Learners’ Beliefs about the Notion of Idiom

Abstract

This manuscript aims to build up a conceptual framework in relation to the most prominent features of idioms. Core concepts will be discussed and compared with the beliefs that university students have concerning a definition of idiom. These students’ beliefs were collected through a questionnaire used in a preliminary study on idiom learning. The results show that the non-compositionality of idioms, figurativeness and colloquialism are characteristics that students expect to find in idioms.