Teaching idioms in English as a second language : an analysis of issues and solutions PDF

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TEACHING IDIOMS IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: AN ANALYSIS OF ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS Olga A. Blinova Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University) (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) Abstract Idioms are said to mirror the culture of the language. As it happens with most culturally-determined...

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Teaching idioms in English as a second language : an analysis of issues and solutions Olga Blinova Blinova, O. (2021) Teaching idioms in English as a second language : an analysis of issues and solutions. INTED2021 Proceedings, pp. 324-328.

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TEACHING IDIOMS IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: AN ANALYSIS OF ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS Olga A. Blinova Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University) (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)

Abstract Idioms are said to mirror the culture of the language. As it happens with most culturally-determined language aspects, idioms pose great difficulties for learners (Prodromou 2003; Tran, 2012; Vasiljevic, 2011), to the point where some teachers avoid dealing with idioms in the classroom altogether (Tran, 2012). Prodromou (2003) speaks of an “idiomatic paradox”, where native speakers rely on idioms in spoken discourse, while even advanced learners struggle, finding them elusive. However, many scholars insist on teaching idioms in an EFL classroom. Celce-Murcia (2008) proposes a communicative competence model, where one of the competences (figurative) rests on the ability to use idioms. CEFR includes idiomatic expressions in its band descriptions (Council of Europe 2012). All this makes a case for including idioms in academic syllabi. The paper explores the reasons why idioms present immense difficulties for learners. I start by reviewing existing scholarly approaches to definitions and taxonomy of idiomatic expressions and proceed to identifying the common issues that EFL learners face. I then outline suggestions to deal with those issues. The latter are based on successful case studies from teaching idioms in EFL classroom to L1 Russian and Turkish speakers. Keywords: EFL, ESL, teaching lexis, idioms.

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INTRODUCTION

Idioms are said to mirror the culture of the language. As it happens with most culturally-determined language aspects, idioms pose great difficulties for learners [1; 2; 3], to the point where some teachers avoid dealing with idioms in the classroom altogether [2]. Prodromou (2003) speaks of an “idiomatic paradox” [1], where native speakers rely on idioms in spoken discourse, while even advanced learners struggle, finding them elusive. However, many scholars insist on teaching idioms in an EFL classroom. Celce-Murcia (2008) proposes a communicative competence model, where one of the competences (figurative) rests on the ability to use idioms [4]. CEFR (Council of Europe 2012) includes idiomatic expressions in its band descriptions [5]. All this makes a case for including idioms in academic syllabi.

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THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 Definitions and Classifications There is no scholarly consensus on what idioms are. In contemporary research, the term ‘’idioms’’ (or ‘phraseological units’) seems to encompass quite a wide range of multi-word units, from lexical collocations such as prepositional verbs (e.g. to look at smth) to instances of metaphoric language use (e.g. apple of my eye). As idioms are complex phenomena, definitions abound as to what can be considered an idiom. Some definitions rely on form, others highlight the meaning. The scholarly definitions of idioms that revolve around the meaning regard idioms as multi-word expressions that are “not the sum of their parts” [6], or “a group of words that occur in a more or less fixed phrase whose overall meaning cannot be predicted by analyzing the meaning of its constituent parts” [7]. Prodromou (2005) proposes a classification of idioms based on a combination of their form and meaning, singling out four types [8]: a) Formulae, which include prepositional phrases e.g. at home, and transparent bi-/trinominals, e.g. bed and breakfast (i.e. whose meaning may be understood by combining the meanings of the constituents, which makes this approach radically different from the ones cited above). b) Collocations, which can be open, e.g. sun+rise, or restricted, e.g. spur sb’s memory.

