Teaching idioms through Disney movies.

1. Teaching idioms
through children’s movies
February 12-13, 2015
Calgary City Teacher's Convention
Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)
Irene López Rodríguez
Immersion Program. Bilingual Program
Robert Warren Junior High School

2. IDIOMSTRADITIONAL
VIEW
Conventionalized
expressions
whose
overall
meaning
cannot
be
determined
from
the
meaning
of
its
constituent
parts
E.g. to rain cats and dogs ≠ cats and dogs falling from the sky =
but to rain heavilyE.g. to let the cat out of the bag ≠
E.g. to kick the bucket ≠
to allow a cat to escape from a bag =
to strike out a bucket with the foot =
but to reveal a secret
but to die
Idioms
present
a
clear
mismatch
between
form
and
meaning
SURFACE
MEANING
LITERAL
VS.
DEEP
MEANING
FIGURATIVE
February 12-13, 2015
Calgary City Teacher's Convention
Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)
TEACHING IDIOMS!
THROUGH CHILDREN’S MOVIES!
Irene López Rodríguez

3. EFL LEARNERS + IDIOMS = PROBLEM
Why?
Apparent
incongruity
between
form
and
meaning
“TO
RAIN
CATS
AND
DOGS”
evokes means
≠

4. EFL LEARNERS + IDIOMS = PROBLEM
“TO
LET
THE
CAT
OUT
OF
THE
BAG”
evokes means
≠

5. METHODOLOGY TOWARDS TEACHING IDIOMS!
TRADITIONAL VIEW
Idioms are isolated linguistic expressions
“Dead” or “Frozen” metaphors
Incongruity form/meaning
Do not make sense
Need to be learnt by heart ➜ heavy learning burden
Constant practice; otherwise forgotten
Lack of motivation
METHODOLOGY TOWARDS TEACHING IDIOMS!
NEW PERSPECTIVES
Idioms not as independent linguistic metaphors that
respond to the arbitrariness of language, but as
being motivated by conceptual metaphors.

6. 6
LINGUISTIC VS CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR!
PIVOTAL DISTINCTION
February 12-13, 2015
Calgary City Teacher's Convention
Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)
TEACHING IDIOMS!
THROUGH CHILDREN’S MOVIES!
Irene López Rodríguez
LINGUISTIC!
METAPHORS
Level of language
CONCEPTUAL!
METAPHORS
Level of language
A group of mental schema
whereby the human mind
understands abstract
concepts in terms of more
concrete bodily experiences

7. Constitute a whole network of
expressions in which the
concept of ANGER is
conceptualized by means of a
systematic pattern of ontological
correspondences pertaining to
the concept of HEATED FLUID
IN A CONTAINER
The same mental pattern operates in Spanish: estar a punto de explotar, estar a punto de reventar,
hervirle la sangre a uno, está que echa chispas, está que echa humo
This distinction helps explain why a series of
expressions such as
to be fuming with anger
to be about to explode
to blow up
to let off steam
LINGUISTIC AND CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS
February 12-13, 2015
Calgary City Teacher's Convention
Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)
TEACHING IDIOMS!
THROUGH CHILDREN’S MOVIES!
Irene López Rodríguez
BUT
are NOT the product of the arbitrariness of language

8. Cross-linguistic studies show that a
wide number of conceptual metaphors
are universal
the common source for metaphoric
production is grounded in our
sensorimotor experiences and our
interaction with the physical world
Bodies as containers filled with different types of
liquids (sweat, blood, urine, semen, tears) that can
be heated up and expelled for a number of reasons
such as physical exercise or sexual arousal
THE EMBODIED NATURE OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR
WHY ?
EMBODIMENT
February 12-13, 2015
Calgary City Teacher's Convention
Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)
TEACHING IDIOMS!
THROUGH CHILDREN’S MOVIES!
Irene López Rodríguez
ANGER
IS
HEATED
FLUID
IN
A
CONTAINER

9. !
!
!
OPACITY VERSUS TRANSPARENCY!
TRANSPARENCY
to spill the beans
to let the cat out of the bag
to come out of the closet (gay people)
to reveal a secret
the act of revealing a secret is
conceptualized as letting some
closed entity out
to have a skeleton in the cupboard

10. OPACITY VERSUS TRANSPARENCY!
OPACITY
People hanged themselves by
standing on a bucket with a rope
around their neck and then kicked
the bucket away
to kick the bucket = to die
not metaphorical but
historical motivation
the American Indian custom of
burying their hatchets to show
that hostilities were at an end
to bury the hatchet = to end a disagreement
In Norse mythology the storm
god Odin was often portrayed
with a cat and a dog.
to rain cats and dogs = to rain heavily

11. Metaphors ➜ conceptual in nature ➜ realized in other than linguistic ways
LITERATURE
LIFE IS A JOURNEY
Little Red Riding Hood
“The road not taken”
The Wizard of Oz
The Canterbury Tales
HAPPINESS IS BRIGHT/LIGHT COLORS
SADNESS IS DARKNESS/DARK COLORS
THE VISUAL MANIFESTATION!
OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS

