A Comparative Review of Lexical Evolution and Idiomatic Translation Strategies in Contemporary Persian and English Literary Corpora

Lexical evolution and idiomatic expression are inextricably linked, reflecting shifting linguistic usage, cultural experiences, and communicative practices across historical contexts. A comparative analysis of Persian and English literary corpora offers vital insights into how lexical items develop, acquire new meanings, and interact with culturally embedded idioms. Despite these connections, translating idioms remains a significant challenge because idiomatic meaning often depends on deep-seated cultural knowledge and figurative associations that lack direct equivalents in the target language. Consequently, translators must navigate complex semantic and cultural landscapes to preserve textual integrity. This review examines major patterns of lexical evolution and primary strategies for translating idiomatic expressions within contemporary Persian and English literary contexts. Drawing on corpus linguistics, lexical semantics, and translation studies, it synthesizes existing theoretical and empirical findings. Rather than performing new statistical analysis, this study focuses on a comprehensive overview of scholarship, specifically addressing phenomena such as lexical borrowing, neologism, semantic change, and the relationship between innovation and literary style. Furthermore, it evaluates translation approaches, including equivalent idioms, paraphrase, borrowing, domestication, and foreignization. The literature suggests that while lexical evolution in both languages is driven by sociocultural developments, the specific mechanisms vary due to their distinct structural histories. Idiomatic translation is revealed as a complex negotiation between semantic equivalence, cultural accessibility, and stylistic preservation. By integrating these fields, this review identifies key research gaps and emphasizes the value of corpus-informed research in advancing our understanding of the interplay between language, culture, and literature

کلیدواژه ها:

Lexical evolution ، idiomatic translation ، literary corpora ، Persian-English translation ، translation strategies