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c) Phrasal Verbs (e.g. ‘to turn around’ in the meaning of ‘radically change one’s mind’) d) Cultural Idioms. This subtype of English phraseological lexicon includes ‘colourful binominals’ (e.g. chalk and cheese) or ‘trinominals’ (e.g. lock, stock and barrel), metaphors and figurative expressions (e.g. to fight fire with fire), similes (e.g. [to get on] like a house on fire), proverbs and sayings (e.g. an apple a day keeps the doctor away), literary allusions (e.g. quotes from Shakespeare) and a range of other similar multi-word units like nursery rhymes, or pop-song lyrics [8]. Although all the four types possess what Prodromou calls ‘idiomaticity’, but they differ greatly in ‘‘syntactic flexibility, collocational fixedness, and semantic opacity’’ [8]. Types A-C are considered formulaic while Type D is idiomatic. Formulaic idioms are frequent in use, less opaque in meaning, and fixed in form. Idiomatic phraseological expressions, however, are infrequent in use, opaque in meaning, and can be creative when it comes to form [8].

2.2 Form: Degrees of Fixedness When viewed in isolation in their fixed forms, as suggested in Bieber et al. (1999) [9], idioms can have the following structures: - wh- questions (e.g. what on earth); - noun phrases (e.g. chalk and cheese, two peas in a pod); - prepositional phrase idioms (e.g. up in arms); - verb + prepositional phrase (e.g. have it out with smb; fight fire with fire) - verb + noun phrase (e.g. to get on like a house on fire) [9]. Although not mentioned in Bieber et al. (1999) [9], another type seems also pertinent: verb + noun (e.g. call the shots). Formulaic expressions, as mentioned above, are believed to be fixed in form and syntactically regular. It is because of this quality that formal approaches embraced by the Chomskian school viewed idioms as ‘‘ill-formed’’ multi-words that cannot fit into the standard paradigm [10]. Corpus data shows, however, that some idioms are characterised by a lesser degree of fixedness and have slots for interchangeable fillers while the key words remain unchanged [9], e.g. She drives me nuts / crazy / mad, etc. Cultural idioms, however, are subject to creative change. Moon (1998) claims that in real-life discourse they are more often used in a non-canonical rather than traditional form. This is a revolutionary view that became possible with the advent of corpus linguistics, as traditionally cultural idioms were believed to be as fixed in form as the other three types. For example, previous studies, such as Ball (1958), stated that neither the order nor the composition of words in an idiom can be changed: ‘‘to lead a dog's life but not *to lead a kangaroo's life’’. However, actual real-life speech usage contains examples he considered impossible [11]. Prodromou (2005) goes as far as to claim that the creative use of cultural idioms (e.g. as unfixed expressions) is more common [8].

2.3 Degrees of Opacity Fernando (1996) speaks of a continuum of literal-to-figurative meaning, arguing that idioms can be arranged on a scale from the ones whose meaning can be inferred from its constituent parts to those whose meaning is completely abstract [12]. This suggestion seems to accurately describe the semantic nature of idioms. Most Type A expressions, for instance, are easily understood by combining the semantics of the constituents (e.g. bed and breakfast). Some phrasal verbs, however, tend to be less transparent in meaning. While some can still be deciphered due to certain meanings attached to the verb and the particle (e.g. hand in the paper), others cannot: e.g. to fill in / out a form share the same semantics although the individual constituents (in / out) have opposite core meanings. Due to this opacity of meaning, scholars have strived to uncover their inner semantics and the mechanisms that help speakers decode them. The Cognitive Approach emerged as an attempt to answer this question. Its proponents believe that speakers use both their background knowledge and experience and the immediate context to merge the metaphoric and the literal meanings of the constituents of an idiom and thus decode its overall meaning [13].

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2.4 Style and Use Idiomatic expressions seem to be ubiquitous in English. Crystal (1995) asserts that idioms are found across genres and registers, including media (journalism and advertising), political as well as spoken discourse, and everyday conversation [14]. Academic prose is not devoid of idioms either [7]. Drawing on corpus data, Bieber et al. (1999) comes to a surprising conclusion, however, that informal idioms are actually more frequently used in fiction by authors who imitate oral conversation, rather than in real conversation per se [9]. The stylistic effect that is caused by idioms is a degree of informality that the text acquires, as they lend a ‘‘vivid colour to an otherwise serious discussion’’ [9].

