Idioms Denoting Parts of Body Essay Example For Students

Idioms Denoting Parts of Body Essay They exist in association in language and make up a giant network with many interconnection and association among the various subparts. A good example of this interconnection involves metaphor. Metaphor is used in the literary or poetic language. It is also widely used in every day conversational language. It is obvious that metaphor is utilized to express ideas sensibly and vividly as it has great expressive power. It is capable of conveying more of the human feeling, emotion or attitude toward What is said rather than the non-metaphorical or direct way Of expression. The more developed the society is, the more necessary the need Of communication becomes; especially in the process of globalization, the immunization has spread beyond the boundary of a country. Together with the development of the society in the era of integration, language has been clearly recognized as a very important tool in communication with many purposes. Language can be used to show ones feeling, attitude, and evaluation. And through communicating, reading newspapers etc. , I realize that people often use words, phrases denoting human body to show their feeling, emotion. In our daily elite, we can easily recognize words denoting our body parts used plentifully, not only individual words but also word combinations containing more than one human body part. Regarding to word groups denoting human body parts, their meanings are not the combination of each words meaning only, in some cases, their meanings are quite different from the original meaning. Learning of idioms is important, especially for the foreigner learners. Idioms correspond to a valuable vein in English language, so they need for explanation. Idioms are fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be deduced from the meaning of its components. Learners of English must be aware that the meaning cannot be taken as a combination Of words Which the idiom consist Of. Also behavior of idioms in sentences is different. One cannot understand literally the meaning Of an idiom. Sometimes it seems that it has no sense or it is illogical. Idioms cannot be changed; especially one cannot use related words when the idiom is concerned. Many of them cannot be used in passive form. The structure of idioms is extraordinary. That is why learners of English must know that the most important thing is not learning idioms by rote, but learning how to use them. If speaker of English knows a lot of idioms and he can use them in a right context, he will be able to communicate more easily. Idiomatic expressions are phrases which use language in a non-literal way, This is why interpretation of idioms is very hard. Idioms are group of words, phrases that meaning cannot be concluded from the individual words, Every idiom has a deeper, metaphorical meaning. Idioms are very important in life because it is impossible to speak, read, write and listen to English without knowing idiomatic expressions. Native speakers of English feel more comfortable using idiomatic phrases; however, non-native speakers can be frustrated because the true meaning of an idiom is not always clear. One should remember that idioms can be used when every speaker master a language completely. Nowadays, idioms are essential elements that enrich the language. However, one should remember that speech which is overloaded with idioms loses its originality. On the other hand, lack of idioms make that oral or written speech loses much in its expressiveness. A large number of phrases and sentences in the English language are related to body parts. Some Of them are descriptive While Others, elusive. Their origins are dated from Biblical times to the recent days. Each generation adds new idiomatic expressions which are connected with their culture. The meaning of idiomatic expressions is indefinable. They show that adaptors are very important in our lives and that we do not look at things in the way they are in reality, but rather we perceive them through our understanding and our experience of the world. The present thesis is an attempt at an analysis of English idioms with a body component. Its goal is to study and present the nature tot idioms, their connection with culture and context. It is common knowledge that one of the most important functions of language is to name the world or express human thoughts through a system of concepts. They exist in association in language and make up a giant network with many interconnection and association among the various subparts. A good example of this interconnection involves metaphor. Metaphor is used in the literary or poetic language. It is also widely used in every day conversational language. It is obvious that metaphor is utilized to express ideas sensibly and vividly as it has great expressive power. It is capable of conveying more of the human feeling, emotion or attitude toward what is said rather than the non-metaphorical or direct way Of expression. Achilles heel: the only vulnerable spot in a person or thing that is thinness strong a serious or fatal weakness/ fault After ones own heart = to like someone cause Of similar interests An eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth): retaliation/ retribution in kind, a punishment that is as cruel as the crime An eye opener a surprise; a startling or enlightening experience Armed to the teeth heavily armed Behind ones back when one is not present Blue blood = having the qualities of being of noble birth Cant put ones finger on cant locate immediately, cant find the answer Cant see beyond the end of ones nose = limited vision concerning decisions of the future Crocodile tears false tears, pretended greet Face to face/ eyeball-to-eyeball = confronting each other Foul mouth = a user of profanity Hand in hand? in close association Hands are tied = restrained from acting Heart-to-heart intimate speaking freely and seriously about a private subject I could have bitten my tongue off= sorry you said something In one ear and out the other does not heed or pay attention Its in your hands = it is your responsibility On the tip Of Ones tongue: at the point Of telling or recalling One foot in the grave = old and decrepit Over ones dead body: against ones strong opposition Right-hand man= chief assistant TO (not) lift a ringer: not to help in the slightest degree To be all ears = to listen attentively To be loose-tongued to talk too much To be up to ones ears = immersed in, caught in To break someones heart cause great sorrow, disappoint someone To breathe down someone neck = to follow someone closely in pursuit, the action of a superior who is looking for something wrong or watching someone very closely To bury ones head in the sand = to refuse to acce pt facts To catch ones breath to rest to regain normal breathing To cry on someones shoulder to go to Sorenson to talk to about a problem To foam/ froth at the mouth= to be very angry To force ones hand = make one reveal his plans To get ones hands on= obtain To get out of hand= become uncontrollable To get through ones head= to understand or believe To give ones right arm make a big sacrifice; give something of great value To give someone a hand= help, assistance To go to ones head? cause dizziness To have a big mouth= to talk too much To have a sharp tongue= harsh or sarcastic in speech To have an eagle eye= to have an excellent eyesight 1. 