Investigating the Problems of Understanding Some Multi-Word-Expressions Encountered by Sudanese Undergraduates with Special Reference to Literary Texts

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the problem of understanding idiomatic expressions (IEs) encountered by Sudanese EFL undergraduates in literary texts. The method that is used in this investigatory study is the analytic descriptive method. For data collection, the researcher designed a test and a questionnaire which have been distributed to 100 students. In order to the select a representative sample the researcher has chosen the respondents from three universities namely: Sudan University of Science and Technology, Omdurman Islamic University and Ahfad University. However, 80% has been divided between the former two universities and 20% is allocated to the later one. Furthermore, the study aims at recommending some strategies that Sudanese EFL undergraduates could utilize in order to overcome the problems that face them in comprehending IEs in literary texts. The researcher postulated three hypotheses that non-compositionality and semantic and syntactic fixedness are some of the factors behind these escalating difficulties, IEs constitute difficulties for Sudanese EFL undergraduates in comprehending literary texts to a large extent. Finally, Sudanese EFL undergraduates do not use any strategies for dealing with IEs. The results show that non-compositionality, semantic and syntactic fixedness constitutes difficulties to those students in understanding IEs to a large extent. In addition, they do not utilize any strategy for decoding IEs. In order to overcome these problems IEs should be given a considerable attention in literary courses. Sudanese EFL learners should utilize some strategies for learning IEs such as Mnemonics. Finally, a great deal of attention should be given to the characteristics of IEs; non-compositionality, semantic and syntactic fixedness.