Phraseological comparisons in Kazakh and English languages: match of meanings



Phraseological comparisons differ from other types of phraseological units by their logical construction, comparative meaning and stylistic activity. When studying the nature of phraseological comparisons, we should focus on the similarities and differences of phraseological comparisons in these two languages.

Phraseological comparisons form a considerable part of any phraseological fund. Comparison refers to philosophic and linguistic category that incorporates nation-specific artistic way of thinking, national differences of worldview [1, 16].

Comparison, as a linguistic category, may become a subject of inquiry in all new branches of modern linguistics. Among such branches, in reliance on the main viewpoints of cultural linguistics and cognitive linguistics, comparative and matching studies are of special importance. Therefore, the studies of phraseological comparisons in related and unrelated languages from linguo-cultural and linguo-cognitive viewpoints, makes it possible to appreciate the colours, national peculiarities, mentality, unique dignity, to provide insight into their properties in meaning creation and linguistic application. From this viewpoint, elucidation of the basis for creation of meanings of phraseological comparisons in unrelated Kazakh and English languages is of major importance. To define internal contents of comparisons, one should address the theory of motivation [1, 23]. Inner form of phraseological meanings of such word combinations in the Kazakh language: құмырсқадай құжынаған, құмға сіңген судай, сүліктей жабысты, in the English language dumb as afish (балықтай тілсіз), as brave as alion (арыстандай айбатты), dance like an elephant (пілше билеу), is clear, i.e. their meanings are created motivationally, using their inner form [2, 35].

Concealment of the inner form of phraseological units makes their meaning “pale”... E.g., кәрі қойдың жасындай жасы қалды (like the age of an old sheep) came out of the observed life of sheep (about 10 years). This fact, in oral meaning, gave occasion to creation of the idiomatic word combination which is applied to an elderly person. A phraseological unit to fight like Kilkenny cats (Килкени мысықтарындай айқасу) used in the English language with a meaning “fight to death”, arose from a historical event — bloodshed between two towns Kilkenny and Irishtown that finally resulted in collapse of both towns [2, 42].

Great majority of phraseological comparisons in Kazakh and English languages refers to a macrogroup called “Human”, their meanings reflect mutual activities of human-being and environment. Based on phraseological comparisons, the following semantic-lexical sets of the two languages have established which are associated with representation of the areas of human life and activities:

1. PCs describing a person's character and cognitive capacity: Kazakh: Қарабайдай қатыгез, дала бүркітіндей қырағы; English: amemory like an elephant (сөзбе-сөз: есі пілдей), яғни еске сақтау қабілеті жоғары, тамаша, as blunt as a hammer (сөзбе-сөз: балғадай ақымақ), яғни топас, etc. [3,20], [DKC]
2. PCs describing a person's state: Kazakh: сең соққан балықтай, жарасын жалаған иттей, жаралы арыстандай аласұрды; English: as miserable as a bandicoot —(қалталы қөртышқандай) — бақытсыз, аянышты, as still as a mouse. — тышқандай жасырынып тұру, etc. [3,65], [DKC]
3. PCs describing a person's appearance: Kazakh: қырмызыдай ажарлы, ақ маралдай әдемі; English: as fair as a lily — лилия гүліндей сұлу, pale as death — өліктей бозарған, etc. [3,53], [DKC]
4. PCs describing a person's life and activities: Kazakh: түлкі қуған тазыдай соңына түсу, ит пен мысықтай өмір сүру; English: as thick as thieves (бір-біріне ұрылардай жақын болу) — жан дос, айырылмас дос, to live like cat and dog — мысық пен иттей өмір сүру [3,46], [DKC]
5. PCs describing a person's emotional state: Kazakh: найза үстінде отырғандай; тышқан алған мысықтай; English: to shake /quake/ tremble like an aspen leaf — көк теректің жапырағындай қалтырау, to sit on a powder keg — оқ-дәріге толы бөшкенің (күбінің) үстінде отырғандай [3,46], [DKC]
6. PCs describing an attitude of one person to another person or object: Kazakh: жыландай жек көру, құлындай шыңғырту, қойдай бауыздау; English: hate smb like poison — біреуді удай жек көру, flying smb aside like an old boot — біреуді қажеті жоқ ескі аяқ киімдей лақтырып тастау, яғни пайдаланып алғаннан кейін өзінен алыстату, қуу [3,25], [DKC]
7. PCs describing properties of phenomena, objects: Kazakh: көздің жасындай таза (мөлдір), жаман түйенің жабуындай (келіссіз). English: fresh as a daisy — маргаритка гүліндей жас, жаңа, cold as a frog — құрбақадай суық [3, 42], [DKC]
8. PCs describing a colour: Kazakh: ақ бөкеннің таңындай, орман түлкісіндей қызыл, сүттей ақ; English: as white as driven snow/as milk — қардай/сүттей ақ, as red as a turkey-cock — күрке тауықтың айдарындай қызыл [3, 52], [DKC]
9. PCs describing a human’s meal process: Kazakh: бурадай қарш-қарш шайнау, егінге түскен сиырдай жайпау; English: eat like a pig- шошқадай ішіп-жеу, drink like a fish — балықша ішу [3, 25–46], [DKC]
10. PCs describing the scopes of objects and phenomena: Kazakh: қойдың құмалағындай, ешкінің асығындай, иненің жасуындай; English: as light as a drum — барабандай жеңіл, this as a lath/rake- ескектей жіңішке [3,35], [DKC]
11. PCs describing the distances: Kazakh: есік пен төрдей, ат шаптырымдай жер, қозы/қой өрісіндей жер. Among the collected material, no English phraseological comparisons referring to this set were found. [DKC]
12. PCs describing the time: Kazakh: бие сауымдай уақыт, сүт қайнатымдай уақыт, қас қаққандай. No English phraseological comparisons referring to this set were found. [DKC]