12. MORE IS UP
ANGER IS HEATED FLUID IN A CONTAINER
Cartoons & Comic
strips
PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS
Advertisements &
Logos SEXUALLY ATTRACTIVE
WOMEN ARE BUNNIES
STRONG MEN ARE TIGERS

13. Movies in the EFL classroom
visual support
real material + native
pronunciation
appeal to children
contextual clues
Many idioms based on knowledge & image
Imagistic approaches to
idioms
Picturesàmnemonic technique
METAPHORS AND MOVIES

14. 14
HAPPINESS IS UP
SADNESS IS DOWN
CASE STUDY

15. February 12-13, 2015
Calgary City Teacher's Convention
Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)
TEACHING IDIOMS!
THROUGH CHILDREN’S MOVIES!
Irene López Rodríguez
MARY POPPINS - Tea at Uncle Albert’s

16. Spatial orientation
Idiomatic expressions
based on
orientational terms
To feel up
To be over the moon
To be floating in the air
To cheer up
To feel down
To fall into a depression
To be under the weather
People share biological features
EMBODIMENT Correlation: Happy-up
Sadness-down
Poner a alguien por las
nubes
Arriba ese ánimo
Estar en el cielo
Estar de bajón
Tener la moral por los
suelos
HAPPINESS IS UP / SADNESS IS DOWN!
A CASE STUDY

17. TEA AT UNCLE
ALBERT´S
Mary, the 2 children (Jane &
Michael) and Bert go to visit
Uncle Albert
Uncle Albert is having an
attack of mirth and is
floating in the air
Mary tells the children to
remain serious; otherwise,
Uncle Albert won´t be able
to get down
The situation is hilarious. Bert and the
children cannot control their laughter and
begin ascending in the air
Uncle Albert tells the
children that the only way to
get down is to think of sth
sad
Uncle Albert starts telling a sad story
and the children gradually descend.
Yet, there is a funny twist in the last
lines, which lifts the children again
Finally, Mary Poppins reminds the
children that it is high time they
went home, which really makes
them sad and brings them down to
the floor

18. Uncle Albert: Oh, I kn--, I know, I...but I tried. Really, I did, my dear. I...but I so enjoy laughing, you know? And, well...when I start, it´s all up
with the...that´s what happens to me. I love to laugh! Oh, my goodness! I can´t help it. You can see that. I just like laughing, that´s all.
Bert: Yes, whatever you do, keep a straight face. Last time, it took us three days to get him down.
Mary Poppins: Jane, don´t you dare! You´ll only make him worse. It´s really quite serious!
Uncle Albert: When things strike me as funny I can´t hide it inside. And squeak as the squeakelers do I´ve got to let go with a ho ho ho ho. And
laugh too. How nice. I was hoping you´d turn up!
Bert: Turn up!
Uncle Albert: We always have such a jolly time.
Uncle Albert & Bert: We love to laugh loud and long and clear. We love to laugh so everybody can hear.
Mary Poppins: Whoops, don´t you two start. Come back down here.
Uncle Albert: Oh, thank you, my dear. I´m having such a good time. I wish that you could all stay up here all the time.
Michael: We´ll jolly have to. There´s no way to get down.
Uncle Albert: Oh, no, there is a way. Frankly, I don´t like to mention it, because you have to think of something sad
Mary Poppins: Then do get on with it, please.
Uncle Albert: Let me see. I´ve got the very thing. Yesterday when the lady next door answered the bell, there was a man there. And the man said
to the lady, “I´m terribly sorry. I just ran over your cat
Jane: Oh, that´s sad.
Michael: The poor cat.
Uncle Albert: And then the man said, “I´d like to replace your cat” and the lady said, “That´s all right with me, but how are you catching mice?”
Well, you know I started out sad. I, I try, really I do. But, but everything ends up so hilarious, I can´t..can´t help...
Mary Poppins: That will be quite enough of that! It´s time to go home.
Jane: Oh, that is sad.
Michael: Oh no!
Uncle Albert: Oh, that´s sad. That´s the saddest thing I ever heard.
Mary Poppins: Come along, children. Spit spot!
HAPPINESS!
IS UP
SADNESS!
IS DOWN

19. “I feel up, up, up!”
FURTHER ELABORATIONS
February 12-13, 2015
Calgary City Teacher's Convention
Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)
TEACHING IDIOMS!
THROUGH CHILDREN’S MOVIES!
Irene López Rodriguez

20. 20
“I feel over the
moon with you
Princess Jasmine”

21. “I´m so happy!
I´m in the clouds!”

22. THANK YOU.
Irene López Rodríguez!
irlopezrodriguez@cbe.ab.ca
!
Immersion Program. Bilingual Program
Robert Warren Junior High School
February 12-13, 2015
Calgary City Teacher's Convention
Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA)