EXPRESSÕES IDIOMÁTICAS: parâmetros para um tratamento lexicográfico didático

Abstract

It is common knowledge, at least in the academic field, that when teaching a foreign language (FL), in addition to mastering the grammatical and structural aspects of the language, it is also essential to be familiar with the lexical and cultural elements that enable communication in different discursive situations. In this regard, phraseological units (PU), especially idiomatic expressions (IE), play an important role in language learning, as they constitute part of the lexical repertoire that is closely connected to culture.Due to their high degree of complexity, they often require greater attention in the teaching/learning process from both teachers and students. From this perspective, dictionaries can occupy a prominent place in this process, as they help learners understand the most common and relevant IE for the development of their communicative competence. This justifies our investigation, as we have observed, as a teacher and researcher, that the treatment of IE in pedagogical Spanish and Portuguese dictionaries remains insufficient or inconsistent, failing to fully meet the needs of the FL teaching/learning process. We thus start from the hypothesis that, although IE are present in pedagogical dictionaries, their treatment remains unsatisfactory, characterized by the absence of clear selection and organization criteria, as well as by insufficient and, at times, incoherent information provided to the user. We believe that adopting more didactic criteria, aligned with the principles of Pedagogical Lexicography, can significantly improve students' understanding and use of these PU. Based on this overview, we developed a proposal for a lexicographic approach to IE, aiming at their incorporation into future lexicographic repertoires organized in a more pedagogically oriented manner. To this end, our objectives are: (i) to present an overview of the disciplines that guide the compilation of monolingual, bilingual, and semibilingual pedagogical dictionaries; and (ii) to analyze the lexicographic treatment given to IE in Spanish and Portuguese dictionaries, with the aim of identifying the criteria followed by the authors of these works that could serve as a basis for our proposal. In order to achieve these objectives, in addition to relying on the theoretical and methodological principles of General and Pedagogical Lexicography, Phraseology, and Phraseography, we are guided by the following research questions: (i) Are IE included in the lexicographic repertoires of both languages? If so, how? (ii) Is there consistency between the information presented in the front matter and its implementation in the macrostructure and microstructure? and (iii) Are the different treatment approaches adopted by dictionaries aimed at the learning of Spanish as a foreign language sufficient to meet the needs of Brazilian learners acquiring this language? The results of the analyses reveal recurring shortcomings in the treatment of IE, such as the lack of explicit criteria in the front matter, inconsistencies in lemmatization, arbitrary use of usage labels, and lack of typological distinction among PU. Although the inclusion of periphrastic definitions represents a positive aspect, these works still lack sufficient systematization and clarity to adequately meet the needs of learners. In light of this, we present pedagogically oriented lexicographic parameters for the treatment of IE, intended for pedagogical dictionaries aimed at learners of Spanish as a FL, at beginner and intermediate levels. We hope that our reflections and proposed parameters for the recording of IE may contribute to metalexicographical and metaphraseographical studies and, above all, support the process of compiling and/or reorganizing pedagogical lexicographic works so that they better meet the needs of learners.