It’s a known fact that one aspect showing the beauty of a language, (any language), lies in its intricacies, the nuances, the practicality and expediency of everyday phrases and the wisdom behind its proverbs. English in particular, offers a wonderful sample of such beauty through its numerous idioms and expressions.
As English has become the "utilitarian" language of today’s world for doing business, for travelling, for gaming and entertainment, (to name a few), a question arises: are we witnessing the gradual degradation of its original beauty due to the fact that, maybe, idioms are not used as much? It is very easy to answer "yes" to that. But is it true, though? I think not necessarily.
The immense effort that both ESL/EFL Teachers throughout the world and the ESL/EFL Learners put into embracing English idioms should be noted and applauded. From personal observation, I find that long before they could master the meaning and correct usage of articles, pronouns, verb tenses and sentence structure, ESL/EFL speakers will say “it is raining cats and dogs!”
Maybe English has become our pair of sweatpants and the T-shirt worn and torn every day,
but every now and then, out of respect for the Distinguished Lady English, we will wear a bow-tie with it! Long Live English Idioms!
