the languages and personal social-culture competence

I consider that this work will be interesting to English teachers, to pupils who learn English profoundly. It can help students to improve their language also as an additional material in improving speaking, reading, listening skills, in reading literature in original.

INTRODUCTION

“Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life” Brain Tracy

Idioms are words, phrases or expressions which are commonly used in everyday conversation by native speakers of English. They are often metaphorical and make the language more colorful. People use them to express something more vividly and often more briefly. They serve as an image or mental picture.

English and Russian are both productive with idioms. Idioms reflect national features personify in a language and are prospered in customs and habits that characterize a society. Lots of cultural knowledge is personified in idioms. We can communicate effectively through idioms as it reflects nation’s culture. Though the syntax of the idioms may be different, the meaning and theme is the same in both countries. e.g. crying over spilt milk means repenting the same is conveyed in Russian language differently. Idioms are used commonly to enfold a resolve evaluation or effective manner toward the things they indicate.

I have been learning English for 6 years and realized that the most difficult for understanding and using are idioms. I have tried to find out the roots of idioms and come to the conclusion that lots of them are from Shakespeare’s works. Starting with simple translation I’ve understood that it’s impossible to get the meaning of them without historical and cultural background. Idioms appear in all languages and speakers use them to communicate ideas clearly and effectively. Using and decoding idiomatic expressions helps non-native speakers sound more fluent and helps them in understanding others more efficiently.

Other thing I realized there is no a side of human life which isn’t reflected in idioms. Idioms like a mirror of people’s history, culture and everyday life. So I decide to start my introduction from the very beginning, but looking through the Bible I’ve found that the language is too difficult for me, so I’ve chosen the idioms of Shakespeare. This kind of idioms sometime is called “shakespearisms” and all of them have their set form, because the author had used them only once.

The objective of my work is analysis of Shakespearean Idioms, their changes in modern language.

Tasks: - to find out the roots of some “shakespearisms”

- to find Russian equivalence to some “shakespearisms”

-to make up some advises how to translate idioms.

Relevance: [ˈrelɪvəns] актуальность

Object: - English idioms

Subject: - Idioms from Shakespeare’s works

The hypothesis [haɪˈpɔθɪsɪs] of the work is: Without historical and cultural background and the knowledge of Shakespeare’s works the meaning of «shakespearisms» is difficult to understand and use.

Methods: The analysis of information sources on a problem.

Practical importance: I consider that work will be interesting to English teachers, to pupils who learn English profoundly.

RESEARCH PART

CHAPTER 1. 1.1. WHAT IS SHAKESPEARISMS

English language enriched with idioms, which are taken from the Bible, and on the second position after it are Shakespeare’s poems. This kind of idioms sometime is called “shakespearisms” and all of them have their set form, because the author had used them only once.

The experts believe that 150 set expressions in English were accepted from Shakespeare’s works. That is a remarkable contribution that needs a proper study. Shakespeare’s language was the subject of many researches. The critics mention that Shakespeare wrote with great speed and facility, rarely crossing anything out. This accounts for his impatience with the language, “associative powers of words, the ways in which their meanings could be stretched” (F. Kermode), inventions of his own words and expressions.

1.2. IDIOMS AND PHRASES FROM SHAKESPEARE’S WORKS.

Shakespeare gave life to some sayings which carry the power of his wit, vivid imagination and bright imagery: “Conscience does make cowards of us all”, “To be or not to be…” (Hamlet), “A devil can cite Scripture for his purpose” (The Merchant of Venice), “Coward dies many times before his death” (Julius Caesar), “Love laughs at locksmiths” (Venus and Adonis), “All the world’s a stage” (As you like it). To sum up the conclusion can be drawn that we should study the origin of English idioms taking into account not only the literary works in which the set expressions were fixed or due to which they became widely-spread but also some cultural and historical aspects of the language development.

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The green-eyed monster – “чудовище с зелеными глазами”, ревность; In modern English some “shakespearisms” we changed a little bit. Here is an example of such an idiom: Buy golden opinions – заслужить благоприятное, лестное мнение о себе, вызвать восхищение или уважение; Here we can use a verb to win instead the verb to buy, both variants are possible.

It is very important to mention that these idioms came into English language after giving them another metaphorical sense. One more idiom:

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Catch (take) somebody red-handed – застать кого-либо на месте преступления, захватить с поличным;

Modern “shakespearisms” can be used with come changes, for example:

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To wear one’s heart upon one’s sleeve for days to peck at (“Othello”) – выставлять напоказ свои чувства; (душа нараспашку); This idiom is connected with medieval knights’ tradition to wear on the sleeve their ladys’ colours. In modern English this idiom is often used in short form: To wear one’s heart upon one’s sleeve. You can also change the preposition upon to on if you wish.

One more Shakespeare’s idiom is from “King Henry IV”:

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The better part of valour is discretion – одно из украшений храбрости – скромность. Nowadays this idiom is a part of English but with another word order: Discretion is the better part of valour

Lots of “shakespearisms” while being a part of language can take some lexical variants of it:

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Applaud (cheer) to the echo – шумно, восторженно аплодировать. (applaud to the echo – original from “Macbeth”)

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Cram (ram, thrust) something down somebody’s throat – навязывать кому либо своё мнение, свои взгляды. (thrust something down somebody’s throat – original from “Titus Andronicus”)

Here is one more example of changing idioms in English:

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At one fell swoop (“Macbeth”) – одним ударом, одним махом. Now it is used in a short form as: at one swoop.

In modern English speech we often use some “shakespearisms” which contain archaisms, it means, that this archaisms can be used only in these idioms. For instance:

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From whose bourne no traveller returns – там, откуда еще никто не возвращался, то есть в царстве смерти. The word bourne is an archaism and has meaning “boundary”.

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Bated Breath– взволнованно, возбужденно или с большим интересом следить за тем, что произойдет.

Шейлок: Shall I bend low and in a bondman’s key, With bated breath and whisp’ring humbleness, («Венецианский купец»)

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Cruel to be kind – говорить или делать что-то недоброе, но с намерением помочь кому-то

Пример: ‘I told her the facts – sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind‘. Я рассказал ей факты — иногда нужно быть жестоким во благо других.

Гамлет: So again good night. I must be cruel only to be kind. Thus bad begins and worse remains behind. («Гамлет»)

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Foregone conclusion – результат, в котором можно быть уверенным еще до того, как все произойдет

Пример: ‘That the company was moving to California was a foregone conclusion‘. То, что компания переберется в Калифорнию, было понятно сразу.

Othello: O monstrous, monstrous!

Iago: Nay, this was but his dream.

Othello: But this denoted a foregone conclusion. Short shrift – решительный и прямой отказ делать что-либо

Пример:’I’ll give them short shrift if they ask me for money’. Я дам им твердый отпор, если они попросят у меня денег.

Ratcliffe: “Come, come, dispatch: the Duke would be at dinner Make a short shrift: he longs to see your head.” («Ричард III»)

In modern English these idioms are used with some changes, but it is possible in case that language has been changed throughout history with all idioms in it. I have read not many books in English, but I can say for sure that “shakespearisms” are popular enough.

CHAPTER 2. WAYS OF TRANSLATION ENGLISH IDIOMS

The most optimal translation is to try finding the same idiom in your mother-tongue language. At the same time you should remember, that there are only few of such idioms that is why it is not suitable sometimes to translate in this way.

If you cannot find any analogical idioms you can try to interpret them in some ways, for example, try to change stylistic characteristics or some semantic details. Remember that you should not change the whole meaning of the idiom.

It is also possible to translate idioms word by a word, though this way is not very effective. An interesting fact is that sometimes translators investigate new idioms not only in the language. This way is often used with idioms, which have biblical, antique and mythological roots.

When you translate a historical idiom you can lead two parallels between definition and exact meaning (translation) and when both acts connected it is called double translation.

If you cannot find any similar ways of translation, try to divide the whole idiom into separate words and then according to the meaning, connotations of this words or phrases translate them.

The last point is about dictionaries which you use for translation. Nowadays there are a lot of on-line dictionaries. For example: Англо-русский словарь идиоматических выражений

Also I made English-Russian

CHAPTER 3. THE RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT

To prove my hypothesis I organized the linguistic game. I divided my classmates into 2 groups. The first group was taught the idioms without historical comments, the second one was explained the origin of the phrases of the plays of Shakespeare. After I tested the both groups and the results confirmed the hypothesis. The second group made fewer mistakes. (Supplementary 1)

Students were suggested the matching game from the site www.EnglishHints.com (Supplementary 2)

It contains 18 idioms from the plays of Shakespeare and their definitions. The task was to match the idiom and definition.

