A comparative Study of Semantic Features of Idioms and Phrasal Verbs of T.S Eliot Poem the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18186844

Abstract

This study investigates the semantic features of idioms and phrasal verbs in T.S. Eliot’s (The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock), emphasizing their role in shaping modernist themes and literary meaning. Using an integrated framework of cognitive semantics, contextualism, and structuralism, the research identifies and classifies idiomatic and phrasal expressions according to their compositionality, metaphorical significance, and polysemy. The analysis reveals how Eliot’s transforms ordinary linguistic elements into complex poetic devices, reinforcing themes of alienation, hesitation, social anxiety, and existential despair. Idioms such as “measured out my life with coffee spoons” and symbolic expressions like “ragged claws” convey monotony and detachment, while phrasal verbs such as “turn back” and “put on” highlight indecision and fragmented identity. These expressions function both as conceptual metaphors and structural anchors, enriching the poem’s fragmented narrative and psychological depth. The study demonstrates how everyday language, when reimagined through Eliot’s poetic craft, becomes a powerful tool of modernist innovation. By bridging linguistic theory and literary analysis, this research contributes new insights into the interpretive power of semantics in poetry and offers a reproducible framework for future studies of figurative language in modernist literature.