The comprehension, retention and production of idiomatic expressions is one of the most difficult areas of the lexicon for second language learners to master. This book investigates this ...under-researched and interesting aspect of language acquisition, shedding light on conventional uses of idiomatic expressions as well as creative variant forms.
In idiom translation, strategies are employed to find equivalent results from the source language to the target language. There are challenges in translating idioms. The purpose of this study is to ...find idiom translation strategies in the novel Rich People Problems. In addition to idiom translation strategies, this article also aims to classify idioms in the novel. This study used a qualitative method and was supported by quantitative data using sampling technique. As a result, as Baker (2018) explaines, this article has three idiom translation strategies. They are (1) translation using paraphrase, (2) translation by the omission of a play, and (3) translation by the omission of the entire idiom. However, there are three strategies that are not used in this article. They are borrowing the source language idiom, using an idiom of similar meaning and form, and using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form. Translation by paraphrasing is the most dominant strategy used to translate the idioms in this article, at a rate of 64.29%. In addition, this article also has the types of idioms proposed by Makkai (1972). These are (1) phrasal verb idioms, (2) tournure idioms, and the last (3) irreversible binomial idioms. Therefore, the main use of translating idioms by paraphrase may be due to time constraints for the translator due to the deadline for determining the idiom equivalences in the target language.
This paper investigates particle-verb constructions in English with focus on particle-verb idioms—idioms consisting of a particle-verb and a DP. Particle-verb idioms are classified into three ...subtypes according to the placement of the particle relative to the verb. First, there is a group of idioms that require the merged order of the verb and particle (e.g., blow off steam / *blow steam off). Another must appear in the split order (e.g., let the side down / *let down the side). The final group allows alternation between the two surface orders (e.g., keep up one’s end / keep one’s end up). Based on the finding that the flexibility in idiom interpretation is correlated with the amount of verbal structure associated (Punske and Stone 2014, Stone 2016), I argue against the derivational approach to the particle-verb construction. According to the derivational analyses, the merged and split order of particle-verbs share an underlying structure. Such an approach incorrectly predicts only two of the three groups of particle-verb idioms to be possible. I argue that a symmetrical treatment of the two surface orders of particle-verbs enables us to comprehensively account for the idiom facts. In particular, I propose that the merged and split order of particle-verbs involve two different syntactic structures. The two surface orders arise depending on whether the verbal root head-adjoins to the Part(icle) head or the verbalizing v head. The three groups of idioms realize either or both of the proposed structures. In addition to capturing the patterns of particle-verb idioms, I demonstrate that a number of traditional observations about the construction naturally follow. The analysis is shown to be robust in explaining the semantic contrast between the two surface orders, non-idiomatic particle-verbs with a fixed order, right-modification, and particle-verbs with an augmented argument structure. KCI Citation Count: 1
Language facilitates communication and helps one to comprehend the culture of the people who speak it. Language and culture interactions are studied with the help of linguoculturology. As a branch of ...humanitarian science, linguoculturology examines the role of language in the formation of culture and the role of culture in the formation of language. At the heart of linguoculturology are concepts, the fundamental building blocks connecting national thought with a universal conceptual system. These concepts, reflections of the language's worldview, are instrumental in studying people's outlook. Each country's unique ideas, embedded in its language, offer a glimpse into its distinct cultural characteristics. As linguistic phenomena, concepts manifest in stable word combinations and phraseology, shaping our understanding of language and culture. Language units such as fixed word combinations, idioms, and proverbs are understood based on concepts. Idioms are formed due to the concerted activity of different tribes and generations and become an integral part of the national culture. To understand the content of the value concepts "good" and "bad" verbalized in idioms in English, it is essential to study the culture of those speakers. The study of idioms with the concepts of "good" and "bad" in English expresses the moral values of English culture. Idioms in English confirm the national authenticity of the mentality of the people at the linguistic level.
Using a corpus of data drawn from naturally-occurring second language conversations, this book explores the role of idiomaticity in English as a native language, and its comparative role in English ...as a lingua franca. Through examining how idiomaticity enables first language learners to achieve a greater degree of fluency, the book explores why idiomatic language poses such a challenge for users of English as a lingua franca. The book puts forward a new definition of competence and fluency within the context of English as a lingua franca, concluding with an analysis of practical implications for the lingua franca classroom. This in-depth study of English language learning using corpus data will be of interest to researchers in applied linguistics and corpus linguistics and to teachers of English as an international lingua franca.
The literature on idioms often talks about an “idiom advantage,” such that familiar idioms (
spill the beans
) are generally processed faster than comparable literal phrases (
burn the beans
). More ...recently, researchers have explored the processing of idiom modification and while a few studies indicate that familiarity benefits the processing of modified forms, the extent of this facilitation is unknown. In an eye-tracking study, we explored whether familiar idioms and modified versions with 1 or 2 adjectives {
spill the
spicy
, (red)
beans
} are processed faster than matched literal phrases {
burn the
spicy, (red)
beans
} when both were preceded by a biasing context. The results showed that adjectives inserted in idioms induced longer fixations and were more likely to elicit a regression. However, idiom verbs and final words were processed with the same ease in all adjective conditions, implying that modifying idioms did not impede their processing. In contrast to the widely reported “idiom advantage,” the results demonstrated that canonical and modified idioms were
slower
to read relative to matched literal controls. This was taken to reflect the competition between an idiom’s literal and figurative meaning, and subsequently the need to select and integrate the contextually appropriate one. In contrast, meaning integration in literal, unambiguous phrases was easier. We argue that processing costs associated with meaning selection may only manifest when idioms are preceded by a biasing context that allows disambiguation to occur in the idiom region, and/or when literal control phrases are contextually appropriate and carefully matched to idioms. Thus, idiom recognition/activation may elicit the well attested idiom advantage, while meaning selection and integration may come at a cost, and idiom modifications may simply add to the cognitive load.
Non-literal language is ubiquitous in everyday life, and while hyperbole is a major part of this, it has so far remained relatively unexplored. This volume provides the first investigation of ...hyperbole in English, drawing on data from genres such as spoken conversation, TV, newspapers, and literary works from Chaucer to Monty Python. Combining quantitative and qualitative analyses, it uses approaches from semantics, pragmatics, discourse analysis and classical rhetoric to investigate in detail both speaker-centered and emotive aspects of hyperbole, and also addressee-related aspects, such as interpretation and interactional uptake. Illustrated with a range of diachronic case studies, hyperbole is also shown to be a main means of linguistic creativity, and an important contributor to language change. The book concludes with an exploration of the role of hyperbole in political speaking, humour, and literature. Original and in-depth, it will be invaluable to all those working on meaning, discourse, and historical linguistics.
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