THE STATUS OF ENGLISH NUMERALS IN THE PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS

Abstract

The article deals with the phraseological units of English with a numeral component. In phraseological units, numerals indicate an indefinite number, and conversely – approximate. Modern English numerals are discursively determined that is explicated by deviation of their nominal function. In phraseological units, numerals have the status of markers of approximate and indefinite quantity as those that are exempt from the “pure term” status. Quantitative units tend to have a desemantization of their meaning – they lose quantitative and gain qualitative meaning.