Holistic Integration：A New Perspective for the Study of English Idioms英語(yǔ)習(xí)語(yǔ)研究新視角：整合處理法

1、holistic integration：a new perspective for the study of english idioms 英語(yǔ)習(xí)語(yǔ)研究新視角：英語(yǔ)習(xí)語(yǔ)研究新視角： 整合處理法整合處理法 abstract idioms, which are the quintessence of the english language, are pervasive in our everyday linguistic repertoires. the creation of idioms reflects new ways in which individuals construct co

2、ncepts of the world and convey them vividly. however, due to the different cultural backgrounds and a low level of linguistic competence in the target language, people who learn english as a second language are at a distinct disadvantage in understanding english idioms, idiom comprehension becomes a

3、 great obstacle between the communications of people. in view of this problem, the author of this thesis tries to propose a new method called holistic integration to help people familiar with a wide range of idioms and able to use them appropriately in context. the holistic approach to english idiom

4、s is motivated by the theory that holism puts emphasis on wholes rather than the single part and highlights the interdependence of its components. one of the features of this approach is that it integrates information from background knowledge and organizes parts into an organic, unified whole. to b

5、e more specific, holism access involves integrating syntactic, semantic, cognitive and social cultural factors into an organic, unified whole when an idiom is processed. the thesis consists of four parts. a preview of each part is provided as follows. part one is devoted to presenting the origins of

6、 the idioms by exploring the different background knowledge of cultural diversity. part two is about the features of idioms, which give a broad sense of what an idiom is like and what kinds of characteristics it has, including the general characters and the distinct properties which only belong to i

7、dioms and make them unique and singular. part three begins to introduce the holistic approach and brings up some competences in pragmatics, figuration and socioculture. and in order to assist these competences, the holistic approach of idiom comprehension further specifies a variety of strategies th

8、e learner can employ. part four is a conclusion about the entire thesis construction and suggest for further exploration. key words: holistic approach; idioms comprehension; flexibility; idiom processing 摘要摘要 習(xí)語(yǔ)，作為一種相對(duì)固定的表達(dá)用語(yǔ)，滲透于人們的日常語(yǔ)言活動(dòng)，是英 語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言中的精粹。習(xí)語(yǔ)的出現(xiàn)反映了人們構(gòu)建世界觀，并形象表達(dá)自己的一種 新方式。然而，由于文化的多樣性，以及二語(yǔ)習(xí)得中

9、對(duì)英語(yǔ)習(xí)語(yǔ)缺乏理解，使 得習(xí)語(yǔ)成為人們交流中的一大障礙。鑒于此，本文作者提出了一種新方法：整 合處理法。這種方法試圖讓人們了解更多的習(xí)語(yǔ)及其它們?cè)谡Z(yǔ)境中的運(yùn)用。 整體論注重整體而不偏重于單個(gè)部分，并強(qiáng)調(diào)各個(gè)部分之間的相互依賴性， 這是整合處理法的理論依據(jù)。 整合處理法的特征之一是將相關(guān)背景知識(shí)和信息作總體整合，并把各個(gè)部 分集中成一個(gè)有機(jī)統(tǒng)一整體。具體來(lái)講，在處理習(xí)語(yǔ)時(shí)，將句法、語(yǔ)義、語(yǔ)用、 認(rèn)知和社會(huì)文化等因素整合成有機(jī)的統(tǒng)一體。 全文共四部分組成，每部分的概要具體如下： 第一部分通過(guò)對(duì)文化背景的探討，提出了習(xí)語(yǔ)形成的淵源。 第二部分是對(duì)習(xí)語(yǔ)形成及其特征的描述，讓人們了解了廣義的習(xí)語(yǔ)的形成，