In phraseology, the main features, relevant properties of phraseological units are as follows:

1) meaning integrity

2) stability of word combination

3) regular use

Components of phraseological unit fully or partially lose their original meaning, take a single integral meaning of the word combination, we call it the meaning integrity. Stability of word combination is observed as positions of the components of phraseological unit are retained, regular use is observed as people are willing to use them. The above relevant properties are common for both Kazakh and English languages. [4, 35] For example, stable word combinations in Kazakh and English languages:

Көзінің ағы мен қарасы— the apple of one’s eye;

Kill two birds with one stone— екі қоянды бір таяқпен ұрып өлтіру;

Cat and dog life— итпен мысықтай өмір, etc. [5, 21–23]

Components of these word combinations are used as a whole, in interconnected state. They cannot be replaced with any other word, otherwise, if one of them is replaced with any language element, its general meaning may be impaired or self-sufficiency and consistency inherent in phraseological unit may be affected.

In comparative phraseology, Utebayeva Sh. and Sadykbekova B. A. compared somatic phraseological units in Kazakh and English languages (“Somatic phraseological units in Kazakh and English languages”). In their research work, these scientists performed statistical analysis of somatic phraseological units in Kazakh and English languages, and defined the quality which is capable of giving rise to set expressions relating to the parts of human body. [6, 13–14]

Thus, in conclusion, definition of inter-lingual phraseological matches is a complicated multistage process. The main sign of inter-lingual phraseological matches — is their lexico-semantic similarity in the process of comparison of phraseological units in various languages.

Inter-lingual phraseological matches imply full or partial similarity in the meaning, contents of phraseological units in various languages. Investigation of the facts of inter-lingual phraseological matches from the perspective of typology, explains special aspects of inter-lingual phraseological matches, their similarity and dissimilarities from the others.

References:

1. Isabekov S.Ye. Kartina Mira vo frazeologicheskikh yedinitsakh nerodstvennykh yazykov // Aktual'nyye problemy mezhkul'turnoy kommunikatsii i perevoda. — Almaty, 2001.
2. http://kazustaz.kz/ustaz/693-aza-zhne-aylshyn-tlderndeg-frazeologizmder.html
3. Spears R. A. Phrases and Idioms. A practical Guide to American English Expressions.- NTC Publishing Group, 1998 — p. 305.
4. T. N. Yermekova, A. N. Yusupova. Salġastyrmaly leksikologiya. — Almaty,
5. Kunin A. V. Frazeologiya sovremennogo angliyskogo yazyka. — M.: Vysshaya shkola, 1996 — p.280.
6. Өtebayeva SH., Sadybekova B. A. Kˌazakˌ zhəne aġylshyn tílderíndegí somatikalykˌ frazeologizmder // Bílím. — № 6 (54) 2010. — p. 33–36
7. Dictionary of Kazakh collocations (DKC)
8. Kazakh-English dictionaries