It’s not rocket science: on the birth and propagation of the idiom

Abstract

The present study relies on the five-stage model of phraseme genesis (Villers [2018; 2022]) in its exploration of the birth and propagation of a phraseological unit (PU). The focus is limited to the category of idioms, which represent a subclass of PUs (Moon [1998]; Everaert et al. [1995: 4]; Mel’čuk [1995: 168]). The choice of the idiom it’s not rocket science was motivated by earlier research on phraseme genesis (Villers [2016; 2022]) which suggests that phases such as birth and propagation are easier to study in newer phrasemes, and rocket science, or the science of designing spacecraft, is of a more recent date. The study combines the corpus-based and memetic approach, and it has a twofold aim. The first objective is to ascertain the birth of the idiom, which is done by contrasting the data provided by COCA and Google Books N-gram Viewer. The second objective is to determine its main media of propagation. This is explored with the help of COCA which provides the information on the distribution of the idiom across different genres. In order to uncover the reasons behind the successful genesis of the idiom, we also check the features (i.e. propagation boosters) such as distinctiveness, novelty, veracity, utility, ornatus, and publicity. The results highlight the limitations of online corpora such as COCA and Google Books when it comes to the origin and propagating agents of new phrasemes given that there were no matching records for the earliest use of the idiom that is readily accessible on the Internet (that is, the year 1985). Rather, the corpora suggest that the idiom gained currency in 1987, and was first used in a magazine. Based on the observed data, the successful propagation of the idiom is largely due to its intrinsic qualities (distinctiveness, ornatus, veracity, and utility), the features that focus on the host’s point of view (novelty and expressivity), as well as its reliance on various propagation agents (the web, TV, movies, blog). The paper ends with the schematic representation of the phraseme genesis for the idiom under consideration. The study also shows that the model of phrase genesis can be used with equal ease to study these phases in idioms, but that the trace of the origin of a phraseme should be done by consulting more than one source.