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COMMON LEARNER ISSUES

3.1 Meaning is too obscure to deduce it from context Idioms present immense difficulties for learners as context is often insufficient to deduce the meaning. Quite often, indeed, the idiom itself is the only context available. This is especially true of spoken discourse which tends to be elliptical. Sometimes, if a learner does not know the meaning of the idiom, they will try to deduce the meaning from the typical metaphoric associations, individual or cultural. In an upper-intermediate class of L1 Russian speakers, a learner is often prone to making the following mistake: e.g. Did you get on well with your first mother-in-law? — Like a house on fire. The idiom ‘to get on like house on fire’ was unfamiliar, but the learner tried to deduce the meaning of the whole from the meanings of the constituents. According to his reasoning, a house on fire is a tragedy, so the idiom meant No, we did not get well. This individual association leads to a communication breakdown.

3.2 L1 interference When faced with an unfamiliar idiom in English, learners may be tempted to rely on L1 background knowledge. Indeed, many idioms have direct counterparts across languages. This is especially true of idioms originating from the Bible, or the Greek mythology. However, sometimes they may have a completely different meaning in another language. For example, even Proficiency level students whose L1 language is Russian find it hard to decode the English idiom to be cabbaged. Unlike in English, where it means ‘a person so badly brain-damaged or ill that they cannot do anything’ (CollinsCobuild), in Russian it refers to clothes. ‘’To be like a cabbage’’ means to be wearing many layers of clothing. Here, L1 interference prevents successful decoding of the meaning.

3.3 Inappropriate Style and Register When students first become aware of the idiomatic language and acquire a significant arsenal of it, they are often tempted to indiscriminately use it in all styles and registers. This is enforced by some textbooks and study materials which advocate activities such as ‘idiomatic vocabulary stories’. Intermediate learners are most prone to this, as at this level they have already accumulated a lot of idiomatic vocabulary but have not yet developed a sense of style. It leads to stylistic mistakes involving humorous utterances in situations where humour was not the desired effect. Here is an example of a conversation the author of this article once had with an intermediate university student: e.g. Alexander, the essay was due yesterday, but you have not submitted yours yet. When can I expect it? — Oh, when pigs fly! I’m sorry I’ve been swamped. The student meant his reply to be apologetic and colourful, but the resulting effect would likely have offended anyone but an English teacher.

3.4 Mistakes of Form Prepositions pose a great difficulty as the rules are obscure or non-existent. For example, preintermediate Russian learners struggle with phrasal verbs, particularly with using the correct particle. The reason lies in lack of any apparent logic behind the choice of particle and their multiple semantics

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e.g. make up the bed vs one’s mind. Numerous attempts have been made to uncover the logic behind the phrasal verbs, but it seems that higher-level learners achieve retention simply due to continuous exposure to these items. At lower levels, students have not yet been exposed long enough.

4

SUGGESTIONS

This section will outline the procedures and rationale behind some activities that address the issues outlined above.

4.1 Contrast through translation Using L1 may prove a lifeline to EFL/ESL educators dealing with idioms. Consider the following procedure. Target language (e.g. cultural idioms) is introduced. As part of controlled practice, students are asked to translate sentences containing idioms into L1. The translation options are discussed in pairs, and students are encouraged to draw on each other’s expertise and be creative in their search for equivalents. Later in the course (e.g. a week after the class) they are once again asked to perform a translation task, this time from L1 to L2. This type of activity addresses issues in 3.1 and 3.2. and can be effective with all types of idioms. Since even at higher levels there is always the danger of direct L1 transfer, I have found it important to make students aware of the difference to prevent the mistakes from happening in the first place. Students generally love this activity as it draws on their creativity and raises awareness of both L1 and L2. The target language selected for this activity must pose difficulty due to L1 interference, e.g. employ different lexis belonging to the same semantic field in both L1 and L2. The purpose is not to trick students into making a mistake but to highlight the differences: e.g. It’s Greek to me (Eng) —> It’s Chinese to me (Rus); e.g. Slow boat to China (Eng) —> Long way to the Canadian border (Rus) It is important to follow up on this activity after some time has passed, as revision at regular intervals leads to better retention, as in this case students will be using their long-term memory. This activity can be adapted to all levels. Lower-level learners can be asked to translate simple structures or isolated idioms (see the example above), while higher level learners can handle more complex language.

