Idiom Comprehension and Prototypicality Effect in Monolingual Children
Journal Title: Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi - Year 2016, Vol 56, Issue 1
Abstract
Categorization, a problem of linguistics and psychology, is enlightened by language acquisition studies. According to the Prototype Theory, which supports a graded structure, prototypicality has an effect on recall and comprehension. The present study investigates the relationship between the prototypicality of component nouns and idiom comprehension. The target group comprises Turkish monolingual preschoolers, 3rd, 5th, and 8th graders. A questionnaire was administered to assess the prototypicality values of the concepts in the superordinate category BODY PART according to different age levels. The selected idioms were ranked based on the prototypicality of component nouns, and were presented in a comprehension test with short stories and pictures. Accuracy and reaction time were the variables taken into account during the analysis. It was found out that the preschoolers and 3rd graders mostly relied on literal meaning, while the older groups had a tendency for figurative meaning. The findings from the participants who are competent in comprehending idioms support a prototypicality effect, whilst showing negative evidence regarding the views that consider idioms frozen, and component words having no impact on idiomatic meaning.
Authors and Affiliations
Hüseyin UYSAL, Seda G. GÖKMEN
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP275319
- DOI -
- Views 130
- Downloads 0
Russian Language Euphemisms in Sergei Dovlatov`s Works
Language as a phenomenon that reflects society's view of the world and cultural values is constantly developing. Each stage of language development is different and different stages have their own characteristic features...
Waterland: (Re)Textualizing Histories and Historicizing the Past
Graham Swift's novel Waterland (1983) is about Thomas Crick, a history teacher. In his history lessons, Thomas Crick merges public history with his private history as well as local history of Fenlands where he lives, to...
Post-Ottoman Empire European Imaginations of the Image of the Women of Maghreb
This study, as a critical examination, unravels how the non-Western woman has been both reconstructed and represented from a Western male perspective. The representation of Harem and the idea of the ideal Oriental woman...
The Caste System of India and Traces of The Classic Indian Literature
There is not a precise date as to the emergence of the caste system in the Indian subcontinent, yet the system has made a deep impression on society in terms of social and religious aspects. This system is the backbone o...
Structural Features of Colloquial Speech of Russian Language
Language is not only a communication tool, but also the most fundamental instrument, which helps us to understand the way of thinking and the perception of the worldview of the societies speaking that language. Although...