Context and Literality in Idiom Processing: Evidence from Self-Paced Reading
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Context and Literality in Idiom Processing: Evidence from Self‑Paced Reading Sara D. Beck1 · Andrea Weber1
© The Author(s) 2020
Abstract In a self-paced reading study, we investigated how effects of biasing contexts in idiom processing interact with effects of idiom literality. Specifically, we tested if idioms with a high potential for literal interpretation (e.g., break the ice) are processed differently in figuratively and literally biasing contexts than idioms with a low potential (e.g., lose one’s cool). Participants read sentences that biased towards a figurative or literal reading of idioms and continued with resolutions that were congruent or incongruent with these biases (e.g., [The new schoolboy/the chilly Eskimo] just wanted to break the ice [with his peers/ on the lake]…). While interpretations of high-literality idioms were strengthened by supporting contexts and showed costs for incongruent resolutions, low-literality idioms did not show this effect. Rather, interpreting low-literality idioms in a literal manner showed a cost regardless of context. We conclude that biasing contexts are used in a flexible process of real-time idiom processing and meaning constitution, but this effect is mediated by idiom literality. Keywords Idioms · Figurative language · Language processing · Context · Self-paced reading
Introduction Idioms challenge standard notions of meaning composition as they are, by definition, multi-word strings with a figurative meaning that differs from the sum of its parts. For example, the idiom to take the bull by the horns means, figuratively, to take charge of a difficult situation. However, a literal interpretation, denoting an event in which a male cow is grabbed by its horns, is also available following standard meaning composition. In recent years, a number of studies have shown that the availability of these two meanings can be influenced by linguistic context, and while there is a general consensus that context can facilitate access to the figurative meaning of an idiom (e.g., Fanari et al. 2010), there is less agreement on the impact of context on the availability of the literal interpretation (e.g., Rommers et al. 2013; Holsinger and Kaiser 2013). The current study adds to the body of * Sara D. Beck Sara.beck@uni‑tuebingen.de 1
University of Tübingen, Wilhelmstraße 50, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research
literature examining contextual facilitation, by specifically considering the mediating effect of idiom literality. Idiom literality refers to the variation between idioms in their potential to be interpreted literally. While to take the bull by the horns can be used figuratively just as well as literally (i.e. has high literality), an idiom like to be on cloud nine has a low potential for literal interpretation in the absence of any contextual information (i.e. has low literality). Figuratively, it means to be very happy, and literally, a context is needed in order to create a situation in which a person might find
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