A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Meranaw Youth's Knowledge of Meranaw Idioms

Abstract

This study examines the idiomatic knowledge of Meranaw youth and explores the relationship between educational status and their ability to recognize and interpret Meranaw idioms. It specifically compares the idiomatic knowledge of youth who are attending school and those who are not attending school and examines how community-based linguistic and cultural experience may contribute to idiomatic competence. Using a descriptive comparative design, the study involved twenty (20) Meranaw youth aged 15–17 years, equally divided into two groups: ten (10) attending school and ten (10) not attending school. Forty-five (45) Meranaw idioms were documented and validated through interviews with three elderly native speakers before being presented to the youth respondents for interpretation. Their responses were categorized as correct, close to the correct meaning, or incorrect and were compared across the two groups and across idiom categories. The findings show that both groups demonstrated knowledge of Meranaw idioms. All ten respondents attending school obtained scores within the reported passing range of 23–37, while most respondents not attending school obtained scores within the 24–31 range, with two respondents obtaining 21–22. Across the idiom categories, several expressions received high numbers of correct responses in both groups, while some give literal or contextually related interpretations. These patterns suggest that educational status alone does not adequately account for idiomatic knowledge among the respondents. Consistent with the view of idioms as conventionalized expressions whose meanings extend beyond literal composition, the findings further indicate that familiarity, community exposure, and cultural knowledge contribute to idiomatic interpretation. The study highlights the role of everyday linguistic interaction and cultural transmission in sustaining Meranaw idiomatic competence among youth.