1 Aim Idiomatic Phrases For the first time the term phraseology appeared in 16th century and it meant style or vocabulary. In 18th century it got terminological meaning such as a group of word units. At the same time in most of European languages phraseology meant empty words. New linguistic branch phraseology developed in 20th century, mostly in East Europe. The forerunner of phraseology was Charles. Bally, Swiss linguist. He used the term phraseology when he wrote about different types degree of stability from free word-groups of word-groups which differ in to phraseologies units, The study on phraseology was developed by Russian linguists AAA Shampoo and AD. Boliviano. M. Treacheries (1 991 :448) claims that linguists became aware of the existence in the language of special larger-than-words units: rod-groups consisting of two or more words whose combination is integrated as a unit with a specialized meaning linguists made an attempt to study various of the whole Russian word-groups on a scientific basis. They pointed out the need to establish a new branch of linguistics that would study unusual feature Of word-groups. In linguistics, phraseology is a term used for describing the context in which a word is used. The term also describes various structural and semantic types Of phrases characterized by different degrees of idiomatic in given language. It includes typical sequences such as idioms, phrasal verbs, multiword unit and allocations. Phraseology the words and phrases used in particular profession or activity something or a particular way of putting words together to express (Macmillan English Dictionary 2007:11 19) Phraseology studies compound meaning of two or more words e. G. Like a knife through butter. In this excerpt, from Civil Disobedience, Thoreau EssayIt is difficult to learn them. Idioms can change their meaning during period of time or simple phrase can transform into idiom and get deeper meaning as it was With kick the bucket. Learners of foreign language have to learn idioms as a single with their meaning. It is essential to master the rules Of their use in sentences. They are strict in their structure and they do not allow the word order to change. A earner must know how to use an idiom in the correct way. Idioms are not separate part of language, but they are very important part of lexicon. Languages contain a large number of idioms and sometimes native speakers use them in the unconscious way. There are many problems with idioms. The main problem is that it is not usually possible to translate them literally. There are exceptions, for instance, take the bull by the horns can be translated literally into Polish as whiz © back AZ rig, which has the same meaning. Mostly, the use of normal rules in order Idioms have to be treated to translate idioms will result in illogical phrases, s single units in translation. There are idioms which are frozen, It means that an idiom appears tort and in the same order (e. G. For good forever). But, there in the same is problem with idioms which change the form of the verb, which varies according to tense, person and number. For example, kick the bucket (to die) one gets she kicks/ kicked/will kick the bucket, Some people have problem with recognizing idioms because they behave like a simple sentence. One can think that the person really kicks the bucket and he does not imagine himself that The interpretation of idioms for one can be surprising. Cosines idioms Which hue frozen forms. Idioms pragmatics and context the person died. It is better to Pragmatics the study Of the way in Which language is used to express what somebody really means in particular situations, especially when the actual words used may appear to mean something different. (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English 2000:1031). Pragmatics is involved with the comprehension process. The ability to understand another speakers aim is called pragmatic competence, It is a linguistic study of the way in which people use language to achieve different goals. Suppose a person wanted to ask omen else to reveal a secret. These could be achieved in the different ways. The person could simply say do not tell a secret, please which is direct and with clear meaning. Alternatively the person could say do not spill the beans, which implies a similar meaning but is indirect and therefore requires pragmatic competence, Idioms play very important role in those studies. Because idioms have general meaning they are rather used to express attitude then give specific information. They are used to express approval or disapproval and admiration or criticism. According to Collins Cowbird Dictionary of Idioms (1995) idioms moieties have connotations and pragmatic meaning which are not always obvious to people who do not know the meaning and then the meaning of the expression can be missed. It may happen that somebody can use an idiom and do not realize that it can be interpreted as critical or disapproving. It can cause wrong reaction of the person they are talking to. The most challenging aspects for language learners Pragmatics is one of to comprehend, and can be learned by experience. The interpretation Of What speaker wanted to say using particular words is often influenced by factors such as listeners assumption or the context. In pragmatics two contexts can be distinguished: linguistic context (is the set of words that surround the lexical item) and physical context (is the location Of given words, the situation in Which the word is used, as well as timing, all of them lead to proper understanding of the words). 12 Practical value When we use idioms? According to Sells and McBride (1988) one should know in which situations it is correct to use idiom and weather an idiom can be used in a formal or an informal situation. English native speakers use idioms all the time, and they often do it in an unconscious way, This means that the communication tit them can be very difficult. They use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly, the person who is speaking, Of course choice of words depends on on the situation and the place. If people are friends and they are talking in private there is no reason to avoid using idioms, slang or jargon. But, if in the same situation one of speakers is foreigner they should not use idioms until this person Will master the language completely. Learning idioms cause a lot of troubles to English learners because they do not know the culture and history behind the idioms. That is ay they often use idioms inappropriately. Learners use idiomatic expressions carefully because they are afraid Of using them incorrectly. In formal situations. It means when one is talking with a stranger or speaks publicly than one should shun idioms. Sing idioms one should know Whether an idiom is appropriate in certain situation. When idioms are used judiciously, they can even improve the atmosphere of ones f ormal writing and provide more interesting descriptions, But when one uses too many idioms, he will damage his work and it will create a wrong impression. Learners of foreign language should know hat they cannot translate idioms exactly because they achieve ridiculous effect. The results towering