Idioms are universal to all languages and figurative language is pervasive in everyday
discourse. However idiom studies rarely touch on the problems figurative language can present
to non-native speakers. This book sets out to provide an original analysis of the issue
focusing on a number of languages including Arabic Berber French and English. The author
addresses the question of idiomaticity from linguistic psycholinguistic and pedagogical
perspectives highlighting in particular the strategies used by Arab learners (primarily Saudis
and Algerians) to decode and encode idioms. The book explores in detail the process of
identifying idioms and the factors that affect comprehension. The author also analyses the
current state of bilingual Arabic-English-Arabic dictionaries and asks to what extent learners
can rely on them as a source for decoding idioms.
