The central topic of the present paper are the idioms in the English language. Interesting and peculiar, they are a very important part of the lexicon and exist in every language - even the artificial languages may produce idioms.
In some earlier studies on idioms it has been claimed that they are nothing more than a fixed string of words with a meaning, different from the meanings of its composite elements.
Psycholinguists have lent a hand in supporting this view as well. Scholars generally have assumed that idioms exist as frozen, semantic units within a speaker’s mental lexicon in the same way that words or stings of them are represented mentally (Gibbs, 1993: 57). Thus they need separate entries in the dictionaries and have to be learned by heart and kept in mind as single words - so they appear to be nothing more than long lexemes.
Idioms have been also commonly thought of as metaphors that have become fixed or fossilized over time and have become “dead” expressions in a language.
Taking this into consideration, in this paper I aim at proving that idioms are not as frozen and fixed as they are supposed to be and that on the contrary, these expressions are quite “alive” - varying, changing and coloring the language.
Actually long time has passed and a lot of research has been done since the time when idioms were defined as completely frozen items and kick the bucket was a representative example of a typical idiom. Idioms are no longer considered just expressions the meaning of which cannot be understood from the meanings of their constituents. During the last few decades of research many investigations in various branches of linguistics - sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics or corpus linguistics, to name a few, have proved that idioms are much more than a simple fixed string of words with own meaning. Now we know that there are quite a large number of idiomatic expressions in language, varying in their degree of compositionality, fixedness and opacity. In spite of the fact that idioms have been always considered to belong to the group of the fixed expressions, nowadays their absolute fixedness is a myth. In fact, different authors in the idiom literature give varying degrees of importance to this property. Sinclair (1996: 83) has reached to the conclusion that the “so-called ‘fixed expressions’ are not in fact fixed” and then Moon (1998: 2) put also an emphasis on the fact that “many fixed expressions …
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 1.1. Aims
- 1.2. Structure
- 2. WHY A CORPUS-BASED RESEARCH?
- 2.1. Corpus Linguistics
- 2.1.1 Areas of corpus research
- 2.1.2 What is a corpus?
- 2.1.3 Kinds of corpora
- 2.1.4 Using the corpus
- 2.2. Corpora used in this paper
- 2.2.1. British National Corpus
- 2.2.2. BYU Corpus of American English
- 2.2.3. TIMES Corpus of American English
- 2.3. Search Tools
- 3. IDIOMS
- 3.1. Earlier works on idioms
- 3.2. Defining idiom
- 3.2.1. Idiomaticity
- 3.2.2. Definitions
- 3.2.3. Properties of idioms
- 3.2.3.1. Noncompositionality
- 3.2.3.2. Fixedness/Transformational deficiency
- 3.3. Idiom variation
- 3.3.1. Grammatical variation
- 3.3.1.1. Variations in tense
- 3.3.1.2. Variation in number
- 3.3.2. Lexical variation
- 3.3.2.1. Replacement/Substitution
- 3.3.2.2. Addition
- 3.3.2.3. Deletion
- 3.3.3. Syntactic variation
- 3.3.3.1. Passivization
- 3.3.3.2. Nominalization
- 3.3.3.3. Particle shift
- 3.3.4. Variation for stylistic effect
- 4. LEVEL 0- COMPLETELY FROZEN IDIOMS: A CORPUS ANALYSIS
- 4.1. Frozenness Hierarchy
- 4.2. Level 0
- 4.2.1. Searching for variant forms
- 4.2.2. Idioms that show variation
- 4.2.3. Frozen idioms
- 4.3. Variation across text type
- 4.3.1. Distribution of the selected idioms and their variant forms
- 4.3.2. Variation in journalism
- 4.3.3. Summary of the research
- 5. CONCLUSIONS
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper investigates the degree of fixedness in English idioms, challenging the traditional view of idioms as completely frozen expressions. The primary objective is to demonstrate that idiom usage exhibits variation, contradicting the assumption that they are unchanging lexical units. The research employs corpus linguistics methodologies to analyze this variation.
- The degree of fixedness in English idioms
- Variation in idiom usage across different corpora and text types
- The application of corpus linguistics to idiom analysis
- Comparison of traditional linguistic views of idioms with empirical findings
- Types and classifications of idiom variation (grammatical, lexical, syntactic)
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
1. INTRODUCTION: This introductory chapter establishes the central research question concerning the fixedness of English idioms. It challenges the traditional view of idioms as unchanging, frozen expressions, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding based on empirical evidence. The chapter outlines the paper's aims and structure, setting the stage for the corpus-based investigation that follows. The author previews the argument that idioms are dynamic elements within language, undergoing various changes and variations in actual usage.
2. WHY A CORPUS-BASED RESEARCH?: This chapter lays the groundwork for the methodology employed in the study. It provides an overview of corpus linguistics, outlining its key principles, techniques, and applications in linguistic research. The chapter then describes the specific corpora (British National Corpus, BYU Corpus of American English, TIMES Corpus of American English) used in this research and explains the rationale behind their selection. It also introduces the search tools utilized for data analysis, providing the necessary context for understanding the methodologies employed in subsequent chapters. The chapter's significance lies in establishing the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the corpus-based approach to idiom analysis.
3. IDIOMS: This chapter offers a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on idioms, providing various definitions and highlighting their key properties. A crucial discussion centers on the concept of "idiomaticity" and its implications for understanding the nature of idioms. The chapter extensively explores different types of idiom variation—grammatical, lexical, syntactic, and stylistic—providing numerous examples and establishing a theoretical framework for subsequent empirical analysis. This chapter’s argument lays the groundwork for the empirical study by defining the object of analysis and identifying the scope of potential variation within idioms.
4. LEVEL 0- COMPLETELY FROZEN IDIOMS: A CORPUS ANALYSIS: This chapter presents the core empirical findings of the study. It focuses on a specific level of idiom "frozenness" (level 0, completely frozen) and analyzes the extent of variation observed in a corpus of actual language use. This involves a detailed examination of selected idioms and their variant forms, exploring the distribution of these variations across different text types (e.g., journalism). The chapter provides a nuanced analysis of the data, discussing the implications of the observed variations for our understanding of idiom usage. The chapter ultimately summarizes its research findings, establishing a foundation for concluding remarks on the degree of fixedness within the studied idioms.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
English idioms, corpus linguistics, idiom variation, fixedness, frozenness, grammatical variation, lexical variation, syntactic variation, corpus analysis, British National Corpus, BYU Corpus of American English, TIMES Corpus of American English.
Frequently Asked Questions: A Corpus-Based Analysis of the Fixedness of English Idioms
What is the main topic of this paper?
This paper investigates the degree of fixedness in English idioms, challenging the traditional view of idioms as completely frozen expressions. It uses corpus linguistics to analyze idiom variation.
What are the key objectives of this research?
The primary objective is to demonstrate that idiom usage exhibits variation, contradicting the assumption that idioms are unchanging lexical units. The research aims to analyze the degree of fixedness in English idioms, variation in idiom usage across different corpora and text types, and the application of corpus linguistics to idiom analysis. It also compares traditional linguistic views of idioms with empirical findings and explores types and classifications of idiom variation (grammatical, lexical, syntactic).
What methodologies are used in this research?
The research employs corpus linguistics methodologies. Specific corpora used include the British National Corpus, BYU Corpus of American English, and TIMES Corpus of American English. The research outlines the key principles, techniques, and applications of corpus linguistics in linguistic research, and explains the rationale behind the selection of these corpora and the search tools utilized for data analysis.
What types of idiom variation are discussed?
The paper extensively explores different types of idiom variation: grammatical (variations in tense and number), lexical (replacement, addition, and deletion), syntactic (passivization, nominalization, and particle shift), and stylistic variation. It provides numerous examples and establishes a theoretical framework for the empirical analysis.
How is the concept of "idiomaticity" addressed?
The paper offers a comprehensive overview of existing literature on idioms, providing various definitions and highlighting their key properties. A crucial discussion centers on the concept of "idiomaticity" and its implications for understanding the nature of idioms.
What is the structure of the paper?
The paper is structured as follows: Introduction (establishing the research question and outlining the structure), Why a Corpus-Based Research? (explaining the methodology), Idioms (providing a comprehensive overview of idioms and their properties), Level 0-Completely Frozen Idioms: A Corpus Analysis (presenting the core empirical findings), and Conclusions.
What are the key findings of the corpus analysis?
The core empirical findings focus on a specific level of idiom "frozenness" (level 0, completely frozen) and analyzes the extent of variation observed in a corpus of actual language use. This involves a detailed examination of selected idioms and their variant forms, exploring the distribution of these variations across different text types (e.g., journalism).
Which corpora were used in the study?
The study utilizes the British National Corpus, BYU Corpus of American English, and TIMES Corpus of American English.
What is the significance of the research?
The research challenges the traditional view of idioms as unchanging, frozen expressions, providing empirical evidence for idiom variation. It demonstrates the utility of corpus linguistics in idiom analysis and offers a more nuanced understanding of idiom usage.
What are the keywords associated with this research?
English idioms, corpus linguistics, idiom variation, fixedness, frozenness, grammatical variation, lexical variation, syntactic variation, corpus analysis, British National Corpus, BYU Corpus of American English, TIMES Corpus of American English.
- Quote paper
- Teodora Hristova (Author), 2008, Rigid Fixedness in Selected English Idioms, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/279738
