[Lexicog] Fuzzy Phrasal Typology

[bolstar1]

       By definition, metaphors (nonliteral words) and idioms 
(nonliteral phrases) allude to "other things" -- things that have 
striking, distinctive, or memorable characteristics, reputations, and 
attending feelings (connotations), etc. that convey meanings other 
than the original, literal words. "Hands across the water" conjures 
many historical, political, and social images -- though it simply 
means unity, or association between nations -- often used 
in reference to the U.S.A and Britain. A simple, single concept. Even 
though the meaning is simple, the choice of including it in a 
traditional dictionary is a problem, not just because of the 
metaphorical nature of the phrase, but because it takes up so much 
space (e.g. the phrase is not included in Random House (Unabridged) 
or Oxford Am. Dictionary. 	
       Idioms and metaphors within typology is a conundrum. When does 
a word lose its metaphorical meaning and assume a standard meaning? 
The word "fire" at one time in history (from OE, originally from Old 
High German) meant simply "flame"/"to set aflame." The earliest 
citation for the use of the term meaning to "dismiss involuntarily" 
was, according to the OED 16th def. (second edition 1989), in 1885 
(Milner Free Press -- "If...the practice is persisted in, then they 
[pupils] should be fired out." After the feudal system was replaced 
by the mercantile system (perhaps at the time of the Hanseatic 
League) "get fired" might have been used, but that definition would 
not have been included in a dictionary of the day -- if there had 
been one (not because of its metaphorical usage, but because so few 
listeners or readers would have ever heard it used that way). 
Frequency determined its inclusion, not its literalness. As it 
gained popular usage, it lost its metaphorical denotation. But 
pinpointing that crossover date is a tricky business, landing it in 
the laps, perhaps, of the etymologists, not the lexicographers. 
       But in dealing with nonliteral phrases (idiomatic expressions) 
and typology, the game is ironically more simple. There are not 16+ 
definitions of "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him 
drink." Various and dedicated dictionaries and glossaries of 
nonliteral phrases have flourished – including: idioms, proverbs, 
cliches, jargon, allusions, quotable quotes, etc. This is not 
including (if they could be typed as distinctive, legitimate 
subfields): rules of thumb, maxims, aphorisms, apothegms, brocards, 
dictums, gnomes, phrasal morals, truisms, platitudes, etc. 
       In the idiom "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't 
make him drink." we find many lexicographical elements; and so, much 
potential for ways of typing them. But it is merely a long word with 
gaps, meaning "choose for yourself" or "let people decide for 
themselves." This poses an irony. Syntactically, the idiom is 
complex, and there is no single word to describe the concept. But 
semantically, it is simple. It might best be defined with other 
idioms -- "It's up to you." || "To each his own." which are not 
necessarily idiomatic, but functionally and definitionally the same. 
So the fact that the term is complex and is nonliteral means little. 
Frequency and singularity of concept means much. 
       An additional element in preventing this expression from being 
included in standard dictionaries is that it is used in the negative 
("
can't make him drink."). Under the dictionary entry "force" 
(or "make" in this case) is there a sub-listing of "not force" 
or "not make" in dictionaries? Many idioms and phrases and proverbs 
are used in the negative (e.g. "Not on your life!"; "Crime doesn't 
pay."; "You never know!") 
       Another example of a word group that may or may not be 
considered literal is "hard time." The phonemes "hard" and "time," in 
juxtaposition, find expression in: "fall on hard times"; "go through 
some hard times"; "weather the hard times" (meaning enter into, 
experience, and endure a difficult period); "do hard time" || "do 
time for..." (incarcerate(d)); "give someone a hard time" (test, 
plague, or tease); "hardly a time when I didn't..." (continuously in 
the past); "hardly the time to..." ("inappropriate behavior for the 
present situation"). Now if I "did hard time", and tell you so, you 
don't think of difficulty, stress, or labor -- but of "incarceration 
for a long time." It then is not metaphorical -- it is simply another 
definition of "hard time." If one wanted to convey physical strain, 
like the specific punishment (roadwork) heaped upon Paul Newman 
in "Cool Hand Luke," we would probably use "hard labor" as the term. 
       Indexing is a more important concept than typing (whether 
being literal or nonliteral) in the case of phrasal lexicography. Do 
you index the previous word group "hard" & "times" under the 
word "hard" or "time(s)" or "fall," "weather," "go rough," "weather," 
etc?). Is the verb phrase "fall on" idiomatic? Is the noun 
phrase "hard times" idiomatic? I believe they are, in the same way 
that "fall for" (someone) is. Perhaps "fall in love with (someone)" 
is, in which case I would include them in a true idiomatic 
dictionary. On the other hand "fall into" (a hole, a ditch, a habit, 
a sin) are perhaps not. Here the object of the verb determines the 
idiomatic nature of the phrase, not the root phrase itself. 
       But it doesn't matter, for each editor/publisher has their 
parameters for inclusion -- as can be seen by the arbitrariness of 
what is included in any given collection of phrases, even collections 
of equal length and title. Perhaps metaphorical consideration within 
phrasal lexicography is part of the answer. But the distinction is so 
open to opinion that frequency and concept seem far more simple and 
practical. Drilling within a digital dictionary, glossary, or 
thesaurus will hopefully address this issue.  

Scott Nelson 




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