EQUIVALENT SYNTACTIC PATTERNS IN THE IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION OF EMOTION

Abstract

This paper provides a contrastive study of idioms with a verbal base that convey emotional or mental states. My aim is to show that a typology of psych idioms can be outlined along a syntactic criterion, namely the position held by the Experiencer argument in the thematic grid of the idiom. To demonstrate this, I bring evidence from four languages: English, German, Romanian and Italian and highlight instances of equivalence.