A classification of phraseological units according to connotation in English and Albanian

Abstract

Phraseological units are one of the most striking linguistic phenomena and constitute a special and indivisible part of every language. They are known as complex many-sided linguistic units with a fully or partial figurative meaning which have endlessly varied manifestations in discourse. Frozenness and figurativeness have been identified as intrinsic features of any phraseological unit in all its innumerable representations in language use. Their multifaceted structure, characterized by a trinity of semantics and stylistic color reflects the national and cultural identity of a human community. Idiomatic expressions are an integral part of culture that exert a major influence on the comprehensibility of the language. It is proved that the vast majority of phraseological units possess emotive connotation in their meaning which is either positive or negative. The aim of this paper is to deal with the classification of verbal phraseological units according to connotation and the feelings each type of connotation comprises based on examples retrieved mainly from literary works and phraseological dictionaries. The practical value of the research and of the results obtained is that they can be used in comparative-typological research, in courses of comparative lexicology, in courses of theory and translation and in lexicographic practice when compiling a thematic phraseological dictionary