Idiomatic Expressions: Metaphoric Lexical Units Under the Perspective of Semantics

Abstract

The concept of Semantics, introduced by Michel Bréalin 1883, arose from the observation that, next to Phonetics and Morphology, there was a science of lexical meaning. However, after this discovery, there were difficulties in the systematization of the lexicon, that is, attempts to structure it in the context of linguistic studies were generally incomplete and inconsistent because of their temporary nature. Since the lexicon is in constant motion its delimitation and systematization is difficult. On the other hand, despite this transience and consequent difficulty of organization, it was assumed that the lexicon is the linguistic aspect that most reflects the socioeconomic and cultural changes of a people. Besides the recognition of its communicative potential, semantic studies, which were initially focused on individual words also note that colloquial language is comprised of idiomatic expressions (IEs), which are linguistic constructions of popular origin that crystallize in everyday language as an informal record. It is considered that IEs are lexical units consisted essentially of metaphor (although other figures of speech may be part of its constitution), which is to be confirmed in this study.