THEORETICAL DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION OF PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS

This article examines the theoretical definition, semantic structure, and typological characteristics of phraseological units, with a particular focus on Japanese idiomatic expressions. While individual lexical units possess inherent meanings, their functional realization emerges primarily within discourse through stable syntagmatic relations. The study demonstrates that certain multi-word expressions develop meanings that cannot be explained through compositional semantics alone, thus necessitating a phraseological approach. Special attention is given to the intermediate stages between free word combinations and fully idiomatized expressions, referred to as semi-fixed collocational forms (rengo keishiki), which play a crucial role in the process of phraseologization. Furthermore, the paper analyzes grammatical constraints, such as obligatory negation and resistance to negative forms, as well as the semantic productivity of body-part metaphors in Japanese phraseology.