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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter discusses the underlying theories related to the nature of
themes and idiomatic expressions. The major issues raised here are the definition
of theme, the general overview of idiomatic expressions, learning idioms and
idiomatic expressions.
A. Definition of Theme
The theme of a literary work is the central insight or main idea that the
writer conveys. Writers express themes in various ways through the plots,
character, symbols, or other aspects of the fiction they create.
According to several dictionaries, theme can be defined as : (1) (in
literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image of motif, repeated or developed
throughout a work, (2) A topic of discourse or discussion, often expressible as a
phrase, preposition, or question, (3) (in music) a group of notes forming a
recognizable melodic unit, often used as the basis of the musical material in aa
composition, (4) (linguistics) the first major constituent of a sentence, usually but
not necessarily the subject, (5) the dominant or the central idea of the story, or the
point the writer is trying to make.
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In conclusion, the theme of a song can be defined as a unifying idea,
image of motif, repeated or developed throughout the song. In determining a
theme in a song, keywords can be used.
Example 1
It's All Coming Back To Me
There were nights when the wind was so
cold
That my body froze in bed
If I just listened to it right outside
the window
It's all coming back to me
(It's all coming back, it's all
coming back to me now)
There were moments of gold
And there were flashes of light
There were things I'd never do again
But then they'd always seemed right
There were days when the sun was so
cruel
That all the tears turned to dust
And I just knew my eyes were drying up
forever
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than any laws allow,
baby, baby, baby
I finished crying in the instant that you left
And I can't remember where or when or
how
And I banished every memory you and
I had ever made
If I kiss you like this
And if you whisper like that
It was lost long ago
But it's all coming back to me
When you touch me like this
And you hold me like that
I just have to admit
That it's all coming back to me
If you want me like this
And if you need me like that
It was dead long ago
But it's all coming back to me
When I touch you like this
And I hold you like that
It's so hard to believe but
It's so hard to resist
And it's all coming back to me
I can barely recall
But it's all coming back to me now
It’s all coming back to me is one of Celine Dion‟s songs in her album
Taking Chance which was released in 2007. It tells about someone who hopes that
his/her sweet memory with his/her love will come back. There are key words
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which can be used in determining the theme, e.g. it’s all coming back to me
(repeated seven times), baby, there were moment of gold, etc.
Example 2
Because You Loved Me Lyrics
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn‟t reach
You gave me faith „cause you believed
I‟m everything I‟m
Because you loved me
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I‟ll be forever thankful, baby
You were always there for me,
The tender wind that carried me
the light in the dark shining your love
into my life
you have been my inspiration through
the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of
you
You are the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You‟re the one who saw me through
Through it all
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn‟t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn‟t see
You saw the best there was in me
you were my strength when I was weak
you were my voice when I couldn‟t
speak
you were my eyes when I couldn‟t see
you saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I coudn‟t reach
You gave me faith „cause you believed
I‟m eveerything I‟m
Becaused you loved me,ooh,baby
Lifted me up when I couldn‟t reach
You gave me faith „cause you believed
I‟m everything I‟m
because you loved me
You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch
the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
you were my strength when I was weak
you were my voice when I couldn‟t
speak
you were my eyes when I couldn‟t see
you saw the best there was in me
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love, I had it all
I‟m grateful for each day you gave me
Lifted me up when I couldn‟t reach
you gave me faith „cause you believed
I‟m everything I‟m
because you loved me
Maybe, I don‟t know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because
I was loved by you
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You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn‟t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn‟t see
I‟m everything I‟m
becaused you loved me
This song (because you loved me) is one of Celine Dion‟s song in her
album Taking Chance. This song is about what people feel when they were loved
by someone. The keywords that indicate this theme are because you loved me
(five times), I was loved by you, the strengthen of love, etc.
B. General overview of Idiomatic Expressions
1.
Definition of Idiom
Idiomatic Language is that which follows the patterns of the everyday
discourse of native speakers. In every language there are hundreds of
combinations of words, often used figuratively and each having a special
significance, which it is very difficult for foreigner to understand because she / he
has no similar expression in his / her own language (Storrie, 1991 : 84 ). An
idiomatic expression is unique since each language favors certain patterns in the
creation of new idioms. However, often it is not subject to any grammatical rule
although there are some linguists trying to analize them (Setriatri, 1998 : 10 ).
Ball ( 1958 : 1 ) also states that an idiom is a form of expression peculiar or
belonging exclusively to the language. And as a result, it is not easy to translate
idioms to other language.
It is common knowledge that English is highly idiomatic language. It is
unique character as an object of study has been the persuit of keen students of
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English. Particularly those are coming from non English speaking backgrounds.
