Abstract
Idioms are usually defined in semantic terms as non-compositional units whose meaning does not result from the meaning of their parts. This definition implies that idioms have exactly one meaning. But if we examine idioms in context in large electronic corpora, we observe that the meaning of idioms is contextually variable, like that of words. We observe uses that exceed the range of the conventionalized and (lexicographically) codified meaning. A case study (the German idiom ins Gras beißen, literally "to bite into the grass", 'to die, to bite the dust') is used as an illustration of the relation between core meaning and contextual variability or meaning extension in idioms and the underlying mechanisms of this process.
Highlights
Idioms are usually defined in semantic terms as non-compositional units whose meaning does not result from the meaning of their parts
Coseriu 1975) zu einem zentralen Begriff: nicht im präskriptiven Sinne, sondern im Sinne von typischen und gewöhnlichen, erwartbaren und vorhersagbaren Erscheinungen
Bei ins Gras beißen ist eine einmalige Verwendung mit der Bedeutung 'sich ärgern' festzustellen, die durch einen synonymen Ausdruck im Kontext hinreichend spezifiziert wird: Wäre er im Strafraum liegengeblieben, hätte er ins Gras gebissen oder sich sonstwie über den nicht gepfiffenen Elfmeter echauffiert
Summary
Idioms are usually defined in semantic terms as non-compositional units whose meaning does not result from the meaning of their parts. Dass wir es hier nicht mit der Bedeutung 'sterben' zu tun haben, wird auch durch den Hauptsatz nahe gelegt, der den Äußerungskontext festlegt: Es handelt sich um ein Tennisturnier, bei dem die genannten Spieler ausgeschieden sind, d.
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