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Chapter II
The role of Idioms in English language
2.1. Idioms used in different spheres
The theorist and researchers in the field have recently recognized the prominent role of vocabulary knowledge in second or foreign language learning. Accordingly, numerous types of approaches, techniques, exercises practice to teach vocabulary. Nation properly states that teaching vocabulary should not only consist of teaching specific words but also aims at equipping learners with idioms necessary to expand their vocabulary knowledge.
Traditional vocabulary instruction for many teachers involves having students look words up in the dictionary, write definitions, and use words in sentences [49]. Word lists, teacher explanation, discussion, memorization, vocabulary books, and quizzes often are used in an effort to help students learn new words. But these methods ignore what research and theory tell us about word learning and sound vocabulary instruction. Vocabulary is a principle contributor to comprehension, fluency, and achievement.
Nowadays methodologists and linguists suggest that teachers can decide and select the words to be taught on the basis of how frequently they are used by speakers of the language. Carter – McCarthy (1991) rightly points out, “Knowing a word involves knowing its spoken and written context of use; its patterns with words of related meaning as well as with its collocation partners; its syntactic, pragmatic and discourse patterns; It means knowing it actively and productively as well as receptively” [12, 123].
Garner (2009) proposed vocabulary teaching methods that concentrate on input that focuses on the meaning of vocabulary items and pronunciation that explains how the language operates. He also proposes teaching strategies that allow students to learn vocabulary independently through intensive reading [49].
It is important for teachers in the English for Academic Purposes ESL classroom to focus on the complexity and quality of the semantization process in order to enhance the organizational structure of the learners’ lexicon. Effective vocabulary teaching strategies enhance word retention, broaden the depth and breadth of word knowledge and therefore expedite the vocabulary development of the English language learner.
As an essential component in English lexicon, English idioms are set phrases or short sentences abstracted from English in the long-term process of the language development. There are two most obvious characteristics of idioms. One is semantic unity, which connotes that idiom is an inseparable semantic unity. Usually an idiom’s meaning could not be inferred from each part. The other one is structural stability. That is, the arrangement and collocation of an idiom are fixed. Sentence structures are not flexible. The viewpoint of its semantic unity and structural unity has played a dominant role in the researches of English idioms. Till the 1950s, Chomsky proposed the transformational-generative grammar, under which a linguist Fraser (1970) went to develop the transformational potential of idioms. Cowie and Mackin (1975) confirmed the existence of one-off variation. They held that English idiom’s stability in structure and overall meaning is not so absolute. That is, idioms can be varied in specific contexts. Furthermore, we can also find out a great deal of idiom variations in the process of using English. English idiom variant refers to the form of idiom created by means of altering some original components, structures, or meanings of the former idioms.
This qualification paper aims at focusing on travelling, health and colour terms used in idiomatic expressions in the English language.
Colour related idioms
We chose the semantic field of colours because they are very frequently used especially to convey certain meanings. As a very significant human experience, colours attracted many scholars’ attention. People always use colours to express their understandings and thoughts and their meaning changes across cultures.
Among figures of speech, idioms represent a set expression of two or more words that means something other than the literal meaning of its individual words. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, an idiom “is a phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit” [II, 3, p.616]. The meaning of the idioms can be sometimes understood by looking the words up in a dictionary and using some common sense and imagination and the context of the phrase. Taking into account all these aspects this part of our research aims at focusing on colour terms used in the idiomatic expressions. So present are colours in our existence that alongside taxes and death they have been (humorously) labeled as the third inescapable element of our lives. Therefore, it comes as a natural phenomenon that they were incorporated in language and ascribed symbolic values.
Colour symbolism is the use of colour to represent traditional, cultural or religious idea, concepts, feelings or to evoke physical relations. Colours are believed to create a physical reaction/red has been shown to raise blood pressure, they also follow trends- in certain periods different colours have been considered fashionable or the attribute of social political categories (as purple representing royalty or red representing
communism).
Anders Steinvall explored the collocations of 50 colour terms and 135 emotions terms and researched “which colour categories are salient from the point of view of emotions and vice versa”. The most frequent collocation of black colour is related to sadness. White colour is associated with anger and fear and red is very vividly represented by collocations with anger. Both yellow and orange convey joy. Green is associated with anger to be more precisely with envy and jealousy.
Teaching idioms by topic can make easier for students to remember. An idiom is a phrase or expression in which the entire meaning is different from the usual meanings of the individual words within it. Idioms are fun to work with because they are part of everyday vocabulary. Students enjoy working with figurative meanings. They also enjoy finding out about the origins of idiomatic expressions, some of which are very old. Here we suggest examples of colour related idioms:
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