Cuadernos de Lingüística Hispánica N.° 14 ISSN 0121-053X Julio-Diciembre 2009; p. 121-136 The Advantages and Importance of Learning and Using Idioms in English La importancia de aprender y usar modismos en una lengua extranjera: inglés ELIANA EDITH ROBERTO DE CARO* [email protected] Recepción: 27 de abril de 2009 Aprobación: 27 de mayo de 2009 __________ Este artículo pertenece al Grupo de investigación Skills in Action, adscrito a la línea de investigación Innovación Pedagógica en la Enseñanza del Inglés. C L H 121 Abstract This article has as main purpose to share the results of a small scale project based on guiding students in the use of idioms through dialogues and readings, in order to improve students' communicative skill. The project was applied at Universidad Santo Tomás - Tunja, with one group of eleven Electronic Engineering students who attend to an undergraduate education program. Dialogues, interviews, and informal speech or conversations were used to collect the data in this action research study. Findings demonstrated that by learning and using some idioms the learners were able to increase their knowledge about idioms, they learned new vocabulary, and improved their communicative skill. Key words: idioms, dialogues, communicative skill. Resumen Este artículo tiene como propósito compartir los resultados de un proyecto orientado a guiar promoción de modismos en lengua inglesa a través de diálogos y lecturas, con el objetivo de mejorar su habilidad comunicativa de los estudiantes. El proyecto fue aplicado en la Universidad Santo Tomás de la ciudad de Tunja, con un grupo de estudiantes de Ingeniería Electrónica, programa presencial de educación superior. Se utilizaron diálogos, entrevistas y discurso informal o conversaciones para recoger los datos de esta investigación acción. Los resultados demostraron que mediante el aprendizaje y la utilización de algunos modismos, los alumnos aumentaron sus conocimientos sobre modismos, aprendieron nuevo vocabulario y mejoraron su habilidad comunicativa. Palabras claves: modismos, diálogos, habilidad comunicativa. 122 E. E. Roberto de C. Introduction This article aims at sharing the results of a small scale project based on guiding eleven undergraduate Electronic Engineering at Universidad Santo Tomás, in the correct use of specific idioms in order to improve communicative skill. This project was carried out during the second semester of 2009. I, as English teacher, have been concerned about the way English is taught at USTA (Univer- sidad Santo Tomás) into the process of learning idioms. It is very interesting to university students to be enrolled in the procedure of learning specific idioms because of this way they can performance several activities through the use of idioms. According to the researcher of this project, the integration of idioms has a very important attention in the teaching and learning process of English, especially as a form to implement effective techniques to incorporate idioms in the classroom. Idioms in and outside the classroom are widely believed to help teachers and students promote an innovative environment of communication. However, the integration of idioms in the teaching and learning process may be difficult or ineffective for some learners or teachers because it is not relevant or necessary for carrying out educational goals. Furthermore, from teachers' perspectives, with a variety of activities based on idioms can help to facilitate needs and challenge students' learning process. The type of activities and how they are constructed in the classroom is found as one of the most important aspects that help to the success of using idioms in and outside the classroom and the appropriate teachers' role. C L H 123 The use of idioms has a great influence in the teaching and learning process of a foreign language, because it could be one of the ways to give students better conditions to improve communicative skill in the daily context. Moreover, the researcher expresses that the common use of idioms in daily speech for English speakers has brought a necessity in the teaching field to implement the use of this tool in and outside the classroom in order to help students be competitive, increase their vocabulary and the informal way to speak in English. English is a language particularly rich in idioms - those modes of expression peculiar to a language (or dialect) which frequently defy logical and grammatical rules. Without idioms English would lose much of its variety and humor both in speech and writing. The back- ground and etymological origins of most idioms is at best obscure. This is the reason why a study of differences between the idioms of American and British English is somewhat difficult. But it also makes the cases, where background, etymology and history are known, even more interesting. Some idioms of the "worldwide English" have first been seen in the works of writers like Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, Lewis Carroll or even in the paperbacks of contemporary novelists. An example of Shakespearian quotation can be found in the following sentence:"As a social worker, you certainly see the seamy side of life." Biblical references are also the source of many idioms. Sports terms, technical terms, legal terms, military slang and even nautical expressions have found their way to the everyday use of English language. (http://www.sky-net-eye.com/eng/ english/idioms/idiom-articles/English-idioms). On the other hand and based on the importance of using specific idioms and its back- ground, the researcher of this project decided to work with students who belong to the several academic programs at Santo Tomás University (USTA). They take five English levels during their academic programs. The investigator, as an English teacher, has analyzed the way English is taught at USTA. Most of the students (approximately 80%) are able to attend to class during the day and around 20% of them can attend classes during the evenings. Learners have to take their first English level since their first semester of their academic programs in order to continue with the learning process of English. They take 3 hours per week and 1 tutoring hour. Most of them have to face implications and trouble such as time- consuming, sources such as English's books, likes and dislikes of English subject, during their learning process of English as a foreign language, because the learners consider that English is not a relevant subject. There are some Electronic Engineering students who have the chance to travel abroad and after a period of time when they have come back to Colombia, they have concluded that learning idioms is one of the most important issues in English. When these students were in 124 E. E. Roberto de C. the United States, they experienced many difficulties even if they were able to speak in English because they did not understand the meaning of many idioms that native speakers use in their daily conversation. Considering the previous experiences and issues, the current study was focused on helping learners by guiding them in the use of some idioms, in order to improve their communicative skill. Based on the above statements, it is vey important to know that native speakers of a language use idioms all the time. Students are often embarrassed and frustrated if they cannot understand the idioms a person is using. A strong knowledge of idioms will help students be better speakers. The high number of idioms and their high frequency in discourse make them an important aspect of vocabulary. Finally, since idiomatic expressions are so frequently encountered in both spoken and written discourse, this issue requires special attention in language programs wht ahe purpose ot help ing students improve their communicative skill. Statement of the Problem The undergraduate Electronic Engineening students of Universidad Santo Tomás in which this small scale project was carried out were enrolled in an academic program. English is among the subjects the learners had to take. Once these students were registered in each level of English, they needed to deal with five English levels as a requirement from Languages Department, with the purpose to fulfill the academic goals that English subject demanded. The learners attended 40 hours in order to achieve their purposes during the course. In the English course, there were several components such as: grammar, reading, speaking, listening and writing through the use of idioms. At the beginning of the course the students did not know how to understand and use idioms correctly in their process of learning English as foreign language. Also, they were not aware of the importance and advantages of idioms. The learners did not know the implications and importance they faced without knowing the use of specific idioms. Thus, the English teacher had to lead the students to become competitive learners. Approximately 90% of the time the students did not have the opportunity to learn idioms into the syllabus and the other 10% owned knowledge of some idioms because they had traveled abroad. This was why the students were used to translating word by word in order to get understanding of the idiomatic expressions in songs, movies and, texts. Furthermore, the learners gave wrong meaning to idioms. In order to solve this situation, four workshops were designed to C L H 125 help students to learn and apply idioms in English into their daily speech and improve their communicative skill. However, working with idioms has been difficult in the teaching and learning process of English. This issue is a challenge for teachers and students because it does not have an authentic context to support the educational process. According lo the above aspects, the research question that guided this project was as follows: What are the, findings in a group of eleven undergraduate Electronic Engineering students at Universidad Santo Tomás after having been exposed to the use of specific idioms? Research Setting and Participants The Context This research was carried out during the second semester of 2009 at Universidad Santo Tomás which is a private university in Colombia.