English Phrasal Verbs: Derivation and Semantics = Англійські фразові дієслова: деривація та семантика

Abstract

The paper focuses on the analysis of English phrasal verbs, i.e. complex lexemes that consist of a monolexemic verb and a special component of adverbial and prepositional origin standing in the postposition to the verb and forming with it more or less stable semantic and syntactic combinations. The research considers verbs with the postpositive components ‘on’ and ‘off’, defines their common and specific semantic and derivational features. The analysis of derivational processes within the verbs with postpositive components on and off enables to distinguish two types of derivation typical of them: word-forming derivation (concerns the units which are formed from basic verbs by means of postpositive components on or off) and semantic derivation (the meanings of the units under consideration are formed from already existing meanings in the direction of metaphorization, restriction, extension or complication with additional semes). It has been found out that between the verbs with the postpositive components on and off there exist relations of antonymy and synonymy, which, in turn, are caused by such factors as the basic semantic opposition of the postpositive components on and off in their primary locative meanings and the possibility of desemantization of the postpositive components and their basic verbs during the formation of a verb with a postpositive component.