engleski

The Relevance of Context in Unfamiliar L2 Idiom Comprehension

What we tried to present is that, even though different strategies are used at the same time (as we stated before) when an L2 learner comes across a completely unknown idiom and when transparency and its decompositionality are at the lowest level, context plays a significant (if not the only) role in correct idiom comprehension. We can say that the L1 model of idiom comprehension should apply in these types of idioms of L2 – in contradiction to Cooper’s (1999) thesis that the L2 idiom comprehension is different from L1 – because the strategies are much more restricted when idioms are opaque, not decomposable, and with no other language equivalent to refer to. Therefore, as with L1 idiom comprehension in children, frequency of exposure and context play a significant role (Levorato and Cacciari 2009) in the second language as well, but when we tested unfamiliar L2 idioms, context turned out to be by far the main factor in their comprehension. The guessing strategy of trial and error is also present, but this is usually combined with generalization of the meaning in the higher proficiency level of L2 (often resulting in a broader but correct answer), while the lower-proficiency learners of L2 combine guessing with the literal meaning of components (arriving at the wrong answer). As L2 learners, we continuously come across different types of idioms, and the non-transparent ones are usually as frequent as the other types. Our study has shown that when a non-decomposable idiom is put in a specific and appropriate context, it can be inferred in almost half of the cases and consequently can be acquired with ease by learners. Therefore, to help L2 learners to achieve good comprehension and master these types of idioms, instructional materials and teaching techniques need to be focused on appropriate and specific context.

Idioms, context, comprehension, L2 Italian learners

nije evidentirano