|
Siamese twins (also irreversible binomials,〔 binomials,〔 binomial pairs, freezes) in the context of the English language refer to a pair or group of words used together as an idiomatic expression or collocation, usually conjoined by the words ''and'' or ''or''. The order of elements cannot be reversed.〔 〕 The expressions ''hammer and sickle'' (two nouns), ''short and sweet'' (two adjectives), and ''do or die'' (two verbs) are various examples of Siamese twins. When the two words are of equal weight and importance, the balanced binomial is also a bicolon. Some English words are known to have become obsolete in general but are still found exclusively in an irreversible binomial. In the passage of time since ''spick and span'' was coined, the origin and meaning of the word ''spick'' has been utterly forgotten; it has become a fossil word that never appears outside the familiar phrase.〔(Spick-and-span ), Gary Martin, Phrases.org.uk〕 In other cases an English word (like vim in ''vim and vigor'' or the abet in ''aid and abet'') will be found more often in such phrases than on its own; such a word may be archaic apart from the collocation. Many Siamese twins are "catchy" (and thus clichés and catchphrases) due to alliteration, rhyming, or their ubiquity in society and culture. Word combinations like ''rock and roll'', ''the birds and the bees'', ''mix and match'', and ''wear and tear'' have become so widely used that their meanings surpass the meaning of the constituent words and are thus inseparable and permanent parts of the English lexicon; the former two are idioms, whilst the latter two are collocations. Ubiquitous collocations like ''loud and clear'' and ''life or death'' are fixed expressions, making them a standard part of the vocabulary of native English speakers. A few Siamese twins have variations, based on the usage of the phrase. One time-worn expression is ''time and time again'': it is frequently shortened to ''time and again''. ==Origin== The term ''Siamese twins'' originates with Chang and Eng Bunker, the conjoined twins from Siam. In the context of the English language, this word was first used and popularised by H. W. Fowler, a renowned lexicographer. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Siamese twins (linguistics)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|