Knowledge Of Idioms Research Articles

The Impact of Multimodal Channels on Teaching Idiomatic Expressions to Intermediate EFL Learners with Regard to Their Attitudes

This study was to explore facilitative function of using multimodal channels over single channel presentation and comprehension of idiomatic expressions to Iranian EFL intermediate proficiency learners. Out of a pool of 90, sixty intermediate participants were homogenized by a QPT test, using a quasi-experimental design. They were randomly assigned to three equal groups: WhatsApp-, SMS- and Classroom-based groups. A pretest determined their idiomatic knowledge status. Only experimental groups received materials via technologically mediated instruction. A post-test tapped their competence after the treatment. A questionnaire was used to illicit the experimental group’s attitudes towards using technology. The results of ANOVA and t-tests showed the superiority of multimodality channel over single channel. The superiority was, WhatsApp-based, SMS-based, and SMS-based groups, respectively. The findings also revealed a strong correlation between students' attitudes towards the use of technology and their idiomatic competence.

Idiomatic Expressions in Translation

There is no language without its own collection of idiomatic expressions. They are expressions with a figurative meaning different from its  literal meaning. Idiomatic expressions play a very important role in the establishment of rapport. They are two or more words syntactically related, with a meaning like a single syntactic unit whose meaning is not predictable from its component words. It is said that without a sound knowledge of idioms one's language will remain foreign. Idiomatic expression is a universal feature of language, though different languages may use literally different idiomatic expressions serving the same function. Owing to these complexities, rendering the idiomaticity of expressions from a source into a target language has always been problematic. This study aimes to scrutinize some aspects of the translation of idiomatic expressions. To this end, Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is compared with two versions of its translation into Persian.

El lenguaraz y la comunicación en la frontera argentina en el siglo XIX

En 1872, los ranqueles firmaron un tratado de paz con los misioneros y jefes militares de los puestos de frontera de la Pampa. Tal tratado sería el último en regular las relaciones entre los ranqueles, indígenas de la etnia mapuche, y los “cristianos” en la Pampa hasta 1879, cuando tropas argentinas invadieron el territorio y tomaron posesión del mismo. Un análisis de las cartas y otros documentos escritos de este período muestran que, en este contexto de comunicación intercultural, personas bilingües, los lenguaraces, desempeñaron un rol fundamental, aun cuando su participación en el proceso comunicativo pocas veces es explícito. El lenguaraz tenía la tarea de intermediar entre dos culturas valiéndose de sus conocimientos culturales, idiomáticos y expresivos. La teoría de los entornos de Eugenio Coseriu sirve para analizar en qué medida la participación de un traductor o intérprete, mencionado explícitamente u omitido, afectó e influyó en los textos orales y los documentos escritos.

On Anthropomorphism in Technology-Enhanced Language Learning: Does Modality Matter in Agent-Based Multimedia Instruction on L2 Idioms?

The present study aimed to satisfy a twofold purpose: On the one hand, it sought to verify the postulation that agent-based instruction could offer a compromise approach to teaching L2 idioms where form and meaning would be equally emphasized during instruction. Given that anthropomorphism has not been much under scrutiny, this research, on the other hand, sought to ascertain whether learning and retention of English idioms would be differentially impacted when two different modalities of virtual tutors —anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic— were present in the tutorial. To this aim, the participants of the study received instruction on 128 English idioms from human teachers, a multimedia application featuring a humanoid virtual teacher, or a piece of multimedia courseware with a non-anthropomorphic virtual tutor. Analysis of the post-intervention measures of L2 idiom knowledge revealed that agent-based instruction had proved more effective in improving both learning and retention of the target idioms among the participants. A further finding was that despite the greater motivational benefits of the humanoid virtual tutor, it had not privileged the participants, performance-wise.

The Effect of Textual Enhancement Technique on Incidental Learning of Idiomatic Expressions of Iranian Intermediate Students

One of the techniques affecting incidental learning is using textual enhancement. This study was conducted in order to see whether textual enhancement positively affects incidental learning of idiomatic expressions. To do so, a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest control group design was carried out. The participants were 40 Iranian intermediate learners selected via convenient sampling and were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups, 20 participants in each. Before the treatment, Idiom Knowledge Scale (IKS) test, taken from Wesche and Paribakht's (1996) was administered to both groups, as pretest. Then the experimental group was exposed to idioms presented with four different textual enhancement techniques (color-coded, bolded, Italic and sticky papers). After the treatment, IKS, was again administered to the groups, as posttest. The results of data analysis through ANCOVA indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group and that the implementation of textual techniques could enhance the incidental idiom learning.

