Idioms: a study under the perspective of the cognitive linguistics

Abstract

The subject of this paper is the cognitive motivation for the meaning of idioms, trying to present more effective strategies for their comprehension. We reflected on the possibility of the parts of the idioms have a conceptual relation with the idiomatic meaning and be able to be mapped cognitively based on our world experience. Some studies which argue that the idiomatic meanings can be motivated through the cognitive mapping of the literal meaning of the parts of the idiom were approached. We also presented some results from an empirical analysis that aimed at investigating the underlying cognitive mappings in some idioms, through the identification of cognitive mechanisms such as the metaphor, the metonymy and the conventional knowledge. The study confirmed that the literal components of idioms carry part of the idiomatic meaning and can be mapped cognitively and suggests that the learning of idioms can be improved through the motivation of the relations between the literal and figurative meanings.