Comprehension of Idioms by Jordanian Arabic-Speaking Children.

Abstract

This study investigates the comprehension of spoken-Arabic idioms by Jordanian children aged five to 12 years. It examines the effects of age, semantic transparency, context, and task type on understanding six familiar transparent and opaque idioms in and out of context. The children are requested to verbally explain the meanings of each idiom. They are then asked to select the picture they think shows the idiom's meaning. Finally, they are directed to choose the appropriate response from three possible options. The results show that older children are better at comprehending the idiomatic meanings of idioms than younger children. Furthermore, transparent idioms are understood earlier and easier than opaque ones. Moreover, context has a more evident effect on younger children. Older children, in contrast, show equal understanding of both idiom types in and out of context. Task type also plays a significant role in comprehension. Children's performance on the multiple-choice task is much better when compared to their performance on explanation and picture-matching tasks.