Using the flipped classroom to enhance EFL learning

Instruction in English is a priority around the globe, but instructional methodologies have not always kept pace with the changing needs of students. To explore the benefits of the flipped classroom model for learners of English as a Foreign Language, the researchers used flipped learning and Wen's Output-driven/Input-enabled model to design a holistic oral training course that included extensive online written and verbal communication for the learning of a wide range of English idioms. The participants were 48 sophomore English majors in two required English oral training classes. A within-subjects research design exposed all participants to learning English idioms by flipped learning, using the LINE smartphone app, and by conventional instruction. A mixed research method was employed, using multiple sources of data collection, including pre- and post-tests on idioms, two questionnaires (“Perception of Flipped Learning Experience” and “Technology Acceptance Model”), the teachers' in-class observations, and semi-structured focus-group interviews. The results revealed that the theory-based flipped instruction using online written and oral interaction not only enhanced the participants' motivation, making them more active in using idioms in class, but also significantly improved their idiomatic knowledge, indicating that the flipped learning was successful in achieving the instructional goals of the class. The authors present insights into the impact of theory-based flipped learning on motivation and idiomatic acquisition; student impressions of the online platform used, LINE; and offer recommendations for practice.

Jiří Čart (Georg Czarth) and his Flute Sonata in D minor

Name: Michaela Kouřilová Main Subject: Traverso Research Coaches: Inês de Avena Braga and Donna Agrell Title of Research: Jiří Čart (Georg Czarth) and his Flute Sonata in D minor Research Questions: What is the current status of research on the life of Jiří Čart as an émigré musician? Is it possible to establish bibliographic control of this research, and outline the major deficits in existing literature? By examining Čart's writing for flute, and in particular his D minor Sonata, is it possible to define the characteristics of his compositional style? Is there a further link between his output and his position in various European ensembles, suggesting a development in line with other composers? Research Process: Musical emigration was quite characteristic in Czech musical life in the eighteenth century, but was not a completely new phenomenon. Throughout history Czech emigrants, such as Jan Václav Stamic, František Benda or Josef Mysliveček, came to well-deserved fame, but others await a return to modern appreciation. This is surely the case when we consider the life and work of Jiří Čart (1708-c.1778). Despite the contemporary success and reputation, Čart’s name has fallen into insignificance. No thematic catalogue has ever been attempted, leaving performers with no basis for modern performance, and thus audiences with limited opportunities to hear and discover his music. This thesis is potentially a model for further extrapolation of his output and a beginning of a more developed research path. However, the scope of this current document is limited, and therefore centres on Čart’s flute Sonata in D minor. Summary of Results: This work provides detailed information about the professional life of the violinist, flutist and composer Jiří Čart, which has yet to be considered in English. This information is embedded in the historical context, providing an overall picture of the social situation in the eighteenth century for émigré musicians from the Czech lands such as Čart. The so- called ‘Czech Musical Emigration’ is a very important ingredient of European music history, which partly influenced the direction and the onset of classicism as we now see it. Čart spent his adult life following his musical talents and opportunities as an émigré. In doing so, he occupied several important posts in major European orchestras and establishments. New details about his life and compositions are uncovered in this work, which is accompanied by a critical edition of his ‘Solo à Flauto Traverso è embalo’ in D minor. This edition was prepared using several variant texts from the eighteenth century, as the sonata exists only in contemporary manuscript copies, as well as a transcription for violin. Disseminated throughout European libraries, the work shows a mature compositional style, with the idiomatic knowledge necessary to craft a showpiece for the flute, allowing the performer to engage with, and enlighten the audience.

The Effect of Portfolio Assessment on Learning Idioms in Writing

The present study sought to investigate the effect of portfolio assessment on idiom competence of Iranian EFL learners. For the purpose of this study, 30 students from upper-intermediate level of English proficiency took part in this study. They were chosen through convenience sampling from a language institute in Rasht, Iran. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. A TOEFL test and a test of idioms were given to the students to ensure their homogeneity in terms of language proficiency and knowledge of idioms, respectively. The experimental group was intended to create a portfolio and put their writing samples, in which idioms were used, in the portfolio. They were involved in the process of self-and-peer assessment. The teacher also provided them with feedback and comments. However, the control group received a kind of traditional instruction. In other words, the control group used the idioms in their writing without receiving any comments and delivered it to their teacher to be scored. The treatment lasted for 10 sessions and a post-test was administered in the end. Independent samples t-tests were used to analyze the data gathered from the pretests and the posttest. The findings indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of idioms and portfolio was found to be able to improve students’ knowledge of idioms. The results of this study have some implications for teaching and learning idioms.

