Research Article

A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching

Volume: 41 Number: 3 July 31, 2026
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A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching

Abstract

This cross-linguistic cognitive study analyses nine “nurturing a potential betrayer” idioms across eight languages—English, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, and Turkish—while addressing their pedagogical implications for language teaching and learning. Despite their shared cautionary function, idioms such as English to feed a snake in one’s bosom and Vietnamese nuôi ong tay áo (“to raise bees in one’s sleeve”) reveal unique conceptual metaphors and cultural frames. Utilizing source domains like SNAKE, BEE, CROW, TIGER, and DOG and the CONTAINER image schema, the nine idioms frame a disappointing betrayal by an intimate as the betrayer’s inherent evil, a violation of reciprocity, or the nurturer’s strategic failure. This challenges the notion of cross-linguistic idiomatic synonymy and highlights the risks of conceptual “false equivalents” in equivalence-based pedagogy. To address these issues, our research supports a cognitive-cultural approach for idiom analysis that highlights metaphor, imagery, and cultural contextualization, and proposes various teaching techniques such as visualization, scenario-based discussions, and contrastive mapping to enhance comprehension, retention, and pragmatic competence. Thus, idiom learning becomes an engaging exploration of cross-cultural meaning, based on each idiom’s unique micro-model within the universal macro-model of The Danger of Nurturing a Betrayer.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

This article does not report on any empirical data involving human participants or animals. Therefore, no ethical approval was necessary.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Specialist Studies in Education (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

July 31, 2026

Submission Date

September 4, 2025

Acceptance Date

January 22, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 41 Number: 3

APA
Adıgüzel, M. F., Kutlu Demir, Ö., & Öztürk Karataş, T. (2026). A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 41(3), 628-642. https://doi.org/10.16986/hunefd.1778071
AMA
1.Adıgüzel MF, Kutlu Demir Ö, Öztürk Karataş T. A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026;41(3):628-642. doi:10.16986/hunefd.1778071
Chicago
Adıgüzel, Muhammet Fatih, Özge Kutlu Demir, and Tuçe Öztürk Karataş. 2026. “A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching”. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 41 (3): 628-42. https://doi.org/10.16986/hunefd.1778071.
EndNote
Adıgüzel MF, Kutlu Demir Ö, Öztürk Karataş T (July 1, 2026) A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 41 3 628–642.
IEEE
[1]M. F. Adıgüzel, Ö. Kutlu Demir, and T. Öztürk Karataş, “A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching”, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 628–642, July 2026, doi: 10.16986/hunefd.1778071.
ISNAD
Adıgüzel, Muhammet Fatih - Kutlu Demir, Özge - Öztürk Karataş, Tuçe. “A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching”. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 41/3 (July 1, 2026): 628-642. https://doi.org/10.16986/hunefd.1778071.
JAMA
1.Adıgüzel MF, Kutlu Demir Ö, Öztürk Karataş T. A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026;41:628–642.
MLA
Adıgüzel, Muhammet Fatih, et al. “A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching”. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 41, no. 3, July 2026, pp. 628-42, doi:10.16986/hunefd.1778071.
Vancouver
1.Muhammet Fatih Adıgüzel, Özge Kutlu Demir, Tuçe Öztürk Karataş. A Cross-Linguistic Cognitive Analysis of ‘Nurturing a Potential Betrayer’ Idioms and Implications for Idiom Teaching. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026 Jul. 1;41(3):628-42. doi:10.16986/hunefd.1778071