SESSION SEVEN: LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE MEANING
OF WORDS AND PHRASES

Multiple meanings of words and idiomatic speech often cause comprehension difficulties, especially for learners of English as a second language. Idioms, for example, are expressions that do not necessarily mean what they say. Telling people to "put their foot down" [from the coffee table] literally means to do just that. In another context it means to begin to assert some authority. "Straight from the horse's mouth" has nothing to do with horses and their anatomy. Instead the expression means that the information in question comes from a reliable informant. Such duality of meaning in which words and phrases have acceptable literal as well as figurative meanings may cause confusion in the minds of novice readers.

For some of these readers, there is a tendency to interpret each word separately and literally. But figurative meaning must be identified as a gestalt, considering not only the words themselves but the total context. Input from the reader's experiential background is essential in the construction of meaning. To be effective, instruction must not only supply an extended context, but also give readers opportunities to reflect upon and tie the idiomatic strings to what they already know. The Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish provide a humorous introduction to the concept of literal and figurative meanings.

1. to develop an awareness that some words and phrases have dual meanings, both literal and figurative.
   
   
2. to provide a framework for helping learners become self sufficient in interpreting word meanings through the use of context (in this case pictures).
   
   
3. to reinforce the need to read in phrases rather than word by word.
   
   
4. to teach the meaning of some idiomatic expressions.

1. Illustrates the point that meaning often resides in the total phrase (as well as in their previous experience) and not just in individual words by using Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish, New York: Avon Books (1989), and suggesting:
   
   Some people think that to figure out what an author is saying we have to think about what each word means and then-put the ideas together. Sometimes that doesn't work! Authors encapsulate their ideas into phrases and it is not each word but the whole expression that we have to consider. We also need to stop a bit and think what other meaning the word or phrase might have, based on our own firsthand experiences, and what would make sense.
   
   In this book, Amelia Bedelia is showing her family picture album to the people she works for. Amelia Bedelia always thinks that every word means exactly what it says. This causes her to misunderstand people and for them to misunderstand her!
   
   For, example, on page 7, Amelia Bedelia says [The instructor reads aloud from the text.]
   
   This is my Daddy
   said Amelia Bedelia
   He is a telephone operator
   
   And she shows them the picture from her album. Then they say:
   
   Then he helps people make calls
   
   And she replies:
   
   He does not! [The instructor should read this with indignation.] He operates on telephones.
   
   And there is a picture of a doctor carrying out surgery on a telephone.
   
   
2. Continues to illustrate multiple meanings of words by reading and explain
   ing pages 9 and 10;
   
   
3. Concludes the introductory demonstration by indicating that:
   
   The Amelia Bedelia selection contains many other funny examples to show us the mix-ups we can get into when we take words and phrases literally. Based on our own experience, we need to think about words and word strings from different points of view - sometimes literally, but often figuratively.