Http://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/alls/article/view/355/297

The present study investigated the effect of learner generated illustrations on the immediate and delayed idiom recall of Iranian EFL (English as a foreign language) learners. To accomplish this end, 40 female students participated in this study. A placement test (Quick Placement Test, Version 2) was administered to the participants to ascertain that they were all at intermediate level of proficiency. Since the design of the study was quasi experimental, they were randomly assigned to control (N: 20) and experimental (N: 20) groups. A pretest of idioms was given to the participants to ensure that they were homogeneous in terms of their knowledge of idioms. Both groups were provided with the clarification of idioms through definitions and examples. However the experimental group was required to draw their own mental image of the idioms on a paper. At the end of the treatment, students took an immediate posttest of idioms. After an interval of 2 weeks, a similar posttest was given to the students to examine the delayed recall ability of the learners. The obtained results through an independent samples t-test indicated that the experimental group slightly outperformed the control group on immediate posttest, but the difference was not statistically significant. However the results on the delayed posttest suggested that there was a significant difference between the two groups and the participants in the experimental group had stronger delayed recall ability.

Teaching Idioms in German as a Foreign Language Lesson

I strongly believe that idioms which appear in everyday phrases should not be neglected when it comes to teaching a foreign language in schools. This article is a summary of my college diploma (with the same title: Teaching Idioms in German as a foreign language lesson). The aim of my thesis was to draw up five different learning examples for comprehending idioms while teaching German as a foreign language.There are crucial differences in the process idioms are taught, far more complex than teaching material in the textbook; different preparation, knowledge, and skills are needed. Lesson plans are based on a textbook for High School education Studio d for the B1 level. Each individual lesson contains at least five (5) phrases that are directly or indirectly related to the theme in the textbook. The basis of every lesson plan consists from so-called „phraseodidactic four-step”: (1) searching for phrases in given text, (2) an understanding of phrases through text, images, or predictive associations, (3) consolidation through a variety of tasks, and (4) the use of idioms.In my opinion that is how, with sufficient knowledge and use of idioms, students also get to know and learn about the culture of the target language - which by itself culturally connects them closer to the language.Key words: phrase, phraseodidactic, phraseodidactic step, teaching, lesson plan.

Phraseologisches Optimum für Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Ein Vorschlag auf der Basis von Frequenz- und Geläufigkeitsuntersuchungen

In this paper we introduce results from two studies on frequency and knowledge of German idioms. The aim of the first study was to determine the frequency of idioms in a written language corpus, and in the second study the native speakers knowledge of idioms was exploited. In both studies selected idioms from dictionaries of idioms and dictionaries for German as a foreign language were used, and here we present the result of the comparison of the data from both studies concerning 1112 German idioms. One part of the result is a list with 143 highly frequent and well known idioms, that we propose to be a part of a "phraseological optimum" for German as a foreign language.

‘I don't know if I should believe him’: Knowledge and believability in interviews with children

Social psychologists interested in social interaction have, in recent years, addressed the ways that people negotiate 'who is entitled to know what' across a variety of conversational settings. Using recordings of interviews conducted as a part of a Swedish national evaluation of interventions for abused children, the current article examines how children navigate knowledge and its moral implications. The analysis focuses on a particular question ('What do you believe [the perpetrator] thinks about what he has done'), which draws on the psychological concept of mentalization: the cognitive ability to picture others' mental states based on their behaviour. The findings suggest that the concept of mentalization fails to account for the moral properties of knowing someone's thoughts: The perpetrator, most often the child's father, must be believable - recognized as both credible and knowable - for the children to claim access to his thoughts. The interviewees used contrastive constructions in claims of (no) access to their fathers' thoughts as they simultaneously contested idiomatic knowledge that undermined their claims. The article contributes to recent developments in discursive social psychology concerning how subjectivity, in particular, epistemic stance, is managed in institutional interaction, and continues the discursive psychological project of respecifying concepts such as mentalization.

