期刊名称：Studia Universitatis Moldaviae: Stiinte Sociale
印刷版ISSN：1814-3199
电子版ISSN：2345-1017
出版年度：2007
卷号：4
期号：4
页码：233-236
出版社：Moldova State University
摘要：An idiom is an expression (i.e. term or phrase) whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitionsand the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only throughconventional use. In linguistics, idioms are widely assumed to be figures of speech that contradict the principleof compositionality, however some debate has recently arisen on this subject.In the English expression to kick the bucket, a listener knowing only the meaning of kick and bucketwould be unable to deduce the expression's actual meaning, which is to die. Although kick the bucket canrefer literally to the act of striking a bucket with a foot, native speakers rarely use it that way.Idioms hence tend to confuse those not already familiar with them; students of a new language must learnits idiomatic expressions the way they learn its other vocabulary. In fact many natural language words haveidiomatic origins, but have been sufficiently assimilated so that their figurative senses have been lost.Idioms are, in essence, often colloquial metaphors – terms which require some foundational knowledge,information, or experience, to use only within a culture where parties must have common reference. As culturesare typically localized, idioms are more often not useful for communication outside of that local context.However some idioms can be more universally used than others, and they can be easily translated, or theirmetaphorical meaning can be more easily deduced
