Cross-linguistic processing of idioms

The role of cultural familiarity and Construction Grammar in idiom comprehension

Abstract

This study explored the cross-linguistic processing of idioms among Azerbaijani, Russian, and English speakers, utilizing Construction Grammar (CxG) to examine the impact of cultural familiarity on idiom comprehension. Idioms, as culturally and linguistically embedded expressions, present a unique cognitive challenge that varies with the cultural background of the speaker. Employing comprehension tasks and self-paced reading tasks, this study measured both the accuracy of idiom comprehension and the speed of processing. The findings suggest that culturally specific idioms are comprehended more effectively and processed faster than non-culturally specific idioms across all participant groups. The results have significant implications for educational policymakers, educators, and school leaders, emphasizing the need to consider cultural context in language education. Integrating culturally relevant idioms into teaching strategies could enhance language comprehension and foster more effective intercultural communication.