Semantic Features of English Idioms

王佳冬

【中圖分類號】G64 【文獻標識碼】A 【文章編號】2095-3089（2014）10-0041-01

1.Introduction

Nowadays， new idioms emerge in English constantly and the tendency of using idioms is still increasing. Therefore， this essay gives definition and semantic features of idiom with large number of examples to help learners know it better. The features of English idioms can be categorized in many perspectives. In macro？鄄level， it has characteristics like popularity and nationality; in micro？鄄level， it can be analyzed into structural features and semantic features. This essay only focuses on semantic features in micro？鄄level for these features are more specific and can be more helpful for learners study.

2.Definition of English idioms

COBUILD Idioms Dictionary （2000） gives a more detailed interpretation： “An idiom is a special kind of phrase. It is a group of words which have a different meaning when used together from the one it would have if the meaning of each word were taken individually. If you do not know that the words have a special meaning together， you may well misinterpret what someone is saying， or puzzled by why they are saying something that is untrue or irrelevant.”

From the definitions above， we can generally know that idiom is an expression that needs to learn as a whole and is hard to understand by knowing the vocabulary and grammar literally. Through the definition of idiom， two features can be reached： first， no matter how long or short an idiom is， it is a fixed group of words in the aspect of its structure feature. Second， in terms of semantic feature， the meaning of an idiom can not be inferred from literal meaning of vocabulary which is called semantic unity. 3.Semantic features of English idioms

3.1 Semantic unity

Fernando （1966） believes that semantic unity is the most prominent feature in pure idioms and semi？鄄idioms. Semantic unity refers to the integrity of meaning， which is the important evidence to judge whether fixed phrases and free phrases are idioms. It means that the meaning of an idiom can not be guessed from the combination of individual words and the words used in an idiom can not be eliminated or used separately. Consequently inner integrity in formality and highly generality in meaning， constitute the semantic unity of idioms. For instance， “get out of bed on the wrong side” refers to ones bad？鄄tempered， sensitive emotion on a particular day. There is no relation with which side one get out bed. If learners infer from the literal meaning， they may feel confused about it. What have to be emphasized is that some words in the idioms remain their original meaning. However， if learners do not see these words as a whole， the meaning of idioms still can not be comprehended. In “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”， “ring a bell” and “no rose without a thorn”， words like “beauty”， “ring”， “bell”， “rose”， “thorn”， etc. all have their original meaning， but the integral meaning of idioms can not simply deduced from these words. Apparently， one can understand “no rose without a thorn” as any rose has a thorn， while the integral meaning of it means that most wonderful things have a bad side to them. And “ring a bell” is not to ring a bell literally; it means to cause an indefinite memory to come into someones mind. Therefore， the feature of semantic unity require us to see idioms as a whole instead of regarding them as simple combination of words.

3.2 Figurativeness

Figurativeness means using figurative language to express meaning or describe things visually in idioms， which includes metaphor and simile. For example， idioms as “as shy as Daphne”， “eat like a horse” and “sleep like a dog” are similized idioms. Since these idioms meanings are less opaque， learners can easily guess the meanings from them， which mean “very shy in doing things”， “eat a great deal” and “sleep deeply” separately.

In terms of metaphorical idioms， they account for large proportion in English idioms. Idioms like “cost somebody an arm and a leg”， “against the grain”， “the apple of ones eye”， etc are metaphorical idioms. Although these idioms need to understand from their whole expression， learners can associate the meaning through the images and description conveyed from these words. If we infer with our association and imagination， it is not hard to understand the figurative meaning of idioms. More example， in “talk through ones hat”， we know that one can not talk through ones hat which is impossible. Thus learner can speculate that it figures someone talk without real knowledge and say things that are incorrect or foolish.

3.3 Peculiarity

3.3.1 Logical inexplicability

Manifestly， some idioms in English are illogical and elusive in grammar or in meaning. However， they still exist and are used until now. Fernando （1966） claims that a pure idiom is a composition consisting of semantically‘empty words. That is to say， words become meaningless and empty because they lost their initial meanings in idioms and have no relation with the integral meanings of idioms. Many idioms can show illogical feature in meaning and structures： “under the rose”， “face the music”. “go off into the blue”， “go to town”， “spick and span”， “diamond cut diamond”， etc. Without explanation， non-native learners will face a difficult situation to obtain the meanings of them. “Under the rose” refers to in a secret way. It can be used in sentence like “the conductor told me the fact under the rose.” Then “face the music” implies that one admits to blame and accept the results， especially punishment or difficulty. “Go off into the blue” means disappear suddenly or unexpectedly， and “go to town” purports that act or behave without restraint， e.g. to spend a great of money. With the development of culture and society and the transformation of language， the motivation of idioms became vague and the changing process can not be traced back over centuries. That the reason why some meanings and structures of idioms are elusive and illogical.

3.3.2 Non？鄄analogy

Since idioms are formed through history and become fixed in some degree， they can not be changed or created through analogy at ones will. Otherwise it may generate mistakes and depart from cultural tradition and language convention. Take “a stitch in time saves nine” as an example. It is impossible to say “a single needle in time saves nine” or “a stitch in time saves seven”. There are more examples to show that we can not use analogy wrongly to change or create idioms. For instance， it is incorrect to analogize “downside up” with “upside down”. And it would be meaningless to make “see eye to eye” into “see face to face”. Therefore， learners should bear this feature in mind and remember idioms well， or their meaning cannot be understood by other people correctly.