Investigating the Difficulties Encountered by Sudanese (EFL) Learners in Using and Understanding Idiomatic Expressions in Written Texts

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the difficulties encountered by Sudanese (EFL) learners in using and understanding idiomatic expressions in written texts. This study adopts the descriptive method of research. The researcher designs a test on idioms for the qualifying year’s students at SUST, College of Languages, Department of English. The test was administered to (30) students who have been chosen randomly to represent the study’s sample. As for the data analysis, the researcher uses a computer programme known as the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).The findings of the study reveal that, idiomatic expressions pose many difficulties to Sudanese (EFL) learners at Sudan University and that (i.e. the students) were totally unaware of the meaning of idiomatic expressions in context, besides their inability to use the contextual clues to guess the meaning of unfamiliar idiomatic expressions. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends that formulaic language, in particularly idiomatic expressions should be given a considerable attention when designing and teaching English language syllabus and they (i.e. idiomatic expressions) must be taught in context rather than in isolation and their meanings must be taken as a whole not