On the Features and Cultural Connotations of English Idioms

Language is the vehicle of culture; idioms are the prime of language, since they have formed through long period of time of utilization. Idioms are fixed words, phrases or sentences which are unique in collocation, grammatical structure or meaning and usually cannot be arbitrarily altered. This article analyzes the structural and semantic features of English idioms, and dwells upon the cultural connotations of English idioms in the hope that it will be helpful to the understanding of the nature of English idioms and to English learning and teaching.