Phraseological units with author's transformations in the works of J.K. Rowling

The article is devoted to the examination of phraseological units with author's transformations in the works of contemporary English writer J.K. Rowling. The study compares the approaches to defining the term "phraseological unit" by linguists A.V. Kunin, V.V. Vinogradov, V.M. Mokienko, and A. Naciscione, and describes a particular literary technique involving the transformation of familiar fixed expressions in artistic text. It presents the main types of changes in fixed expressions according to the typologies of leading phraselogists, including E.F. Arsentyeva, A.M. Melerovich, and V.M. Mokienko. The analysis investigates the methods and techniques of author's transformations of phraseological units J.K. Rowling's works and defines the role of contextual use of phraseological units in creating the writer's artistic world. The analysis is conducted based on original English texts from the Harry Potter series published between 1999 and 2003. A total of 76 phraseological units were analyzed, with author's transformation identified in relation to 33 idioms. The results of the study show that the transformation of phraseological units in J.K. Rowling's works is systematic, related to the plot and imagery structure of the text, enhancing expressiveness and individual authorial style. The writer employs a wide range of phraseological transformations, with examples of nearly all types of authorial transformations described in the typology of leading scholar from the Kazan Linguistic School, Professor E.F. Arsentyeva, and examples of idioms transformations described in the classification by A.M. Melerovich and V.M. Mokienko. The conducted research demonstrates the artistic value of J.K. Rowling's works for studying the diversity of author's transformations of phraseological units in the field of phraseology. Given that the novels of the English writer are popular among a wide audience, the material and results of this study may attract additional attention from students and serve as an illustrative basis for teaching English lexicology, phraseology, translation studies, and for courses in oral and written language practice.