Comprehension of Figurative Idiomatic Expressions from a Cross-Cultural Perspective

This study examines factors that affect the comprehension of novel idiomatic expressions by Korean learners of English. Based on the framework of the Conventional Figurative Language Theory (CFLT), the study explores how the understanding of novel idioms is affected by the context. For the purpose, a group of college students who specialize English and English education participated in the experiment. In contrast with the comprehension of conventional idioms which is enhanced by the context in Pavlina’s (2024) study on L2 learners of English, the role of context in comprehension of novel idioms was not clear in this study. The findings show that Korean L2 learners use strategies such as decomposition, focus on motivation links and reference to familiar LI idioms to facilitate the understanding novel idiomatic expressions. Among the strategies used, the role of mental image, cultural awareness, and cognitive strategies were crucial in L2 learners’ comprehension of novel figurative idioms.