Universität Wien

122252 AR MA+MEd Advanced Course in Linguistics - Focus: FCL (2025W)

English Idioms

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
Mo 15.12. 14:15-15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

For this course regular attendance is required, since a proper understanding of the material requires in-depth discussion (for details see Mindestanfordrungen).

  • Monday 13.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 20.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 27.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 03.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 10.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 17.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 24.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 01.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 12.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 19.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Monday 26.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Course content:

Idioms form an essential part of the English language. Typically defined as constructions that are semantically non-transparent and non-compositional (i.e. the meaning of the idiom as a whole cannot be derived from or predicted on the basis of the meaning of the component parts), they are often regarded as fixed multi-word expressions that simply need to be learned. Closer examination, however, shows that there is huge amount of variation within the class of idioms, in terms of degree of transparency, compositionality, conventionality, collocability and (morpho)syntactic flexibility. In order to come to a better understanding of the use, internal structure, formal behaviour of English idioms, this course will address such questions as how they can be defined and classified, how they can be analysed (semantically and syntactically), how they are used (creatively), and how they are processed and acquired.

Course aims:

By focusing on a single, but very versatile, type of construction, students will learn:
- to recognize the complexity of the linguistic system as manifested in English idioms
- to approach what often looks like a straightforward, unitary phenomenon from different angles, considering different aspects of their function and form
- to understand how these different aspects are interconnected and mutually dependent
- to decide which research questions and methodology are appropriate in studying the different aspects of idioms
- to tackle some of the issues involved individually and/or in small groups.

Assessment and permitted materials

Students will be assessed on the basis of a mid-term assignment (individual), a research proposal (individual or group), a (group) presentation and a final report (individual or group). Active participation is required.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Course requirements:
(a) regular class attendance (see below)
(b) take-home assignment (15%)
(c) research proposal (15%)
(c) oral presentation (20%)
(d) final report(50%)

Students need to attain a minimum (average) score of 60%.

Grading scale:
0–59% = 5; 60–69% = 4; 70–79% = 3; 80–89% = 2; 90–100% = 1

Attendance:
You may miss two sessions of this course. If you miss more than two sessions, this will result in your failing the course, due to excessive absence.

Examination topics

Readings, classroom discussions, assignment, research proposal, presentation, research project.

Reading list

- Boers, Frank, Murielle Demecheler & June Eyckmans. 2004. Etymological elaboration as a strategy for learning idioms. In Paul Bogaarts & Batia Laufer (eds), Vocabulary in a second language. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 54-78.
- Cieślicka, Anna. 2010. Formulaic language in L2. Storage, retrieval and production of idioms by second language learners. In Martin Pütz & Laura Sicola (eds), Cognitive processing in second language acquisition. 149-168.
- Gibbs, Raymond W. & Herbert L. Colston. 2012. Interpreting figurative meaning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapter 4.
- Glucksberg, Sam. 2001. Understanding figurative language: from metaphors to idioms. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 5.
- Granger, Sylviane & Magali Paquot. 2008. Disentangling the phraseological web. In Sylviane Granger & Fanny Meunier (eds), Phraseology. An interdisciplinary perspective. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 27-49.
- Irujo, Suzanne. 1986. Don’t put your leg in your mouth. Transfer in the acquisition of idioms in a second language. TESOL Quarterly 20 (2):287-304.
- Langlotz, Andreas. 2006. Idiomatic Creativity: A cognitive-linguistic model of idiom-representation and idiom-variation in English. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Chapter 6.
- Libben, Maya R. and Debra A. Titone. 2008. The multidetermined nature of idiom processing. Memory & Cognition 36 (6): 1103-1121.
- Moon, Rosamund. 1998. Fixed expressions and idioms in English: a corpus-based approach. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Chapters 1, 2 & 7.
- Nunberg, Geoffrey, Ivan A. Sag & Thomas Wasow. 1994. Idioms. Language 70(3): 491-538.
Vega Moreno, Rosa E. 2007. Creativity and convention: the pragmatics of everyday figurative speech. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Chapters 6 & 7.

Association in the course directory

Studium: MA 812 [2]; UF MA 046/507
Code/Modul: MA M04, MA M05, UF MA 4B
Lehrinhalt: 12-0260

Last modified: We 24.09.2025 11:46