When people still could not speak and understand a foreign language like their
native language, it would be difficult for them to learn and use idioms of the
foreign language. For example, a foreigner who has learned what hard and upon
mean in English will still be confused by the idiom hard upon.
Since idioms are conventional rather than logical, they can be learned
only by experiencing them not by knowing the rule. For example, there is no rule
that will tell us about what verbs will govern what preposition. We can say aim at,
abide by, account for, arise from, and adhere to. A dictionary definition of get
will be of little use in understanding such phrases as get ahead, get by, get over. It
is arbitrary nature of idioms that causes trouble. Usualy, idiom has an informal
tone ( Toner, 2003 : 19 ). For example,
‘ I am over the moon to have Miss Cristie as my English teacher,‟ Emily
said. Emily is expressing her happines about her teacher. The moon does not have
any literal place in what she says. Emily is using an informal, and rather overused,
idiomatic expression which is peculiar to English.
Idiomatic Expressions sometimes seem to break the accepted rules of
grammar, but they are not necessarily to be discarded on this account ( Storrie,
1991 : 86 ). We can say ‘ the play acted so admirably that the author’s fame was
assured.’ Here the active verb acted is used in a passive sense ( the play was
admirable when it was acted ). Idiom often preserve words and meanings of
words that have now passed out of use. For example ‘ to bear in mind .’ Here
mind really means memory, which was the original meaning. There are many
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idiomatic phrases whose origin cannot be traced, yet they are frequently used, for
example : to beat hollow, the bitter end.
Idioms grammatically as well as semantically, have a special
characteristics ( Fromkin, 2003 : 207 ). They must be entered into the lexicon or
mental dictionary as single items with their meanings specified, and speakers must
learn the special restrictions on their use in sentences. Most idioms originate as
methaphorical expressions thatestablish themselves in the language and become
frozen in their form and meaning.
Idioms and idiomatic phrases are terms used by grammarians, philologists,
and lexicographers to explain or to classify the unusual, the illogical, or the
peculiar expressions in a language ( Harman, 1950 ). Idiomatic expressions
frequently ignore grammatical analysis, and therefore, are not easily translated
into other words or phrases in the same language, or into other languages word by
word without losing some of its unique meaning. Had better in you had better go
at once is an idiomatic expressions. It in it is snowing, there in there is a loaf of
bread on the table, and how in how do you do ? in a formal salutation are all
idimatic expressions that occur very often in English. It should be understood that
the terms idiom and idiomatic expressions describe expressions accepted through
custom in usage as good English, eventhough these expressions may not always
be used in the general and traditional rules of the English grammar.
A traditional definition of idiom runs roughly as follows : an idiom is an
expression whose meaning cannot be inferred from the meaning of its parts
(Cruse, 1986 : 37). Fortunately it is possible to define an idiom precisely and non
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circularly using the notion of semantic constituent. We shall require two things of
an idiom : first, that it be lexically complex. It should consist of more than one
lexical constituent; second, that it should be a single minimal semantic
constituent.
Briefly, according to Ball (1958 ) there are seven features of language that
are embraced by a definition of idiom.
(1)
Ordinary grammatical usages.

Consider, for instance, the tenses used in the following two sentences :
It‟s time we went home
When you come tomorrow I‟ll pay you back the $ 1 I owe you.
Went is a past tense ; come is a present time. But both refer in the
context to future situations.

The use of do is often highly idiomatic, as, for instance :
Do oranges grow on trees? Yes, they do

The inversion of verb and suppression of „if‟ in the next sentence is also
idiomatic (though the use is not colloquial) :
Had you come earlier, you would seen her.
(2)
Deviations from strict grammar.
Many colloquial users are strictly speaking „ungrammatical‟ English. But it
must not be assumed that all deviations from grammar are „bad English‟.
Thus we normally say „He‟s a friend of mine‟ and not „He‟s a friend of me‟.
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(3)
Allusive expressions.
There is a kind of expression that appears to have a straightforward
interpretation, but idiomatically means something different. It is usually
impossible to guess its meaning, e.g. She‟s quite well-to-do (=She is
wealthy).
(4)
Conventional phrases of many kinds.
Most of these are phrases which we use unthinkingly. There is no reason
why we should dig deeper into their meaning, but if we did we should find
something „peculiar‟ about them. The greeting ‘How do you do?’ (to which
the correct response is the same phrase) does not tell us about your health or
how you are gretting on.
(5)
Many uses of phrasal verb.
A few eamples of this very important feature of colloquial idiom must
suffice :
I can‟t make out what he is doing (=understand).
How did you make out in your last French examination? (=succeed, do)
Will you help me get down those dishes of that shelf. (=bring down)
The medicine was so bitter that I couldn‟t get it down. (=swallow)
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(6)
The phenomenon of English word order.
