Question

discuss idiom as part of a culture using appropriate examples.

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Answer 1

Answer:

An idiom is normally a phrase that holds a meaning that cannot be understood from hearing the idiom itself. A common example of an idiom is 'to rain cats and dogs'. Idioms are closely linked to the culture of a place. Taking the example of the aforementioned idiom, the meaning it raining cats and dogs is that it is raining heavily. This idiom comes from England, and is a weather idiom, considering the heavy rainfalls.

While most idioms are generally closely related, the idiom takes on a new meaning in the language it is spoken in. Take for example, the common idiom, 'actions are louder than words'. When spoken in Korean, it directly translates to 'don't just speak, put it in action', while in African, it becomes, 'when deeds speak, words are nothing'. From this we can see, that though the actual meaning of the idioms remain same, the nature and the interpretation of the language it is spoken in directly affects the idiom making it an entirely different idiom. In the English idiom, the meaning is that actions are more valuable than words, while in Korean, it means that when a person speaks, they should also do to add value to what they say and in African, it means that compared to one's actions, words hold no value as one's actions dictate one's motives.

Another way to look at this is by bringing in the cultural aspect of every language. The culture is what determines the society and what the society says and what it considers as important. Take the Indian idiom, 'What is the use of crying after the birds have eaten the whole farm?' and the English one, 'There's no use crying over spilt milk'. While they both have similar meanings and similar usage, because they originate from different cultures with different beliefs, they become entirely different idioms. An Indian using the idiom would use it for a great loss, while an Englishman would use it for something trivial, therefore, making the nature of the idiom different from the other in spite of its similarities.

The study of idioms as a part of culture is truly interesting but due to colonization in the past and globalization today, all cultures have unified themselves and while certain characteristics remain unchanged, the nature of language, culture, influence of culture on language and origin of language and culture have gradually been moulded and sculpted to form a generalized picture making it harder to study it in detail.

Explanation: