Zulkhairi Zulkhairi, Azhari Azhari, Ahmad Taufiq, Muhammad Zikrullah
Idiomatic expressions pose a considerable obstacle in second language acquisition due to their non-literal interpretations and profound cultural significance. Arabic idioms are notably intricate, necessitating learners to utilize contextual, cognitive, and cultural information for practical interpretation. Notwithstanding their communicative significance, idioms are inadequately represented in Arabic language education and scholarship. This study examines how second language (L2) learners of Arabic interpret idiomatic idioms, emphasizing their perceptions, cognitive processes, and the psychological aspects that affect comprehension. Data were gathered from 100 intermediate to advanced L2 learners utilizing a quantitative, descriptive-correlational methodology via a structured questionnaire. The measure examined learners' exposure to idioms, perceived difficulty, strategic utilization, motivating influences, and interpretative accuracy. Research indicates that although learners acknowledge the communicative significance of idioms, they usually regard them as challenging and rarely encounter them in formal education. Contextual inference became the predominant comprehension approach, succeeded by dictionary utilization and peer consultation. Motivation and cultural experience exhibited a positive correlation with idiom comprehension, although emotional context showed no impact. Students exhibited more precision with semantically transparent idioms and those found in authentic sources. These findings underscore the need for more explicit and contextually rich idiomatic instruction in Arabic language education. The research enhances psycholinguistic and applied linguistic studies by emphasizing the interaction between cognitive processes and emotional aspects in idiom processing. © 2026 The Authors
State Islamic University of Ar-Raniry, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary; Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia; University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States
