Figurative Idiomatic Competence: An Analysis of EFL Learners in Vietnam

Abstract

This article explores the figurative idiomatic competence of language learners and their perceptions of idiom learning in an EFL context. As a descriptive statistics case study, it investigates the students' knowledge of 50 idioms collected from the lists of frequently used idioms by Grant (2007) and Liu (2003) and from two common idiom textbooks. The findings show the students’ poor idiomatic competence, especially their very limited knowledge of the frequently used idioms. The analysis uncovers the paradox between the students’ situation of using and learning idioms and their desires to learn. The study argues that figurative idiomatic competence should receive adequate attention in the learning process. Figurative idioms should be inclusively taught with the skills of negotiation of meaning. Also, learners should be exposed to a variety of idioms which are not only from traditional English-speaking countries but also from the countries of the outer- and expanding-circle contexts.