Idiomatic Expressions

An idiom is the syntactical, grammatical, or structural form peculiar to a language. The word idiom is a derivative of the Greek word idios, meaning “private.” Greek idioma (the “o” has a long vowel sound) is indicative of an idea, thought, or concept having a peculiarity or a unique feature—particularly in language and literature. An idiomatic expression retains all of the meaning of its idiom origin. Like an idiom, an idiomatic expression is symbolic of an expression or group of words that contains an idiom, but the meaning of the expression or group of words cannot be determined by analyzing the literal meaning of the individual components that make up the expression or phrase.

The ability to extract meaning and to use idiomatic terms appropriately outside of literal meaning are specific indicators of cultural identity because in order to comprehend idiomatic terms, one must first understand not only the language but also the liberties of usage, including the interchangeability of various parts of speech and cultural norms when communicating within the boundaries of a particular culture's societies, ethnic, age, and gender categories. For this reason, idioms and idiomatic expressions are dynamic aspects of communication. Even if the meaning of every word in an expression or phrase is understood, the intended meaning of the expression or phrase still may not be obtained because the meaning may be more solidly rooted in the exact knowledge of the language in relation to cultural use than in the literal meaning of the word or words that make up the expression or phrase.

The English language features many idiomatic expressions and phrases that cannot be deciphered through literal means. For example, the expression “You don't miss your water until your well runs dry” cannot be interpreted literally because it implies lack of water and inevitable thirst when that is often not the case in the context of its general usage. Translated idiomatically, the expression means that you won't miss a good thing until it is gone. Colorful expressions such as the example provided are used in everyday communications and draw upon all parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. If an individual is not adept to processing the semantics and syntax used in forming idiomatic expressions and phrases, there is a risk of miscommunication, confusion, or lack of understanding.