PECULIARITIES OF THE SEMANTICS AND GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE OF PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS WITH THE COMPONENT “HEAD”
The article examines the semantic and grammatical features of phraseological units with the component “head” in the Ukrainian language. The relevance of the study is determined by the active development of modern phraseology and the growing interest of linguists in phraseological units as important representations of the national linguistic worldview. These units form a substantial layer of Ukrainian phraseology and reflect specific features of folk thinking, the evaluation of human qualities, emotional states, intellectual abilities, and behavior. The object of the study is phraseological units with the component “head”, while the subject includes their semantic and grammatical characteristics. The research is based on Ukrainian phraseological and explanatory dictionaries. The study employs the descriptive method, elements of component analysis, as well as observation, comparison, and systematization of linguistic material. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive systematization of structural and semantic features of phraseological units with the component “head”. In the course of the study, it has been established that the component “head” within phraseological units functions in both its literal and figurative meanings. Most frequently, it is associated with the designation of a person’s intellectual activity, cognitive abilities, psycho-emotional state, and behavioural patterns. The analysis reveals that the majority of these phraseological units are monosemantic; however, some units demonstrate polysemy. Particular attention has been paid to the structural and syntactic modelling of phraseological units with the component “head” in the Ukrainian language. The study identifies the main structural patterns of their formation, among which verbal phraseological units are the most productive, along with nominal and comparative constructions. It has been revealed that such units are characterized by variability and optionality of components, which ensures their structural flexibility. Furthermore, phraseological units with the component “head” most often function as simple verbal predicates, less frequently as compound nominal or verbal predicates, and in some cases, they are used as adverbial modifiers. Prospects for further research lie in the study of other phraseological microsystems with somatic components, as well as in the comparative analysis of phraseological units with the component “head” and their equivalents in other languages.