Some English sentences have to rely on word order for meaning. For
instance, the meaning in the following pairs of sentences. The words are the
same but a small alteration in word order makes a big difference in
meaning:
It may well be ahead of time. (May well be = probably is)
It may be well ahead of time. (Well ahead = well in advance of the
scheduled time).
(7)
The picturesque and methaporical types of idiom.
Ball (1958 :5 ) states that :
“Most foreign students are all too familiar with these. For many
students, indeed, idiom is synonymous with the picturesque phrase
and the more heavily charged their conversation is with it the better
they are pleased. This is a mistake, of course, since English people
are less fond of the pictureque idiom than foreign student believe.”
Examples of this type of idiom are to beat about the bush (=to delay
coming to the point); to be in clover (=to be lucky, in happy circumstance), etc.
2.
Types of Idiom
Since it is easier to notice verbal idiomatic expressions, the researcher
decided to use eight types of idioms by XTAG Research Group (1997). The
XTAG Research Group is an Institute For Research in Cognitive Science of
University of Pennsylvania. It is an on-going project to develop a wide coverage
grammar for English. Those eight types are as follows.
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(1) Idiom type A consisting of a verb and a noun
This type of idiom is composed by a verb and a noun, for example :
draw blood (= cause the blood to flow; wound )
v
n
cry wolf (= give a false alarm)
v n
(2) Idiom type B consisting of a verb, an adjective, and a noun
This type of idiom is composed by a verb, an adjective, and a noun, for
example :
break new ground (=start to excavate for the foundation or a new building)
v adj
n
have no business (=have no right; prohibit)
v adj
n
(3)
Idiom type C consisting of a verb, a determiner, and a noun
This type of idiom is composed by a verb, a determiner and a noun, for
example :
kick the bucket ( =die )
v det n
bury the hatchet (=stop quarrelling)
v det n
(4)
Idiom type D consisting of a verb, a determiner, an adjective,and a noun
This type of idiom is composed by a verb, a determiner, an adjective and a
noun, for example :
have a green thumb (=have a marked ability to cause plants to grow)
v det adj
n
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sing a different tune (=express a different opinion)
v det
adj
n
(5)
Idiom type E consisting of a verb, a noun, and a preposition
This type of idiom is composed by a verb, a noun, and a preposition, for
example :
look daggers at
v
n
prep
(=to look with hatred or fury at someone)
keep track of (=maintain a record)
v
n prep
(6)
Idiom type F consisting of a verb, an adjective, a noun, and a preposition
This type of idiom is composed by a verb, an adjective, a noun, and a
preposition, for example :
make short work of
v
adj
n prep
turn blind eye to
v adj n prep
(7)
(=do quickly)
(=pretend not to notice or know about)
Idiom type G consisting of a verb, a determiner, a noun, and a preposition
This type of idiom is composed by a verb, a determiner, a noun, and a
preposition, for example :
Keep an eye on (=keep a watch on)
v det n prep
talking my baby down (= stop somebody speaking by talking loudly)
v
det n prep
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(8)
Idiom type H consisting of a verb, a determiner, an adjective, a noun, and a
preposition, for example :
Make a good fish of
v det adj n prep
(= write well about )
put a
brave face
someone)
v det adj n prep
on (= pretend not to be afraid of something /
C. Learning Idioms and Idiomatic Expression
Idiomatic expressions give English its color and vitality. They are
indispensable to the daily speech of the people and to the language of newspapers
and books, television and movies. Whenever someone hear a phrase whose
meaning can not be understood even if they know the definitions of the separate
words involved, they have probably encountered an idiom. Mastering idioms
requires a great deal of listening, studying, practice, and usage. Idiomatic
expressions and more grammar should also be given in equal time (Gaines, 2011).
Idiomatic expressions have long played an important role in the English
language. In fact, the use of idioms is so widespread that an understanding of
these expressions is essential to successful communication, whether in listening,
speaking, reading or in writing. One of the most effective ways for students to
incorporate new words and expressions into their language is through the study of
idioms and idiomatic expressions (Friedman, 2011). Indeed, the Oxford
Dictionary of English Idioms (1993) states in its introduction that :
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“The accurate and appropriate use of English expressions which are in
the broadest sense idiomatic is one distinguishing mark of a native
command of the language and a reliable measure of the proficiency of
foreign learners.”
That is, once of students learn to use the English expressions, such as idiomatic
expressions, they are expected not only to understand but also to produce them.
Students are always interested in learning new idioms (Thonasulas, 1999 ).
However, learning a list of them is not enough since idioms are frequently used in
any language. They display their rich ethnic and cultural diversity. For example :
In Indonesian language we have an expression gulung tikar but we can not
translate it into folding the mat in English. So if we want to learn them, we have to
learn them in context.
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