Psycholinguistic studies on the syntactic behavior of idioms

Gibbs, Raymond W.; Nayak, Nandini

doi:10.1016/0010-0285(89)90004-2

Cited by 236 publications

(159 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…For example, the constituent words of some idioms bear a substantial relation to the figurative meaning (e.g., question in pop the question), whereas the constituent words of other idioms do not (e.g., kick the bucket). The effects of semantic transparency are not consistent across experimental results, with some studies finding that increased semantic transparency leads to faster initial idiom processing (e.g., Gibbs 1992; Gibbs and Nayak 1989;Gibbs, Nayak, Bolton and Keppel 1989;Gibbs, Nayak and Cutting, 1989), while other studies find that it does not (e.g., Cieślicka 2012;Abel 2003;Tabossi, Fanari and Wolf 2008;Titone and Connine 1994a). Crucially, most studies that have found a link between idiom processing and semantic transparency have involved an explicit judgement task regarding the meaning of the idiom.…”

Section: Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 78%

In support of multiword unit classifications: Corpus and human rating data validate phraseological classifications of three different multiword unit types

Columbus¹

2013

Yearbook of Phraseology

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Multiword units (MWUs) are word combinations which sit within the continuum of formulaic language. Many experimental studies have focused on the online processing of MWUs by native and non-native speakers, and the processing of idioms in particular. However, some studies use a mix of various MWU subtypes, while other studies have varying definitions for the same subtypes. For results from MWU studies to be useful to theories of language processing, storage and access, clearer classifications are needed for MWU subtypes. This study aims to empirically validate MWU categories as described by certain phraseologists in the European tradition. This will be done using MWUs from the British National Corpus, from across the continuum of frequent to infrequent occurrence and co-occurrence. Hence, in this paper I will describe the empirical findings that may validate the classifications for MWU categories of restricted collocations, idioms, and lexical bundles, using corpus-based measures and human ratings.

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Section: Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 78%

In support of multiword unit classifications: Corpus and human rating data validate phraseological classifications of three different multiword unit types

Columbus¹

2013

Yearbook of Phraseology

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“…Contrary to the traditional view based on which idioms are noncompositional, many idiomatic phrases appear to be decomposable or analyzable, with the meanings of their parts contributing independently to their overall figurative meaning (Gibbs &Nayak, 1989). Titone (1999) holds that the previous linguistic analyses and processing studies, suggesting traditional noncompositional definitions of idiomaticity, and processing models base on these definitions are inadequate by themselves.…”

Section: Background To the Studymentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Idioms whose individual parts do not contribute to the overall figurative meanings are semantically nondecomposable (e.g., kick the bucket and shoot the breeze). This is because people experience difficulty in breaking these phrases in to their component parts (Gibbs &Nayak, 1989).…”

Section: Background To the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Three Techniques for Teaching English Idioms to Iranian TEFL Undergraduates

Fotovatnia¹,

Khaki²

2012

TPLS

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Abstract-The present study investigated the effect of using picture, Persian translation equivalent (L1), and English definition (L2) on the learning of 20 decomposable and nondecomposable idioms by 68 Iranian TEFL undergraduates. The focus was on learning both meaning as well as form of the idioms. The idioms were given to the participants to translate into Persian three weeks before the experiment to ensure the participants' unfamiliarity of the idioms. The idioms that were known even by one student were crossed out. Each group of the participants received the instruction in 3 sessions (about 7 idioms each session), and reviewed them in the fourth. The participants received 2 recognition tests (one on form and the other on meaning of the L2 idioms) in the form of multiple-choice in the fifth session, and the same recognition as well as 2 production tests in the form of fill-in-the-blanks 3 weeks later (first on form and then on meaning). The delayed posttests were given in 2 consecutive sessions: first, the production and then the recognition. The findings showed that the picture group outperformed the other groups in all situations. However, a significant outperformance of L1 group over L2 group was observed for decomposable idioms in the first posttest regarding form. The results suggest the pedagogical value of pictures for the teaching of meaning and form of decomposable idioms.

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“…(p. 48) Fernando & Flavell (1981) proposed that idioms are non-compositional because their meaning cannot be concluded from the sum of the individual elements. However, other researchers, such as Gibbs & Nayak (1989) (Zyzik, 2011). According to Gan (2014), idioms "range along a continuum of compositionality or analyzability" (p. 935).…”

Section: B Characteristics Of Idiomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Empirical Study of Ecuadorian University EFL Learners’ Comprehension of English Idioms Using a Multimodal Teaching Approach

Freyn

Gross

2017

TPLS

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Abstract-The present study investigated the effect of using a multimodal teaching approach toward teaching English idioms to Ecuadorian EFL students. The control group was taught 20 English idioms using a traditional teaching method and the experimental group was taught the same 20 English idioms using a multimodal teaching approach. An idiom comprehension quiz was administered to both groups with the experimental group scoring significantly higher than the control group. The study provides pedagogical suggestions on using a multimodal approach to teaching English idioms.

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Psycholinguistic studies on the syntactic behavior of idioms

Cited by 236 publications

References 19 publications

In support of multiword unit classifications: Corpus and human rating data validate phraseological classifications of three different multiword unit types

In support of multiword unit classifications: Corpus and human rating data validate phraseological classifications of three different multiword unit types

The Effect of Three Techniques for Teaching English Idioms to Iranian TEFL Undergraduates

An Empirical Study of Ecuadorian University EFL Learners’ Comprehension of English Idioms Using a Multimodal Teaching Approach

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