Also I made English-Russian vocabulary of the most popular idioms. (Supplementary 3)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Hoad, T. F. The concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etimology / T. F. Hoad // Oxford University Press. – 2012.

2. Mulin, J. K. Collins English Dictionary / J. K. Mulin, L. F. Nolling // Oxford University Press. – 2008.

3. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/Shakespeare_idioms_1_lesson_plan.pdf

4. https://prezi.com/moetbhzlnmgk/classification-of-idioms-in-shakespeares-works/

5. Internet site: http://english-bird.ru/modern-quotes-of-shakespear/

6. Internet site: http://www.rusnauka.com/SND/Philologia/2_polhovskaja.doc.htm

7. Internet site: https://prezi.com/moetbhzlnmgk/classification-of-idioms-in-shakespeares-works/

8. Russian-English dictionary of idiomatic expressions/ 2009.

9. Кунин А.В. Большой англо-русский фразеологический словарь.

SUPPLEMENTARY 3

Vocabulary of “Shakespearisms”

1. our withers are unwrung – “хула нас не задевает»;

2. to the manner born – привыкший с пеленок, прирожденный (Hamlet);

3. the seamy side (Othello) – изнанка ч-л, неприглядная сторона;

4. to make assurance double sure – для пущей верности;

5. to speak daggers (Hamlet) – поражать словами, «говорить со злобой»;

6. a fool’s paradise – «призрачное счастье», мир фантазий;

7. the green-eyed monster – «чудовище с зелеными глазами», зависть;

8. more sinned against than sinning – человек незаслуженно обиженный.

9. care killed a cat (“Much Ado About Nothing”) – забота до добра не доводит ср. не работа старит, а забота. По английскому поверью у кошки десять жизней. Позднее по аналогии с этим выражением был создан оборот:

curiosity killed a cat – любопытство до добра не доводит (ср. много будешь знать, скоро состаришься);

10. all is well that ends well – «все хорошо, что хорошо кончается» (пословица, популяризированная Шекспиром);

11. out of joint – пришедший в расстройство, не в порядке.

12. the better part of valour is discretion (King Henry IV) – одно из украшений храбрости – скромность – существует в современном английском языке с измененным порядком слов: discretion is the betterpart of valour;

13. smb’s memory is green - что-либо еще свежо в чьей-либо памяти – smth is green in smb’s memory;

14. as night follows day – неизбежно, неотвратимо, как смена дня и ночи – follow as night the day;

15. give smb pause – приводить в замешательство, ставить в тупик, заставить к-л призадуматься, не разрешить ч-л сомнений – give pause to smb.

16. applaud (или cheer) to the echo – шумно, восторженно аплодировать, устроить шумную овацию;

17. the ills that flesh is heir to – невзгоды, удары судьбы, недуги (The thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to);

18. get (have, take или catch) smb on (upon) the hip – держать к-л в руках; быть хозяином положения, иметь к-л в своей власти.

19. be food for worms (be meat for worms) – быть пищей для червей, быть мертвым, похороненным;

20. set (put) a stone rolling – вступать на опасный путь;

21. the devil can cite (quote) scripture for his purpose – посл. «черт, если нужно может и на священное писание согласиться».

22. Выражение to scotch, not kill a snake – «временно обезвредить» – происходит от реплики Геобальда в трагедии «Макбет» (глагол scotch является здесь заменой глагола scorch).

23. cry content with (или первоначально to) – выражать радость, испытывать чувство удовлетворения;

24. till (или to) the crack of doom – «без конца», «до бесконечности» = до второго пришествия;

25. put girdle round (about) the earth – «путешествовать вокруг света».

26. Квантитативные варианты образуются благодаря усечению или прибавлению элементов. Шекспиризм at one fell swoop – одним ударом, одним махом, в один момент сразу, стал употребляться в сокращенном виде at one swoop;

27. (this) mortal coil – «мирская суета» - shuffle off this mortal coil (Hamlet) – покинуть этот бренный мир, свести счеты с жизнью;

28. out of joint – пришедший в расстройство - the time is out of joint (Hamlet).

Шекспиаризмы