Idioms are universal to all languages, and figurative language is pervasive
in everyday discourse. However, idiom studies rarely touch on the problems
figurative language can present to non-native speakers. This book sets out
to provide an original analysis of the issue, focusing on a number of
languages, including Arabic, Berber, French and English. The author
addresses the question of idiomaticity from linguistic, psycholinguistic
and pedagogical perspectives, highlighting in particular the strategies
used by Arab learners (primarily Saudis and Algerians) to decode and encode
The book explores in detail the process of identifying idioms and the
factors that affect comprehension. The author also analyses the current
state of bilingual Arabic-English-Arabic dictionaries and asks to what
extent learners can rely on them as a source for decoding idioms.
Contents: The Development of Phraseological Theories - Idiom
Identification/Recognition - Language Transfer and Semantic Analysis -
Dictionary Use, Idiom Production.
Anissa Daoudi is a Research Associate in Applied
Linguistics/Psycholinguistics in the School of Modern Languages and
Cultures at Durham University, UK. Her research centres on learners'
strategies for decoding and encoding figurative language, and her latest
project focuses on the impact of globalization on the Arabic language.