הבנתם של ניבים בשפת אם ובשפה זרה

We examined the perception and reception of idioms by younger age groups of native Hebrew speakers in kindergarten and elementary school and compared their preformance with older native English speakers learning Hebrew as a second language. The data included 21 idioms or expressions that commonly appear in the Israeli media (radio and television), journalistic prose, colloquial language, and slang, as well as a number originating from the Bible or traditional sources that appear in all registers of spoken and written Hebrew. The 91 subjects were presented with idioms from the media, standard language, and slang in sentences in context, and were asked to explain them, orally or in writing depending on age, in their own words or by paraphrase. They were also presented with the list of idioms taken from traditional sources (including one in Aramaic) and were asked to choose the one most suitable to complete a sentence that provided a meaningful context for their choice. The older subjects wrote their answers while the younger ones stated orally if they had over heard the idioms and explained what they thought they meant after the idioms were presented to them in appropriate context. We also asked the native Hebrew speakers for their favourite idioms or expressions, their meanings and their reasons for liking them.