"Oumense het blotvoet gebruik": Nederlandse taalresten in de variëteiten van het Afrikaans

Oumense het blotvoet gebruik: Dutch relics in the regional varieties of Afrikaans The Bureau of the WAT has developed a survey of all varieties of Afrikaans. One part thereof is the survey of Dutch language relics in the Afrikaans regional varieties which is discussed here. From earlier surveys it has been shown that many Dutch relics are present; the Dutch language and in particular the dialect from Holland from the 16th and 17th centuries have had a strong influence on (the origin of) Afrikaans. Questionnaires were used to check with 183 informants from the Northern and the Western Cape whether Dutch relics are still present in the varieties they use, on the phonetic as well as the lexical level. The survey has shown that Dutch relics are found on both levels. In the pronunciation especially there is still [o] where standard Afrikaans has [e], and less often [y] is found instead of [œy]. It is noticeable that the [«i]/[i] variation is present less frequently, while in Dutch a parallel development in the diphtongisation of [y] and [i] has occurred. Afrikaans has seemingly undergone an independent development in this regard. Most phonetic relics were found in Namaqualand, particularly among informants with little schooling, and somewhat more among women than among men. On a lexical level the results were quite different. There are still many Dutch relics present in word meaning as well as in knowledge of idioms. The Muslim community of Cape Town scores particularly high in this regard, while phonetic relics were scarcely found. Informants with higher education levels score more highly in this regard than those with lower schooling or less, and among men more lexical relics are recorded than among women. Lastly, both on a lexical level and on a phonetic level, a number of indirect results were gathered from the survey which also point to the presence of Dutch language relics. Keywords: woordeboek van die afrikaanse taal; inventorying of relics; use of language description; questionnaire; influence of dutch on afrikaans; phonetic language relics; sound variation; lexical language relics; word meaning; idioms; correlations with sex; schooling and age; indirect results

Patterns of Persian EFL Learners’ Comprehension of Idiomatic Expressions: Reading Strategies and Cross-Cultural Mappings in focus

This paper primarily focused on the description of the results of a study conducted with sixty Iranian adult EFL learners to investigate how the reading strategies and pragmatic elements are likely to govern and characterize the comprehension and interpretation process of English idioms with and without contextualized reading. It also intended to determine the role of cultural mappings and the extent to which Iranian EFL learners' knowledge of cultural idioms is affected by their L1 when they try to construct their own meanings. The researchers came up with some interesting inferences about such theme-based patterns of idiomatic expressions through descriptive statistics and analysis of the participants' metacognitive comments in four phases of the study.

The development of idiom comprehension: An investigation of semantic and contextual processing skills

Two experiments compared 7- and 8-year-olds’ and 9- and 10-year-olds’ ability to use semantic analysis and inference from context to understand idioms. We used a multiple-choice task and manipulated whether the idioms were transparent or opaque, familiar or novel, and presented with or without a supportive story context. Performance was compared with that of adults (Experiment 1) and 11- and 12-year-olds (Experiment 2). The results broadly support Cacciari and Levorato’s global elaboration model of figurative competence with a notable exception: Even the youngest children were able to use semantic analysis to derive the meanings of transparent idioms as well as being sensitive to meaning in context. The findings show that young children process language at both the small-grain phrase level and the discourse level to establish figurative meaning, and they demonstrate that the language processing skills that aid idiom comprehension, as well as idiom knowledge itself, are still not fully developed in 11- and 12-year-olds.

Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Understanding Spanish VP Idioms in and out of Context

This article describes the results of a study conducted with twenty-eight adult third-year learners of Spanish in order to investigate (a) the degree to which idiom type affects the speed and ease of idiom comprehension and interpretation, and (b) the effect that context (or lack thereof) exerts on idiom understanding. Findings indicate that (a) there are significant main effects for LL and PLL idioms in both context and non-context treatments: (b) the use of context is of great importance in the construction of idiomatic meaning; and (c) the degree of opacity between target and domain idioms influences the speed and ease of VP idiom understanding, as well as the transfer of L1 idiomatic knowledge, in significant ways. Implications for the classroom and for future research are also discussed.

Lexicalization of idioms in urban fifth graders: a reaction time study

Idioms are an important aspect of language that comprises a sizeable portion of our vocabulary. However, lexical access research has largely been limited to understanding how literal words are accessed and processed in the mental lexicon. Adult data show that idioms are quickly accessed from the lexicon and are likely processed as long words [J. Verbal Learn. Verbal Behav. 18 (1979) 523]. The purpose of this study was to examine lexicalization of idioms in a group of school-aged children. Using a phrase classification design, this research tested the Lexical Representation Hypothesis [J. Verbal Learn. Verbal Behav. 18 (1979) 523] in 19 urban fifth graders (5 boys, 14 girls; M age=10.16 years). On a computer, the students classified 54 phrases, including 24 idioms (high, moderate, and low familiarity [J. Speech Hear. Res. 36 (1993) 728]), 24 grammatical control word strings and 6 unrelated foils as either idioms or nonidioms. The idioms were identified with 62% accuracy. Unexpectedly, the boys tended to show higher rates of accuracy than the girls. Response latencies were shorter on the idioms compared to the controls and high familiarity idioms were processed faster than moderate and low familiarity idioms. These findings provide developmental data for lexicalization of idioms and the relationship between lexicalization and familiarity. Learning outcomes At the conclusion of this article, the reader will be able to: (1) discuss the various theories of idiom access and processing, (2) discuss how lexical access relates to idiom knowledge in school-aged children, and (3) consider the association between lexical access and familiarity relative to idiom comprehension in school-aged children.

Contextual Variation, Familiarity, Academic Literacy, and Rural Adolescents' Idiom Knowledge.

The paucity of data on idiom development in adolescents, particularly rural adolescents, limits the ability of speech-language pathologists and educators to test and teach idioms appropriately in this population. This study was designed to delineate the interrelationships between context, familiarity, and academic literacy relative to rural adolescents' idiom knowledge. Ninety-five rural eighth graders (M age=13.4 years) were quasi-randomly assigned to complete the Idiom Comprehension Test (Qualls & Harris, 1999) in one of three contexts: idioms in a short story (n=25), idioms in isolation (n=32), and idioms in a verification task (n=38). For all conditions, the identical 24 idioms-8 each of high, moderate, and low familiarity (Nippold & Rudzinski, 1993)-were presented. For a subset (N=54) of the students, reading and language arts scores from the California Achievement Tests (5th ed., 1993), a standardized achievement test, were correlated with performance on the idiom test. Performance in the story condition and on high-familiarity idioms showed the greatest accuracy. For the isolation and verification conditions, context interacted with familiarity. Associations existed between idiom performance and reading ability and idiom performance and language literacy, but only for the story and verification conditions. High-proficiency readers showed the greatest idiom accuracy. The results support the notion that context facilitates idiom comprehension for rural adolescents, and that idiom testing should consider not only context, but idiom familiarity as well. Thus, local norms should be established. Findings also confirm that good readers are better at comprehending idioms, likely resulting from enriched vocabulary obtained through reading. These normative data indicate what might be expected when testing idiom knowledge in adolescents with language impairments.

Context and idiom understanding in second languages

This article describes the results of a study conducted with fifty-three adult third-year learners of Spanish, French, and German in order to investigate (a) the degree to which idiom type affects the speed and ease of idiom comprehension and interpretation, (b) the effect that context exerts on idiom understanding, (c) the strategies second language learners employ in computing the idiomatic meaning of multiword phrasal units during contextualized and acontextualized reading of texts containing such idioms, and (d) the cognitive processes that are likely to constrain the construction of the right idiomatic mappings between target and domain idioms. Findings indicate that (a) there were significant main effects for lexical and post-lexical level idioms in both the context and the non-context treatment; (b) translation, guessing, and the use of context are highly important in the construction of idiomatic meaning; and (c) the degree of opacity between target and domain idiom, knowledge of vocabulary, graphophonics and syntactic arrangement, and literal meaning of an idiom influence and affect transfer of idiomatic knowledge in significant ways.

Functional-Communicative Grammar (Spanish-German) for Translators and/or Interpreters

In the present research project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture we are working on the elaboration of a contrastive functional-communicative grammar (Spanish-German) for translators and/or interpreters on CD Rom which is considered a valuable working tool for this group. It is well-known that one does not translate words and structures but tekst or discourse. In order to do so, the translator/interpreter must understand the communicative intention of the original tekst or discourse and reproduce it in the target tekst. That means, not only does he/she need a solid idiomatic knowledge (knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, phonology, suprasegmental and extralinguistic elements)in both languages but also a good knowledge of the expressive aspect of all these linguistic resources (i.e. which resources are used to express which function in what kind of situation or tekst and with what effect). However, the existing grammar books do not help him/her in an effective way because none of them offer him/her easily accessible information about the resources (lexical, grammatical, phonological, orthographic, suprasegmental, extralinguistic) that exist in each language for the expression of specific functions (e.g. “make a request”), determined by the type of tekst or discourse and adding information about the frequency of use and the pragmatic connotations of each linguistic form.