Idioms: A Post Service Of 2 Halves (Part 1)

The other eve I’d fallen into the trap of having a quick pic through social media piece I was half-watching something on TV as well as I stumbled across an #ELTChinwag give-and-take on Twitter which I couldn’t resist adding my twopenn’orth to. The give-and-take was close the Lexical Approach inwards ELT, but I came inwards on a thread close teaching idioms. It got me thinking on 2 slightly unlike paths:

Part 1: Teaching idioms

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 contributor to the give-and-take made the next comment:

“one describe of piece of work organisation that nosotros could focus besides much on idiomatic lang. Most learners volition prob hold upward speaking amongst NNspeakers inwards future.”

It struck a chord equally it goes to the pump of the arguments I’ve been having amongst editors for some years instantly close teaching ‘idioms’ (clarification of what I hateful past times that coming up), how useful they are inwards full general as well as especially whether they accept a house inwards the fairly restricted form of format of vocabulary activity inwards many published materials (i.e. inwards a slot-filling type of context where students jibe them to their ‘meaning’ inwards a rather simplistic way).

Now earlier I acquire whatever further, I should clarify what I hateful past times an idiom. Of course, the term ‘idiom’ tin hold upward interpreted real broadly to refer to almost whatever fixed (or semi-fixed) chunk of language, inwards which case, it covers all kinds of expressions similar in a moment, all the time, of course, all kinds of, etc. At the other cease of the scale, it’s also ofttimes used to refer to the form of colourful expressions of the ‘raining cats as well as dogs’ diversity where it’s impossible to operate out the important of the overall seem from the total of its parts. And as well as then there’s everything in-between which arguably forms a cline from the mundane as well as unremarkable, to the real salient as well as much to a greater extent than marked.

As mortal who spends most of my working life playing just about amongst vocabulary, it would hold upward foreign indeed if I wasn’t a large proponent of the former, ‘fixed phrase’ type of idiom. They’re absolutely essential for communication, almost no affair who you lot desire to communicate with. What’s more, they render learners amongst incredibly useful pre-formed chunks they tin occupation to cutting downward the processing charge required to practise utterances completely from scratch every time.

Once inwards a bluish moon?

The other cease of the scale, that seems to hold upward hence honey of coursebook publishers, I believe needs treating amongst to a greater extent than caution. The to a greater extent than colourful idioms (once inwards a bluish moon, every Canis familiaris has its day, accept a bee inwards your bonnet, etc.) are especially marked; that is they aren’t standard, neutral linguistic communication that volition acquire unnoticed, they stand upward out to the reader/listener and, perchance most importantly, they practise hence because they often accept lots of cultural associations as well as connotations tied upward amongst them. Take a seem at the selection of idioms below that roughly hateful ‘annoy/irritate’ – who would you lot hold off to occupation them as well as inwards what context? What practise they tell you lot close the speaker and/or their intended listener? Which would the speaker occupation to utter close their ain feelings as well as which close others? Which would you lot use?

acquire on sb’s nerves
acquire on sb’s tits
acquire upward sb’s nose
rub sb upward the incorrect way
endeavour sb’s patience
ruffle sb’s feathers
air current sb up
piss sb off
drive sb to distraction
drive sb circular the bend
annoy the f**k out of sb

I could in all likelihood write a whole weblog post close each one!

We all accept our ain idiolects, the words as well as phrases nosotros occupation based on our background (social, cultural, regional, educational, etc.) our age, gender, etc. And nosotros occupation unlike linguistic communication based on the context, our mood as well as who we’re talking to. As native speakers, nosotros weigh upward our linguistic communication choices all the fourth dimension as well as (mostly) select expressions that are just correct from the context. We often couldn’t tell just why a item seem just fits, but our accumulated (largely subconscious) agreement of linguistic communication comes into play.

Explaining all that to a learner, especially i from a real unlike cultural background, tin hold upward real hard as well as advising them equally to when, how or whether to occupation the seem for themselves is almost impossible. Of course, that’s truthful of all kinds of linguistic communication (whether it’s slang or literary or whatever), but I remember idioms are especially tricky.

I’m non maxim that nosotros should avoid these idioms altogether, I’m just non certain that teaching whole sets of them patently for productive occupation is terribly helpful. If they come upward up inwards a text, they tin shape an interesting signal of give-and-take as well as assist learners brand sense of the same idiom if it crops upward in i lawsuit again – you lot wouldn’t hold upward able to brand caput nor tail of this weblog post if you lot didn’t know a few idioms! -  but that’s a whole unlike kettle of fish from the type of activity where the learner but has to match, well, a whole unlike kettle of fish to tell ‘something completely different’, as well as then endeavour to occupation it inwards a judgement or worse still, a dialogue!

I’m non maxim that equally linguistic communication teachers (or materials writers) nosotros should dictate what linguistic communication is as well as isn’t appropriate for our students to learn/use, but neither is it fair to learn linguistic communication of this form inwards a means that doesn’t fully explicate its possible impact, leaving our students to brand potentially real awkward or embarrassing faux pas when speaking to native speakers or alternatively, just elicit blank looks from other non-native speakers.

As I’ve rambled on quite long enough, I’ll intermission off hither as well as come upward dorsum to the other idea I had close the occupation of idioms inwards social media some other solar daytime …

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