An Analysis of the Cognitive Motivations of English Idioms Containing the Verb “Break”

This study examines the cognitive motivations underlying English idioms containing the verb break, drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and conceptual metonymy. It investigates the semantic domains represented by these idioms, their figurative mechanisms and grammatical patterns, and the conceptual mappings that motivate their figurative meanings. Adopting a corpus-based descriptive and analytical design, the study examines 20 idioms identified through cross-referencing three established idiom dictionaries and screening them according to criteria of semantic non-compositionality, conventionality, and usage frequency. Qualitative cognitive-linguistic analysis is supplemented by frequency data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). The findings classify the idioms into nine semantic categories. Conceptual metaphor accounts for 18 expressions, whereas two are analyzed primarily in terms of metonymic relationships. The analysis identifies recurring conceptual patterns linking physical disruption to abstract experiences, including social interaction, emotional states, institutional norms, and achievement. The idiom break a leg represents a distinctive case whose conventional meaning is not readily explained by the principal mappings identified in the dataset. The findings suggest that many break idioms can be understood through systematic conceptual relationships grounded in physical experience, although conventional usage and cultural knowledge also contribute to their interpretation. The study provides a structured account of this verb-based idiom set and discusses how cognitive-linguistic analysis may inform idiom instruction in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts.