Animal Idiomatic Expressions: A Contrastive Study between Arabic and English

Authors

  • Sana' Ababneh

    Human Basic Sciences, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.7654
Received: 4 November 2024 | Revised: 14 November 2024 | Accepted: 17 November 2024 | Published Online: 9 January 2025

Abstract

This study examines idiomatic expressions involving animals in English and Arabic. As a native Arabic speaker and an English university instructor, the researcher observed that both languages utilize animals in idiomatic contexts to convey specific connotations or messages that differ from the literal meaning of the expressions. The researcher identified these animal-related idioms in both languages and organized them into tables to highlight similarities and differences through a comparative approach. The findings revealed three key points: First, certain animal idioms are used in both languages to express the same indicative meaning; second, some English idioms have counterparts in Arabic that convey the same meaning but involve different animals; and third, some English animal idioms have no equivalents in Arabic. The study concludes that understanding the cultural context of idiomatic expressions fosters native-like linguistic competence. It contributes to cross-cultural understanding by systematically identifying, comparing, and categorizing animal idioms in Arabic and English, emphasizing their cultural significance and practical implications for language learners, translators, and educators.

 

Keywords:

Animal Idiomatic Expressions; Arabic; EFL; English; Cultural Background

References

[1] Akram, D.M., 2024. The Attitudes of English Teachers and Parents towards Introducing the English

[2] Language in Algerian Primary Schools [Doctoral dissertation]. A Case Study of Third-Year Primary Schools in the City of Biskra. University of Biskra. pp. 1–82.

[3] Yudha, H.T., Mandasari, B., 2021. The analysis of game usage for senior high school students to improve their vocabulary mastery. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning. 2(2), 74–79.

[4] Duraiswamy, M., 2022. Chunks and Language Development: A Lexical Approach. Notion Press: Chennai, India. pp. 1–78.

[5] Horvat, A.W., Bolognesi, M., Lahiri, A., 2021. Processing of literal and metaphorical meanings in polysemous verbs: An experiment and its methodological implications. Journal of pragmatics. 171, 131–146.

[6] Boers, F., Muñoz-Basols, J., 2021. Acquisition of idiomatic language in L2 Spanish. Spanish vocabulary learning in meaning-oriented instruction. Taylor & Francis Group: London, UK. pp. 62–88.

[7] Nakaayi, A., 2023. Difficulties in comprehension among learners learning English as a foreign language in Uganda: a schema theoretic approach [Doctoral dissertation]. Kampala Uganda: Makerere University. pp. 1–135.

[8] Waheed, A., Irfan, H., Bashir, A., 2024. Exploring the Features of Pakistani English Creative Writing: An In-depth Study of Language use, Reader Engagement, Voice, Quality, Originality and universality in the Works of Akhtar, Tahir, and Sidhwa. Pakistan Languages and Humanities Review. 8(1), 506–519.

[9] Jia, H., 2023. A study of translation strategies of animal idioms concerning “dog” from a cross-cultural perspective. US-China Foreign Language. 21(12), 506–511. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17265/1539-8080/2023.12.007

[10] Al-Qahtani, F., Al-Qahtani, O., 2021. Translating animal idioms from English into Arabic: An application of Nida’s strategies for translating idioms. AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies. 5(3), 82–100. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol5no3.7

[11] Al Issawi, J., 2021. Cultural-bound meaning of animal names in Arabic. English Linguistics Researc. 10(1), 42–55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5430/elr.v10n1p42

[12] Al-Rabee’, B., Al-Khanji, R., 2021. The metaphor of the animals' names (wolf and sheep) in Arabic and English proverbs: A comparative study. The Jordanian Association for Educational Sciences, Jordanian Education Journal. 9(2), 70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46515/jaes.v9i2.684

[13] Liu, J., 2019. A comparative study on Chinese and English animal idioms and translation strategies. Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 9(2), 231–238. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0902.14

[14] Salamh, S.B., Maalej, Z., 2018. A cultural linguistics perspective on animal proverbs, with special reference to two dialects of Arabic. Arab World English Journal for Translation & Literary Studies. 2(4), 21–40. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol2no4

[15] Wang, F., Zhang, M., 2017. Different associations of animal words in English and Chinese and the relevant translation strategies. Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 7(11), 1085–1090. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0711.17

[16] Sameer, H.I., 2016. A cognitive study of certain animals in English and Arabic proverbs: A comparative study. International Journal of Language and Linguistics. 3(5), 133–143.

[17] Labed, Z., 2023. A meaning-oriented approach to islamic idioms in the western algerian transnational community. Al-Andalus Magreb. 30, 103–118.

[18] Zhang, H., 2021. Metaphorical Mapping and Translation of Animal Cultural Connotations in Chinese and English in Intercultural Communication.Zoology and Animal Physiology. 2(4), 50–60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.38007/ZAP.2021.020405

[19] Vural, H., 2023. Strategies for translating Turkish, English and French animal proverbs: Comparative study. Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. 9(4), 22–34,

[20] Mawlood, A.M.A., 2018. Animal idioms in English and Kurdish: with some Animal idioms in English and Kurdish: with some pedagogical implications [Doctoral dissertation]. Leicester, UK: University of Leicester. pp. 1–441.

[21] Meso, T.P., 2023. An analysis of the role of culture in the tradition of Northern Sotho idiomatic expressions into English [Doctoral dissertation]. Thohoyandou, South Africa: University of Venda. pp. 1–181.

[22] Egorova, A., 2022. Hunting Down Animal Verbs: An Investigation into The Mechanisms of Meaning Transfer Underlying English Verbal Zoosemy [Doctoral dissertation]. Potsdam: Germany Universität Potsdam. pp. 1–81.

[23] Dawood Al-Qahtani, F., Abdulrhman Al Qahtani, O., 2021. Translating animal idioms from English into Arabic: An application of Nida’s strategies for translating idioms. AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies. 5.

[24] Al Issawi, J.M., 2021. Cultural-bound meaning of animal names in Arabic. English Linguistics Research. 10(1), 42–55.

[25] Belkhir, S., 2019. Animal-related concepts across languages and cultures from a cognitive linguistic perspective. Cognitive Linguistic Studies. 6(2), 295–324.

[26] Al-Jarf, R., 2017. Issues in translating Arabic om-and abu-expressions. ALATOO Academic Studies. (3), 278–284.

[27] Uludag, K., 2024. Exploring the Association Between Textual Parameters and Psychological and Cognitive Factors. Psychology Research and Behavior Management. 1139–1150.

Downloads

How to Cite

Ababneh, S. (2025). Animal Idiomatic Expressions: A Contrastive Study between Arabic and English. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(1), 767–778. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.7654

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 1 (January 2025)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2025 Sana' Ababneh

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.