10、 及習(xí)語(yǔ)的特征，包括它與其它短語(yǔ)相同的特征以及它獨(dú)有的特征。 第三部分提出習(xí)語(yǔ)的整合處理法,并指出了習(xí)語(yǔ)在語(yǔ)用、修辭以及社會(huì)習(xí)俗 方面的語(yǔ)言能力要求。為了幫助提高這些能力，本文還提出了一系列的習(xí)語(yǔ)理 解策略以便語(yǔ)言初學(xué)者運(yùn)用。 第四部分是結(jié)束語(yǔ)，這部分對(duì)文章的內(nèi)容結(jié)構(gòu)作了總結(jié)，并在此基礎(chǔ)上提 出要進(jìn)行更深的研究和分析。 關(guān)鍵詞關(guān)鍵詞：整合處理法；習(xí)語(yǔ)理解；習(xí)語(yǔ)可變通性；習(xí)語(yǔ)處理 acknowledgments this thesis is the joint efforts of both the author and the teachers in foreign languages dep

11、artment. on accomplishing this paper, i would like to express my gratitude to my academic adviser wan li for her insightful guidance, profound knowledge and support throughout the course of writing. with her contribution, this paper has been perfectly finished. thanks again for the great help and ot

12、her teachers of our department. at the same time, i want to give my sincere thanks to my classmates and friends who gave me a lot of help during the data collecting. last but not the least; i will extend my heartfelt thanks to my parents who have been always supporting and encouraging me. contents i

13、ntroduction.1 1 the origins of idioms .3 1.1 influence of geographical conditions.3 1.2 influence of social customs .4 1.3 influence of religious beliefs.5 1.4 influence of historical allusions.6 2 features of idioms.8 2.1 general features.8 2.2 distinct properties.10 3 holistic approach to english

14、idioms.12 3.1 background study.12 3.2 holistic integration.13 3.2.1 developing competence in pragmatics.13 3.2.2 developing competence in figuration .15 3.2.3 developing competence in socioculture.16 3.3 intergrating processing strategies.18 3.3.1 repeating the idiom and requesting its information.1

15、8 3.3.2 analyzing the idioms.18 3.3.3 guessing from the context .19 3.3.4 using the literal meaning.19 3.3.5 using the background knowledge.20 3.3.6 making a metaphorical extension.20 conclusions.21 bibliography.23 introduction what are idioms? “idioms consist of set phrases and short sentences” and

16、 “idioms are expressions that are not readily understandable from their literal meanings of individual elements.”(zhang, 2004: 174) longman dictionary of contemporary english defines idioms as “ a fixed group of words with a special meaning which is different from the meanings of the individual word

17、s.” “most phrasal lexemes are idioms, especially a sequence of words which is semantically and often syntactically restricted.” (hu, 2001: 106) in this paper, the study shows that an idiom consists of at least two words, of which the structure is usually stable and the meaning is unpredictable from

18、its formation, that is, an idiom is an expression whose meaning does not seem to follow logically from the combination of its parts and the “the rules of language”. the word idiom comes from greek and means own to peculiar. so an idiom is a mode of expression peculiar to a language which can not be

19、explained grammatically. idioms are not only colloquial expressions, as many people believe. they can appear in formal style and in slang. they can appear in poetry, drama and the bile. it is generally agreed by idiomatologists that the process of “idiomaticization” lies in their development. idiom

20、creation is a matter of great spontaneity. a perspective idiom may be picked up in one sphere of activity, tranfered to another, mentioned occasionally, sized upon for perceived effectiveness, then ehier dropped and forgotten or used on and ever larger scale. gradually, idioms form an essential part

21、 of the general vocabulary of the language, in fact, it is difficult to speak or write without using idioms. “idioms are multifaceted linguistic objects, whose study involves various viewpoints and different approaches. they are not only complex, but also in many respects elusive. any attempt to pro

22、vide categorical, single-criterion definition of idioms is always to some degree misleading and infeasible”. (wang, 2007: 51). in other words, idioms resist simple definition. idioms are characterized by a number of distinct properties: semantic, syntactic, cognitive and sociolinguistic. a definitio

23、n of idioms must therefore be sufficiently expressive and flexible to handle the full range of combinations of these properties. english abounds in idioms, which are characterized by their colorful and thought- provoking expressions. a right use of them in speech and writing will add much to variety

24、, strength and vividness of the language. “every language is part of a culture. as such, it cannot but serve and reflect cultural needs.”(hu, 2001: 250). idioms, as an important part of language are naturally indispensable to culture. idioms are fixed phrases with particular meanings, and they play

25、an increasingly important role in peoples daily life. both oriental and western people are accustomed to use idioms because they are concise, vivid and humorous. idioms contain a lot of cultural information and reflect the differences in history, geography, religion, custom and thinking mode of diff

26、erent ethnic groups. idiom is a mirror of culture. english idioms are permeated with a strong flavor and intertwined with the influences of vivid national character; it comprises the historical and cultural background as well as the attitude to life and the ways of people. the formation of english i

27、dioms is influenced by such cultural factors as geographical conditions, historical developments, customs, religious beliefs, literature and arts of the british nation. from the above mentioned, it is easy to see that idiom comprehension has been the huge problem that lies in the communications and

28、causes lots of misunderstandings and conflicts. from this perspective, the author tries to propose a new method which is called holistic integration. this approach aims at integrating all of the factors including the semantic, progmatic and cultural factors into a whole and then comprehense and inte

29、rpretate idioms on this basis. in order to accomplish this thesis, the author has read a large amount of books. and some books do help a lot in the data collectings. language and culture by kramsch claire helps the author trace back to the cultural backgrounds of the language and therefore find out

30、different sources of idiom formations. this book has paved the way for the whole thesis to explore the deep reasons why there exist so many misunderstandings in idiom comprehension. in the book language and culture contexts in translating written by nida, the author has learned that language especia

31、lly the idiom is not only the word activity but also has a close connection with the social context, which requires to understand the idioms concerning the progmatics. what make a great contribution to the accomplishment of the thesis is the book holistic approach forenglish idioms which is written

32、by wangying. most of this paper is inspired by the thought of this book. the book has highlightened that idiom comprehension is a complex activity which requires mapping the thought into the meaning of the phrases and considers its meaning from the different kinds of aspects, such as the semantics,

33、progmatics and linguistic competences. 1 the origins of idioms in english-speaking countries, idioms are pervasive from debates to everyday conversations .a good mastery of idioms becomes a significant symbol of a persons command of the language. however, because of a low level of linguistic compete

34、nce in the target language, people who learn english as a second language are at a distinct disadvantage in understanding english idioms. we must know the origins of english idioms so that we can learn english well. 1.1 influence of geographicial conditions the generation of idioms is closely connec

35、ted to peoples living environment. to some extent, “the geography has an impact on idiom formation, and the language would be different in terms of the ecology, the climate and the environment”. (zhuang, 2002: 127). u.k is an island country, and england is the first largest island in europe. it has

36、a winded seacoast. therefore, the position of u.k., an island, has a vital meaning for its own development, and has a huge influence on forming idioms. in english vocabulary, thousands of idioms are related to the water, fish, ship and sea. since britain is an island country, people who live along s

37、eacoast and whose livelihood is dependent on the sea will have idioms about water, sailing, island and fish. for example, “ to take the wind out of somebodys sail”, “at sea”, “to trim ones sail to the wind”, “never offer to teach fish to swim”, “full fish”, “sail under false colors”, etc. whats more

38、, climate, agriculture are also another factor in the living condition. while britain is located in western hemisphere, with north temperate zone and marine climate, so “west wind” is the symbol of spring. the west wind blows from the atlantic ocean is warm and gentle, so that britain abounds in rai

39、n can be proved in some idioms concerning rain: “to make hay while the sun shines”, “to rain or shine”, “rainy day”, “as right as rain”etc. （chitra, 2000: 35） the british people are good at hunting and fishing, which produced idioms like “ride on the high horse”, “feel like a fish out of water”. the

40、re are also many idioms from agriculture. agricultural life has given rise to “beat around/about the bush”, “a hard row to hoe”, “have all ones eggs in one basket”, “put out to grass”, etc. (greene, 1988: 15) 1.2 influence of social customs the custom of one nation is formed through a long history a

41、nd firmly rooted in peoples mind. it is characterized with national color and acts as an important source of idioms. culture is always embodied in customs and habits. these customs and habits are the representative of the way of living in a certain speech community and they are mirrored in the speak

42、ing habit of the language. food is one of the aspects of cultural tradition that are reflected in english idioms. in most european countries, bread, butter, jam, cheese, etc, are their daily food of meals. therefore, there are many which have to do with food and cooking, such as “bread and butter”,

43、“hard cheese” as well as “to butter both sides of ones bread”.(claire, 2000: 19) on the other hand, many idioms are also relevent to animals. in english vocabulary, there are numerous idioms like, “to help a lame dog over a stile”, “l(fā)ove me, love my dog”,“dog days”,“as strong as an ox” ,“birds of a

44、feather”, etc. another important custom element that plays a key role in the course of forming idioms is social fashions. the social fashion is traditional habit or is popular in a period of time in society; it contains living habit, etiquette, tradition, behavior standards, and ways of social commu

45、nication and so on. everyone lives in the environment of social fashion and traditional habit, and the atmosphere of this environment influences their daily life. and these influences at the same time reflect the language, especially the english idioms. for example: let ones hair down: to relax afte

46、r a period of tense. in the past time, in whatever occasion, the english womens hair were very clean and tidy, which comb up in the forehead, only when they were alone could they allow to let their hair down. therefore, people use the idiom of “l(fā)et ones hair down” to express their relaxation after a

47、 long time of working and tense situation. take off ones hat to someone: pay ones respect to someone. long ago, the english people wore the hat as a fashion. when they greeted with people in the social occasion and showed the respect to someone, they took off their hat. for this reason, “take off on

48、es hat to someone” extends the meaning to show the respect to someone. go down the aisle: get married, enter into matrimony. the westerners almost believe the christianity, their weddings always hold in the church. when the wedding starts, the father of the bride always companies with her walk down

49、the aisle. therefore, the idiom “go down the aisle” is produced to indicate “get married”. 1.3 influence of religious beliefs religion, which is the manifestation of the culture and reflects the vital part of human thought, is an important source for idioms. most of westerners are christians, who be

50、lieve that the world was created by god. they think that god is of mighty power and sacred. god, christ, devil, adam and some educational segments of the stories in bible are passed down, because of peoples favor or even some historical and political causes, but most of all are religious beliefs. ma

51、ny british who believe in christianity all read the bible. therefore, numerous idioms have come into peoples colloquial speech, and have become mottoes. for example: “judass kiss” means “with the best of intention or forsake. “turn the other cheek” is from the new testament, jesus advice: resist not

52、 evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turns to him the other also. “build up on the sand” metaphorical meaning is unstable foundation. there are quite a few english idioms from religion. such as: “benjamins mess, “raise cain apple of sodom, “handwriting on the wall”, “god preserv

53、e us” etc. although this kind of religious idioms is originated from the unrealistic imagination, they briefly convey the realistic meaning, after a long time transformation and evolution, they have become the oridinary words to express people feeling about the present life. 1.4 influence of histori

54、cal allusions britain is an ancient country with a long history, which mainly comprises allusion, myths, poem, ancient books and records etc. among them, allusion that reflects the national character is the most important. idioms from history culture are the gems of human cultural heritage. it is wo

55、rthwhile for us to study them in depth. english idioms have their legends and anecdotes about historical figures which have provided rich and varied materials, and consequently give a national color to the idioms. it is necessary to learn the english allusion, which can not only enlarge peoples scop

56、e of knowledge and widen field of vision, but also is useful for them to trace back to the idioms origins, which will be studied from the following points: historical events, fables, mythologies and literary works. 1.4.1 historical events “in most language, people embellish their speeches or writing

57、s with references to characters or events from the history, that is to say, idiomatic expressions, to some extent, are closely connected to a countrys history”(nida, 2000: 74). quite a few idioms are generated from the history. the following examples can illustrate it. “to meet ones waterloo” is fro

58、m the defeat of napoleon at waterloo in 1815, which means completely defeat. “dunkirk evacuation” is from the world war ii and originally means the retreat of the english-french troops forced by the german. but now, the expression means to retreat in disorder. “columbuss egg” is originated from the

59、famous story of columbuss exploration. the explorer, irritating at being told that his adventure were easy, challenged the guests at a banquet to balance an egg on its end. all had failed, but he succeeded by flattening one end by tapping in against the table, this is a trick that any would then hav

60、e been able to repeat, however, it now means repetition is easier than innovation. it is known that rome and denmark once invaded britain for a long time, so the conqueror influenced on the english idioms to a certain extent, “six of one and half a dozen of the other” came from denmark, whereas “ret