Uzbekistan state world languages university d. U. Ashurova m. R. Galieva

4.3. Phraseological units as linguoculturemes
At present, the researches aimed at the study of phraseological units as transmitters of cultural information and embodiments of cultural values, etalons, patterns, symbols have become very topical because Ph.U. as has been acknowledged are the most “culture specific and nationally relevant” linguistic units. This idea is emphasized in many works by V.N. Telia (1996), V.G. Gak (2010), M.L. Kovshova (2016), etc.

V.N. Telia, the founder of linguocultural approach to the study of phraseological units claims that “phraseology is the mirror where the human’s national and cultural identity is reflected” and “Ph.U. … are associated with cultural and national standards, stereotypes, myths, etc. reflecting the world picture of a certain linguocultural community (Телия, 1996, 1999). S.G. Ter-Minasova, one of the influential scholars in the field of intercultural communication states that “the phraseological layer of the language, being specific for each nation, stores the values, morals, attitudes to the world phenomena, people and other nations. Idioms, proverbs and sayings manifest the way of life as well as geographical position of a nation, the history and traditions of the community united by one culture” (Тер-Минасова, 2008, p.80). V.A. Maslova also asserts that Ph.U. reflect national and cultural values; regarded as the soul of each national language; they express the spirit of the language and the uniqueness of the people. The scholar considers that phraseological units do not simply describe the world around us – they interpret and evaluate it, express our subjective attitude to it (Маслова, 2007). M.I. Rasulova supports other scholars’ ideas and indicates that phraseological units reflect the culture of people who speak a particular language, and fix in their semantics everything that characterizes a certain nation, its way of life and its national psychology. That is why, Ph.U. of any language, as the scholar asserts, is deeply national and gives opportunity to understand nation’s history and character (Расулова, 2005, с.207).

However, it should be noted that not all phraseological units are nationally and culturally specific. There are some Ph.U. that exist in all languages because they are based on universal human perceptions and experience. It can be illustrated on the example of Ph.U. with somatic component, i.e. parts of body. The choice of the identical equivalents is usually conditioned by the fact that many Ph.U. with the component “head/голова/бош” belongs to the semantic group “thinking, intellect”, Ph.U. with component “eye/глаз/кўз” to the semantic group “perception, attention”, Ph.U. with component “hand/рука/қўл” to the semantic group “possessing”. That is why, Ph.U. containing somatisms, i.e. parts of the human body usually coincide in many languages because parts of body are associated with similar functions in all cultures: a sharp tongue ‒ острый язык ‒ тили ўткир; have a head on one's shoulders иметь голову на плечах, come into one's head ‒ прийти в голову ‒ калласига келмоқ; look through one's fingers ‒ смотреть сквозь пальцы, to get out of bed on the wrong foot ‒ встать в левой ноги ‒ чап оёғидан турмоқ; escape smb’s lips – сорваться с языка – тилидан чиқиб кетмоқ; hold one's head high ‒ высоко держать голову – бошини баланд кутариб юрмоқ; to listen open-mouthed — слушать разинув рот – оғзини очиб эшитмоқ. to bite one's lips – кусать губы – лабини тишламоқ.

According to many researchers, national-cultural specifics of phraseological units is connected with the so-called non-equivalent or lacunar phraseological units, which exist in any language. There are cases when some Ph.U. in different languages having the same meaning, create different images expressing national specifics. For example: to carry coals to Newcastle – ездить в Тулу со своим самоваром; at a snail’s pace – черепашьим шагом – тошбақадек; золотые руки – green thumb – қўли гул.

Nationally specific and culture relevant phraseological units can be classified according to semantic, thematic and etymological criteria.

From the semantic point of view national specifics can be presented in Ph.U. at two levels: 1) at the level of idiomatic meaning of Ph.U.; 2) at the level of a national specific component of Ph.U.

1. 
   Phraseological units of the first level are characterized by idiomatic meanings which have no equivalents in other languages. For instance, toffee nosed – высокомерный – такаббур; Nosey Parker/Paul Pry – совать нос в чужие дела\\любопытная Варвара – бировнинг ишига бурнини тиқмоқ; channel fever – тоска по родине – ватанни соғиниш; the green eyed monster – ревнивый человек – рашкли инсон; cut (slice) the melon – распределять прибыль – фойдани бўлиш; pull up trees – многого добиться – кўпга эршмоқ, a bed of roses – безмятежная жизнь – енгил ҳаёт; a couch potato – лежебока – ялқов, дангаса; small potatoes – мелкие людишки – кичкина одамлар; cool as cucumber –невозмутимый, не теряющий хладнокровия человек – совуққон одам; white-livered – трусливый – қуён юрак; feel blue – грустить – хафа бўлмоқ;
   
2. 
   Phraseological units of the second level are presented by Ph.U., the components of which express some national realia. For example: Wardour-street English – speech full of archaisms (comes from the name of the street in which antic shops are located); Blue stocking – a scholarly, educated, literary, intelligent woman (from the blue worsted stockings worn by the members of the 18th-century Blue Stockings Society led by Elizabeth Montagu (1720–1800); at latter Lammas – never (from the name of a harvest holiday that is celebrated on the 1^st of August); Carry coals to Newcastle – to do smth. useless (the city of Newcastle is the center of coal production and that is why there is no use of carrying coal there); Hobson’s choice – to have no real choice (related to Thomas Hobson, the owner of the stable in Cambridge, England, who offered customers the choice of either taking the horse in his stall nearest to the door or taking none at all).
   

A large amount of realia used in English phraseology is expressed by:

a) anthroponyms – Darby and Joan (an old couple loving each other); Gretha Green marriage (marriage by love); Peeping Tom ( a too curious person); Sister Ann (a devoted friend); John Bull (nickname of an Englishman); John Barleycorn (personification of alcoholic drinks); the life of Riley (an easy and luxurious life); Brown, Jones and Robinson – ordinary people; 

b) toponyms – enough to puzzle Philadelphia lawyer (a very difficult situation); Downing street (the governmental organizations); Fleet street (the centre of press); to send somebody to Coventry – to boycott, ostracise someone deliberately; Smithfield match (marriage of convenience); set the Thames on fire (to do smth. unusual); a wooden Indian – reserved person; Bond street – fashionable and expensive clothes (centre of fashionable boutiques); Harley Street – doctors (centre of doctors’ office);

c) the names of monetary units and units of measure (weight, volume, length): a bed penny – smth. undesirable; to be ten a penny – very common, ordinary; turn an honest penny – to earn money legally; inch perfect – very accurate); come within an inch of smth. (to almost get, achieve smth.);

According to the thematic principle nationally specific and culture relevant Ph.U. can be classified into the following groups:

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