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IDIOMS TEACHING THROUGH THE MULTIPLE PATHWAYS MODEL
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IDIOMS
Difficult to acquire
Lack of a relationship between their
linguistic and their idiomatic meanings
Needed for exams
Idioms are linked to L2 culture
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SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION
• Definition of idioms.• The Idiom-meaning guessing method.• The Multiple Pathways Model.• Combining the Idiom-meaning guessing
method with the Multiple Pathways Model.
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DEFINITION OF IDIOMS
3 CHARACTERISTICS
1. Compositionality (the degree to which a lexical string can be understood through the words that compose it)
2. Institutionalization (the extent to which idioms are recognized idioms within a speech community)
3. Fixedness (the degree to which idioms allow permutation, paradigmatic replacement or deletion of items)
Grant and Bauer (2004:42)
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LITERAL MEANING
FIGURATIVE MEANING IDIOM
KICK THE BUCKET
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4 CLUES TO RECOGNIZING IDIOMS
1. They violate true conditions (it rains cats and dogs)
2. They are sometimes not structurally correct (blow somebody to kingdom come)
3. Some of them start with “like” (like water off a duck’s back)
4. They cannot be explained literally in the specific context although they might also have a literal meaning which makes sense in a different context
Baker (1992:65)
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DEGREE OF
IMAGEABILIT
Y
•Keeping someone at arm’s length
•Passing the buck
DEGREE OF
TRANSPAREN
CY
CULTURE
•a conventional scene of one culture may not be so conventional in another
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THE IDIOM-MEANING GUESSING METHOD
(Skoufaki’s study, 2006)
• adult Greek learners of English who were university students preparing for the CPE examination
• verbal protocols• half of the students saw the idioms out of
context and the other half had them in context
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SKOUFAKI’S STUDY COMPARED TO COOPER’S ONE
Strategies used by learners (Skoufaki)
1. aided by translation or the individual meanings of constituent words (Semantic meaning)
2. through forming a mental image of the idiom (Mental image)
3. guessing with the help of an L1 similar idiom (Greek idiom)
4. by referring to background knowledge including cultural knowledge (Encyclopedic knowledge)
Strategies used by immigrants to the USA originating from different
countries(Cooper, 1999)
1. guessing from context
2. discussing and analyzing the idiom
3. using the literal meaning
4. requesting information
5. repeating or paraphrasing the idiom
6. using background knowledge
7. reference to an L1 idiom
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STRATEGIES USED BY LEARNERS
STRATEGIES THAT LEAD TO THE SUCCESSFUL INTERPRETATION
OF AN IDIOM
1. guessing from context
2. the usage of the literal meaning of the idiom
3. the usage of background knowledge
4. reference to an L1 idiom
1. guessing from context
2. discussing and analyzing the idiom
3. using the literal meaning
4. requesting information
5. repeating or paraphrasing the idiom
6. using background knowledge
7. reference to an L1 idiom
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CONSEQUENTLY
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CONCLUSIONS BY SKOUFAKI AND COOPER
If teachers start using the idiom-meaning guessing method, they will not need so much time to explain all strategies for acquiring idioms since the students employ some of these strategies naturally
Bearing in mind which strategies are normally used by learners and which ones lead to the successful interpretation of the idiom, teachers can train learners in the use of these strategies with the ultimate goal of learners actually becoming able to implement them without any assistance from the teacher
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THE MULTIPLE PATHWAYS MODEL
HOW THE BRAIN LEARNS
(Dr. Zadina, 2004)
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• The brain utilizes multiple pathways to fire the needed neurons, and that different brains will utilize different pathways
• Teachers, bearing in mind that students learn in many different ways, should show them how they can approach new knowledge through different pathways
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PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING COMPLYING WITH THE MULTIPLE
PATHWAYS MODEL1. Making connections between new and existing
knowledge.
2. If one does not use the newly acquired knowledge, he/she will lose it. Therefore, the material must be important to the learner .
3. “Wiring” the knowledge after its “firing”. In order for learners to activate the neuronal networks repeatedly, the teachers must provide them with appropriate tasks that allow them to strengthen these networks.
Zadina, 2004
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TYING THESE PRINCIPLES TO THE TEACHING OF IDIOMS
1. Using the strategy of cross-cultural and cross-linguistic differences, which links prior knowledge to new one.
2. Learners have to realize the essential role they play in the language.
a) Learners can be shown how idioms reflect the L2 culture.
b) Employing different strategies for idioms learning will enable learners to use the idioms in order not to “lose” them.
3. Students cannot really produce idioms even if they understand them (Prodromou, 2003). Therefore, actively engaging them in the interpretation of idioms will lead to better “firing” and ultimately “wiring”.
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THE PATHWAYS1. SENSORY-MOTOR: the visual, the
auditory and the motor (i.e. speech and kinesthetic) modalities.
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2. REWARD/SURVIVAL/PLEASURE
• The emotions through which the brain survives are cognition, control, fear and pleasure.
• The entanglements of these four can be endless, and they can be positive or negative for learning.
• The best way to promote positive entanglements is for learners to feel they have control of their learning.
• This is achieved through active rather than passive learning since the former is more pleasurable.
• To illustrate, what is quite pleasurable to the brain is detecting patterns, so teachers can turn lessons into “puzzles” that encourage students to figure out things on their own rather than just memorizing rules, or in this case idioms.
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3. SOCIAL PATHWAY• Students learn better by “doing” after they
have had a chance to watch others perform the same activity (Modeling).
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Another two interconnected pathways: EMOTION and
ATTENTION• “Emotion drives attention and attention drives
learning.” (Zadina, 2010)
Students who view learning in a positive way will pay more attention, but also when teachers direct students’ attention to specific new knowledge, the latter will be more favourably disposed towards acquiring the specific new knowledge.
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COMBINING THE IDIOM-MEANING GUESSING METHOD WITH THE MULTIPLE PATHWAYS MODEL
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THE SENSORY-
MOTOR PATHWAY –
VISUAL MODALITY
MENTAL IMAGERY STRATEG
Y
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• Teachers should try to turn ideas into images, or ask the students to show their images of that idea.
• The visual should be tied together with the auditory and the speech modalities, so that students can also produce the things they see or hear.
students’ attempts at deciphering the meaning of an idiom will enhance retention and thus production.
BECAUSE
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EXAMPLE 1“TO POP THE QUESTION”
Literal meaning Figurative meaning
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EXAMPLE 2“BE WAITING IN THE WINGS”
Literal meaning Figurative meaning
• Ready to enter a situation, be brought to public attention, or undertake a role, position.
• There are five other candidates waiting in the wings for such a job.
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EXAMPLE 3“STICKING ONE’S NOSE INTO SOMETHING”
Literal meaning Figurative meaning
• To interfere in someone else's business
• Why do you always have to stick your nose in?
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EXAMPLE 4“JUMPED ON THE BANDWAGON”
Literal meaning Figurative meaning
• To support something that is popular
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REWARD/SURVIVAL/PLEASURE PATHWAY
ENCYCLOPEDIC KNOWL
EDGE
(i.e.: CULTUR
E)
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• The fact that idioms mirror the culture of the language can work as an incentive of “survival”.
• In other words, teachers can make learners realize that they should be able to understand and produce idioms in order to communicate with the native speakers of the language and also immerse in the L2 culture
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WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD KNOW
1. An idiom is more likely to be correctly understood if its metaphoric theme is common between the idiom’s culture and the learners’ one.
Example:
“Bite your tongue”
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2. There is some L1 negative transfer for idioms with a common metaphoric theme. Therefore, it would be better if teachers were aware of cross-cultural as well as cross-linguistic differences when teaching idioms.
Example:
“Break a leg”
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3. Some idioms are deeply rooted in the L2 culture and somewhat alien to the L1 culture.
Examples:
“Storm in a teacup”
“Penny for your thoughts”
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THE SOCIAL PATHWAY
LEARN BY DOING
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SUGGESTIONS
• Learners can watch videos (thus also involving the visual and auditory pathways) of real conversations between native speakers to see how and how often they use idioms in their speech.
• Then, they can act out the conversations as role plays so that they can learn by “doing”.
• Students can be given different articles or other kinds of formal or informal writings that include idioms and be asked to produce such writings themselves.
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CONCLUSION
• Suggest more effective ways of teaching idioms by combining the idiom-meaning guessing method with how the brain learns and especially the Multiple Pathways Model.
• Promote their importance and usefulness as they are among the linguistic aspects which are quite common and reflect the L2 culture.
• Promote the active engagement of students in their learning as this is an essential part of all strategies for the acquisition of idioms.
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REFERENCES• Baker, M. (1992) In Other Words: A coursebook on translation. London: Routledge • Boers, F. and Demecheleer, M. (2001) ‘Measuring the impact of cross-cultural differences on learners’
comprehension of imageable idioms’. ELT Journal, Vol. 55/3: 255-262.• Bortfeld, H. (2003) ‘Comprehending idioms cross-linguistically.’ Experimental Psychology 50(3): 217-
230.• Cooper, T.C. (1999) ‘Processing of Idioms by L2 Learners of English.’ TESOL Quarterly Vol. 33, No. 2:
233-262.• Glucksberg, S. (2001) Understanding figurative language: form metaphors to idioms. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.• Grant, L. and Bauer, L. (2004) ‘Criteria for redefining idioms: Are we barking up the wrong tree.’ Applied
Linguistics 25/1: 38-61.• Prodromou L. (2003) “Idiomaticity and the non-native speaker.” English Today 74, Vol. 19, No. 2: 42-48.• Skoufaki, S. (2006) Investigating L2 idiom instruction methods. Ph.D. dissertation, University of
Cambridge• Smilkstein, R. (2009) Understanding how the brain naturally learns [online].
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/RSmilkstein/Teachingwiththebrain-basedNaturalHumanFACES.ppt [• Zadina, J. (January 2010) Implications of neuroscience research for teaching foreign languages. ELT News• Zadina, J.N. (2004). Brain Research-Based Effectives Strategies to Enhance Learning and Energize
Instruction. A presentation at the U.S. Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition Summit Conference. Pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii/prolearningtoolkit/zadina1video
• Zull, J. (2002) The art of changing the brain: enriching teaching by exploring the biology of learning. Virginia: Stylus Publishing, LLC.
