TO THE QUESTION OF HENDIADIC PAIR-WORD UNITS REVERSIBILITY IN MODERN ENGLISH

Abstract

Problem statement. The article provides an analysis of distinctive features of hendiadic pair-word units reversibility in Modern English. The concept of hendiadys is sufficiently well studied, and its lexical units are lexicographically mastered, but the traits of the reversibility of these units often remain beyond the scope of analysis. In this study, the issue of reversibility of hendiadic pairs is to be analyzed from the point of view of usual and occasional characteristics. Results. The question of hendiadic units reversibility has been studied extensively, but not enough to reveal the nature of their differentiation in modern English. The subject of the study is the systemic and structural features of the groups of hendiadic word pairs formation and reversibility including irreversible hendiadic units, reversible hendiadic units and freely constructed (occasional) hendiadic units. The empirical corpus of the study is composed of a number of primary and secondary sources and includes 623 hendiadic units. The selection criterion was the structure like A+l+B, where A and B are significant elements with las a link. Among the proposed groups, the most numerous is the group of reversible hendiadic pairs (311 units; 50%). The second place belongs to the group of irreversible hendiadic combinations (216 units; 34.8%) and, finally, freely constructed (occasional) pairs occupy the third position (96 units; 15.2%). 100% of hendiadic units in English are complex, i.e. consist of two or more components. Among the distinctive features of irreversible hendiadic units, stability and idiomaticity were found. In the reversible hendiadic units group, the feature of conditional stability prevails, including contractility (92 units; 30%), extensibility (92 units; 30%), substitutability with synonyms (77 units; 24%) and synchronous variability (50 units; 16%). The occasional hendiadic units are distinguished by irreproducibility (creativity), synchronous-diachronic diffuseness (“chronic” novelty), word-building derivativeness, substandard performance and nominative optionality. Conclusion. Hendiadic pair-word units are characterized by the duality of linguistic interpretation. On the one hand, they fall into the group of irreversible lexical units, while becoming stylistic figures of speech and formulaic expressions. At the same time, acquiring features of instability (conditional stability), they can be transformed into reversible lexical units. On the other hand, the studied structures also fall under the group of occasional units, i.e. freely constructed combinations.