Idioms: Processing, Structure, and Interpretation

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1993. 337 pages. ISBN: 0805810382<div class="bb-sep"></div>This comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible text on idiom use, learning, and teaching approaches the topic with a balance of sound theory and extensive research in cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics, corpus linguistics, and sociolinguistics combined with informed teaching practices. Idioms is organized in three parts:<div class="bb-sep"></div>Part I includes discussion of idiom definition, classification, usage patterns, and functions.<div class="bb-sep"></div>Part II investigates the process involved in the comprehension of idioms and the factors that influence individuals’ understanding and use of idioms in both L1 and L2.<div class="bb-sep"></div>Part III explores idiom acquisition and the teaching and learning of idioms, focusing especially on the strategies and techniques used to help students learn idioms.<div class="bb-sep"></div>To assist the reader in grasping the key issues, study questions are provided at the end of each chapter. The text also includes a glossary of special terms and an annotated list of selective idiom reference books and student textbooks.<div class="bb-sep"></div>Idioms is designed to serve either as a textbook for ESL/applied linguistics teacher education courses or as a reference book. No matter how the book is used, it will equip an ESL/applied linguistics students and professionals with a solid understanding of various issues related to idioms and the learning of them.