idiomaatika
Idiomaatika, also known as idiomatics, is a branch of linguistics that studies idioms and idiomatic expressions across languages. It investigates how phrases convey non-literal meanings, how idioms are represented in the mental lexicon, and how speakers acquire, store, and use them in discourse. The field draws on semantics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, translation studies, and corpus linguistics, and it informs lexicography and language teaching.
A core concern is defining what counts as an idiom. An idiom is typically a multiword expression
Methodologically, idiomaatika uses corpus analysis, psycholinguistic experiments, and cross-linguistic comparison to understand frequency, processing, and translation.
Examples of well-known idioms include “kick the bucket” (to die), “spill the beans” (to reveal a secret),