An Investigation of Some Difficulties in Idioms Encountered by Saudi Learners of English

Abstract

The present study investigated the ability of Saudi English major female students to recognize and comprehend English idioms in certain contexts. Subjects were 60 senior Saudi female learners of English, Taibah University. Their recognition and comprehension of English pure idioms were tested with translation and multiple-choice tests. The results demonstrate that context plays an essential role in facilitating the processes of recognizing and comprehending English idioms effectively. Idioms that were more easily recognized and comprehended were those which were frequently used, transparent and which had simple vocabulary and structure..