4.2 Focus on Form At controlled practice or revision stage students receive cards with sentences, each containing a phrasal verb. The cards are cut in half, the line running between the verb and the particle. The task is to match the halves. The activity is usually done as a competition between two groups. Phrasal verbs pose great difficulty because of their obscure structure, so controlled practice is always a must at lower levels. Turning it into a competition raises the energy level in the classroom for an otherwise tiresome activity.

4.3 Addressing style issues Students are presented with a text containing a large number of phrasal verbs. They read it for gist and then decide what might its target audience and communicative purpose be. The expected answer is that is a sample of informal communication. Students proceed to justify their answer by pointing out the phrasal verbs in the text, as they are the reason for the informality. The next step is for students to rewrite the text, making it more neutral/formal by substituting the idioms by non-phrasal equivalents. In lower-level groups the activity may include scaffolding, i.e. students choose the equivalents from a list provided by the teacher, or the phrasal verbs in the original text may be in bold. In higher-levels, no scaffolding is provided, and students rely on their vocabulary knowledge. This activity makes students aware of the fact that idioms are not universal in use, and each idiom lends a degree of informality to any text. The advantages of the activity include raising the learners’ awareness of the fact that there is usually more than one way of conveying any semantic meaning in English, but the stylistic effect may be different. Inductive learning takes place as students work with the text and search for stylistic difference between semantic equivalents without the teacher’s explicit help, and it is considered to ensure better retention.

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5

CONCLUSION

As with most culturally-determined language aspects, idioms pose great difficulties for EFL learners. Common learner issues result from the meaning of the idiom being too obscure to deduce it from context or L1 interference. Typical mistakes include inappropriate use of style and register, or, in lower levels, mistakes of form. To deal with these issues, we suggest contrasting idioms through translation, focusing on form in presentation, controlled and freer practice, as well as addressing style issues at these stages.

REFERENCES [1]

L. Prodromou, "Idiomaticity and the non-native speaker," English Today, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 42–48, 2003.

[2]

H. Q. Tran, "An explorative study of idiom teaching for pre-service teachers of English," English Language Teaching, vol. 5, no. 12, pp. 76–86, 2012.

[3]

Z. Vasiljevic, "Using conceptual metaphors and L1 definitions in teaching idioms to non native speakers," The Journal of Asia TEFL, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 135–160, 2011.

[4]

M. Celce-Murcia, "Rethinking the role of communicative competence in language teaching" in Intercultural language use and language learning. (E. Alcón Soler and P. Safont Jordà, eds.), pp. 41–57, Dordrecht: Springer, 2008.

[5]

Council of Europe, The common European framework in its political and educational context, 2012, Accessed 15 July 2019. Retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_en.pdf

[6]

R. Moon, Fixed expressions and idioms in English. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998.

[7]

R. Simpson, D. Mendis, "A Corpus-Based Study of Idioms in Academic Speech," TESOL QUARTERLY, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 419–441, 2003.

[8]

L. Prodromou, 'You see, it's sort of tricky for the L2-user': the puzzle of idiomaticity in English as a lingua franca. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham, 2005. Retrieved from http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11180/1/423643.pdf

[9]

D. Bieber, S. Johansson, G. Leech, S. Conrad, E. Finnegan, Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. London: Longman, 1999.

[10]

U. Weinreich, "Problems in the analysis of idioms" in Substance and Structure of Language (J. Puhvel, ed.), pp. 23–82, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1969.

[11]

W.J. Ball, A practical guide to Colloquial Idiom. London: Longman, 1958.

[12]

C. Fernando, Idioms and idiomaticity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.

[13]

C. Fernando, R. Flavell, On idiom: critical views and perspectives. Exeter: University of Exeter. 1981.

[14]

D. Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

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