A Metaphtonymic Study Of English Idioms

English idioms are distinguished from other vocabulary items as single units with fixed meanings. As a result, the meaning of an English idiom is traditionally thought to be indecomposable from its component parts, and its interpretation seems to be a mechanical process of learning by rote.The present thesis goes against the traditional view by first examining the available definitions of idioms, believing that the literal meanings of the component parts of an idiom more or less contribute to the figurative meaning. Then, it takes a review of the domestic and foreign studies on idioms, attempting to investigate into the motivations for English idioms from a metaphtonymic perspective. From a metaphtonymic perspective, English idioms are mainly motivated by conceptual metaphor, by conceptual metonymy, and also by metaphor and metonymy in interaction. Besides, the interpretation of English idioms also cannot go without the engagement of the readers' or hearers' conventional knowledge and world experience. The idioms used for the analysis of metaphtonymic motivations for English idioms are mainly examples from Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English and New Horizontal College English and examples from other sources.Based on the analysis of cognitive motivations for English idioms, this thesis is intended to shed fresh light on the teaching and learning of English idioms so as to promote the efficiency of English learning. It also aims to provide a tool for English learners to understand the idiomaticity of some non-idiomatic vocabulary.