Abstract
The competence in identifying and comprehending the meaning of idiomatic expressions developed at an early age. However, second language learners reach the comprehension skill differently within the age and at pace. There are many unresolved questions regarding the age which children start to comprehend L2 idioms. The objective of this study was to investigate the age at which children in Moi primary school in Nairobi were able to identify and comprehend the meaning of English idioms. The 60 participants were selected using purposive sampling. The children were divided into three age groups: 5-8 years old, 9-12 years old, and 13-16 years old. The participants were balanced in gender and level of formal education. They were asked to identify the correct non-literal meaning of the 20 idioms presented. It was reported that the group with an age range from 5-8 years old scored the lowest among the other.The findings showed that as early as five years of old (preschool age), children begin to understand some kinds of idiomatic expressions and that such ability slowly develops throughout childhood. At the age of 9, children mainly interpreted idioms literally. By the age of 12, they started to understand the non-literal meanings of idiomatic expressions correctly and continued to expand until the age of 16. It implied that age is a factor in the comprehension of idioms among children. Therefore, exposure to language input is vital in the process of early acquisition. The study provides pedagogical observation on early language acquisition. This study also assists the language teachers and language practitioners and material developers in decision making that lead to the development of a better curriculum.
Highlights
Idioms can be found in all of the languages
It was reported that the group with an age range from 5-8 years old scored the lowest among the other.The findings showed that as early as five years of old, children begin to understand some kinds of idiomatic expressions and that such ability slowly develops throughout childhood
This study assists the language teachers and language practitioners and material developers in decision making that lead to the development of a better curriculum
Summary
Idioms can be found in all of the languages. There are a large number of idioms, and they are used very commonly in all languages. Idioms are the building blocks of a language and civilization that provide interesting insights into the use of words, languages, and their speakers’ thought processes. This study used Larson’s (1984) definition of idioms as “a string of words whose meaning is different from the meaning conveyed by the individual words” It implies that an idiom is a form of figurative language that can have both, a literal and a figurative meaning. Alex spilled the beans, might refer to someone tipping out the contents of a jar of beans (literal) or revealing a secret (figurative)
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