Developing EFL learners’ metaphoric competence through cognitive-oriented methods
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Abstract
This study evaluated two cognitive-oriented methods for learning figurative language in an EFL context to develop metaphoric competence. Sixty-eight Taiwanese university students participated in the experiment and were separated into two groups: one group received instruction involving conceptual metaphors, while the other group received instruction involving metaphoric mappings. A test was designed to measure the participants’ ability to recognize metaphors and metonymies. The data collected from the pre-tests and post-tests were analyzed using a multiple regression model. The results demonstrated that both methods improved learners’ awareness and retention of figurative language, confirming the beneficial influence of explicit instruction; in addition, the instruction on metaphoric mappings was more helpful in facilitating learners’ awareness of expressions involving more abstract concepts with complicated mapping relationships. The findings shed light on the effectiveness of cognitive-oriented methods in the EFL teaching and learning of figurative expressions.
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Appendix A: Test Items of the Awareness Test
| Categories | Body-related Descriptions | Test Items |
| Metonymy (C1) | Body-related | 1. When I found out she lied to me, I almost burst a blood vessel. |
| Counterpart | 2. You’ll burst a blood vessel if you keep drinking alcohol. | |
| None | 3. The boss got hot under the collar when he found out that John lost the deal. | |
| Counterpart | 4. People used to tuck ties under their collar when dressing formally. | |
| Body-related | 5. He grinned from ear to ear when he received the birthday gift. | |
| Counterpart | 6. She leaned over and whispered something in Peter’s ear. | |
| None | 7. We had a ball during our spring vacation to Europe. | |
| Counterpart | 8. The two boys were kicking a ball on the grass. | |
| Body-related | 9. The girl is so lovely that I can’t take my eyes off her. | |
| Counterpart | 10. The girl loved the dress so much that she didn’t want to take it off. | |
| None | 11. There are things that couples can do to bring the spark back into everyday life. | |
| Counterpart | 12. After investigating, the police believed that it was cigarette sparks that started the fire. | |
| Metaphoric-metonymy (C2) | Body-related | 13. Harry’s mother gave him a tongue-lashing for telling family secrets. |
| Counterpart | 14. He lashed the horse across the back with a whip. | |
| None | 15. Your mother would have a fit if she knew that you skipped class. | |
| Counterpart | 16. He had a fit of coughing because he caught a serious cold. | |
| Body-related | 17. His eyes glinted when he saw the money on the ground. | |
| Counterpart | 18. She thought the diamond was lost until she saw something glinting on the carpet. | |
| None | 19. The host wore a broad grin as he greeted people in the room. | |
| Counterpart | 20. She was wearing a gold ring on her index finger. | |
| Body-related | 21. Their marriage is on its last leg; divorce is just a matter of time. | |
| Counterpart | 22. I had to quit running every day because of the severe pain in myleg. | |
| None | 23. Being a single-parent child, his mother’s death really hit him hard. | |
| Counterpart | 24. His dad hit him in the face so hard that he fell down on the ground. | |
| Metonymic-metaphor (C3) | Body-related | 25. Listening to that guy playing his drums is a pain in the neck for me. |
| Counterpart | 26. His brother got a neck pain because of bad sitting posture. | |
| None | 27. All I did was come twenty minutes late, and the manager jumped down my throat. | |
| Counterpart | 28. A fish bone got stuck in my throat and wouldn’t go down into my stomach. | |
| Body-related | 29. My heart is soaring with happiness beyond the capacity of anything to contain it. | |
| Counterpart | 30. Local residents described the flames soaring into the night sky. | |
| None | 31. On the wedding day everybody is in high spirits. | |
| Counterpart | 32. The modern city has many high-rise skyscrapers and large mansions. | |
| Body-related | 33. It’s a really exciting project. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into it. | |
| Counterpart | 34. The moment I sank my teeth deeply into that pizza, I knew I loved it. | |
| None | 35. Making plans first can help you use your time profitably. | |
| Counterpart | 36. It was several months before the company started to trade profitably. | |
| Metaphor (C4) | Body-related | 37. The boss flew into a towering rage and fired all the employees who offended him. |
| Counterpart | 38. The statue stands on a huge pillar, towering over the city. | |
| None | 39. I could barely contain my excitement after reading the teacher’s comments. | |
| Counterpart | 40. This book contains all the information you are looking for. | |
| Body-related | 41. They were filled to overflowing with joy at the good news. | |
| Counterpart | 42. The river often overflowed its banks during rainy seasons. | |
| None | 43. When she saw Tom walking into the room, she lit up. | |
| Counterpart | 44. She took out a match and lit it in order to get a warm flame. | |
| Body-related | 45. Pictures of war can carry more moral meaning than thousands of words. | |
| Counterpart | 46. David walked into the room, carrying his suitcases, looking tired. | |
| None | 47. It took me some time to digest what I had heard. | |
| Counterpart | 48. The baby is too small to digest food like meat. |
©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton
