On Nonce Variant of English Idioms

English idiom variant refers to the form of idiom created by means of altering some original components,structures,or meanings of the former idioms.The nonce variant of English idioms can be analyzed from the following three aspects:reasons for formation of nonce variant,types into which it could be divided,and rhetorical functions it is capable of producing.Through the analysis of these three aspects,it is almost likely for language-users to realize the importance and modes of idiom’s renovation,get a better understanding of English idioms,and thus utilize English idioms more skillfully.

Cultural Connotations of Chinese and English Idioms Concerning Animal Names and Their Translation

There are lots of idioms concerning animals.These animal idioms have very different culture connotations according to the different features of different kinds of animals.This essay,by consulting the predecessors' achievements and comparing the similarities and differences of cultural connotations of animal images in Chinese and English idioms,approached to deal with translation principles and methods applied to the translation of animal idioms.

A Preliminary Study of Vocational College Students＇ English Idioms＇ Learning Through Translation

To learn English idioms well is not easy for native speakers, let alone ESL/EFL learners, which is because the meanings of idiomatic expressions cannot be determined through an analysis of their individual word meanings. However, the frequency of figurative languages is very common in English world. So, it is necessary for us to have such knowledge of English idioms in English study. Based on literature review, few studies focused their attention on examining vocational colleges EFL problems in English idioms. Moreover, fewer studies provided quantitative data to demonstrate the problems. Understanding the original texts in one language is the key to accurate translation of another language. Translation may be a good way to examine whether students understand English idioms. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate vocational college students＇ understanding level of English idioms through their translation in order to find how difficult English idioms are for them. Participants were 36 sophomore students who study at Jiaxing Vocational and Technical College. Student＇s total errors of Chinese translations could be found through the coding as well as the total accurate number of Chinese translations. The findings suggest these students＇ understanding level of English idioms is not high. It is further supported by the fact that English idioms are difficult and not translated easily from one language to another language.

On Chinese and English Idioms Including “Heart” or “心” from an Intercultural Perspective

Through a contrastive analysis of Chinese and English idioms including "heart" or"心", the thesis tries to illustrate therelationship between language and culture from an intercultural perspective. And in this thesis, the author analyze various connota-tions of "heart" and "心" in order to explain that idioms are good carriers for cultures and historical backgrounds. So it is very im-portant for second language learners to acquire some idioms and cultural knowledge in English.

An Analysis of Value Differences in English and Chinese Idioms from the Perspective of Intercultural Communication

Idioms are the essence and gems of human wisdom and an important carrier of national culture. As a special form of language, they play an important role in intercultural communication. Due to the uniqueness of each culture, English and Chinese idioms are different in many aspects, values included. The present paper attempts to analyze the different values in English and Chinese idioms from three aspects: dependence vs independence, past-time orientation vs future-time orientation, and harmony vs competition. And the authors hope that it will be of some practical significance in people's intercultural communication.

STRATEGY USE IN CHINESE EFL LEARNERS' PROCESSING OF ENGLISH IDIOMS

This empirical study investigates the differences in strategy use between advanced and intermediate Chinese EFL learners when processing unfamiliar English idioms. The results show that (1) a variety of strategies are used when subjects initially process unfamiliar English idioms; (2) the subjects across proficiency levels vary in the overall frequencies with which they employ strategies as well as in the particular types of strategies they use to process unfamiliar EFL idioms initially; (3) guessing strategies are the highest-ranking category among both the advanced and the intermediate level subjects. This paper concludes with a number of pedagogical suggestions for the teaching and learning of English idioms.

The Analysis of Comparison Between English and Chinese Animal Idioms

Idioms are essence of a language and a kind of special and fixed phrases or short sentences in the long period of language use.Because animals have been considered as people’s best friends for hundreds of years,people adopt different species of animals as metaphors to express all their emotions.However,due to the different national characteristics between English and Chinese,such as geographical conditions and tradition so in most cases easterners and westerners have different attitudes and understanding towards same animals,of course,some animal idioms have the same meaning.

Love and Hate Between England and Other European Nations——A Glimpse Through Proverbs and Idioms

English proverbs and idioms are quite common in the language use due to its expressiveness.However,without the deep understanding of the cultures,history,folktales or legends behind them,English proverbs and idioms may easily lead to con⁃fusion or even misinterpretation.From a number of European-nation-related proverbs and idioms listed,the readers can have a glimpse of Greek legends,Roman wisdom,Anglo-Spanish and Anglo-Dutch Wars,and joking with their neighbouring coun⁃tries,and thus feel the love and hate between England and those nations in the profound historical background.

Chinese EFL Learners' Comprehension of English Idiom Variants:Effects of Variation Type and Proficiency Level

The creative use of English idioms has led to heterogeneous idiom variants that are particularly problematic for L2 learners. Drawing on a cognitive linguistic perspective of idiom learning, this paper categorizes English idiom variants into four major types, and reports on an empirical study that investigated the effects of variation type and proficiency level on Chinese EFL learners＇ comprehension of English idiom variants. Targeting non-English major college students of basic and intermediate English levels, the study confirmed the influence of proficiency level on learners＇ comprehension and evaluation of the difficulty of idiom variants. Structural change in idioms was found to be the easiest type and idioms modified in terms of literal imagery were the most difficult in comprehension. These findings suggest that the dominant ＂rote memorization＂ tends to limit learners＇ choices of comprehension strategies to literal translation and L1 transfer. The learning environment unsupportive of cultivating L2 learners＇ analytical ability is held accountable for the generally low success rates in comprehension of idiom variants.