期刊名称：International Journal of English and Education
印刷版ISSN：2278-4012
出版年度：2013
卷号：2
期号：1
出版社：Brahmaputra Publishing House
摘要：Introduction: Figurative language goes beyond the literal meaning ofwords, bringing an unclear concept alive. Understanding idiomatic expressionsbegins in early childhood, gradually improving with age. Objectives/Aim: As there isa dearth of Indian studies done on this aspect, it would be interesting to know thedevelopmental trends in a multilingual country like India. Method: The participantsin the study were selected from four age groups (11; 0, 12; 0, 13; 0 and 14; 0 years).A total of twenty-seven idioms were scrutinized and selected for the purpose of thestudy. An idiom interpretation task was administered. Participants were given amultiple choice task – figurative, literal and incorrect interpretation. They wereasked to read the idiom and select its appropriate interpretation. Appropriatestatistical methods were done to determine the mean percentage of all theinterpretations across the age groups. The results yielded a significant main effectbetween the groups (p < 0.001). Literal interpretations were dominating in the 11year age group, and predominant figurative interpretations in the subsequentgroups, along with a decrease in the literal interpretations. A developmental trendwas observed in the comprehension of idiomatic phrases.
