Naslov
The Facilitative Effect of Conceptual Metaphor upon Idiom Learning

Autori
Jelčić, Jasmina

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Ocjenski radovi, doktorska disertacija

Fakultet
Filozofski fakultet

Mjesto
Ljubljana

Datum
16.02

Godina
2017

Stranica
206

Mentor
Vrbinc, Alenka

Ključne riječi
idiom learning, conceptual metaphor, metaphoric awareness, Croatian, English

Sažetak
Speaking figuratively benefits both native, as well as second and foreign language speakers, inasmuch as it provides them with an additional way of acquiring vocabulary. Figurative language underlies a great deal of vocabulary, and when a speaker is aware of these motivating bonds between single lexemes and vocabulary chunks, he or she is better equipped to understand and confine them to memory. The purpose of this study is to put forth arguments in favor of using conceptual metaphors (CMs) in EFL classrooms to promote better vocabulary comprehension. Conceptual metaphors are believed to exist in our minds in order to help us understand one thing in terms of another (e.g., to understand anger in terms of fire through the ANGER IS FIRE metaphor). They form the basis of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT), which assumes CMs are a universal occurrence whose presence in the minds of speakers is seen through language. This study is based on the postulates of CTM: CMs govern our conceptual systems, and figurative language, which includes idioms, is motivated by CMs ; some CMs are universal and shared across languages ; some L2 idioms are learned more readily by EFL learners if they are based on a CM, which is also found in the learners’ L1. The research question comprised for the purposes of the study is thus fourfold. The study aims to answer the following questions: are EFL learners more successful in comprehending idioms when they are made aware of the underlying motivation? Is the comprehension of culturally-specific (CS) idioms raised with metaphoric awareness? Are CM-motivated idioms understood better than CS idioms? And finally, are some CMs understood better than other CMs by learners with raised metaphoric awareness? In order to test the facilitative effect of CM upon idiom learning, 25 CM idioms were included in testing that are motivated by five CMs shared between English and Croatian. Ten CS idioms from cultural domains less salient in Croatian (baseball and maritime) were included in the testing as a means of control. Two versions of a two-part questionnaire were designed with a total of 35 idioms, which had to be translated from English into Croatian. The main study encompassed 150 participants all of whom studied English as a foreign language at the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Rijeka. The Control group was administered the version of the instrument that did not feature the idioms listed under corresponding CMs and cultural domains, while the Experimental group was given the questionnaire where the items were grouped according to underlying motivation. Both versions included a glossary containing translations of specific words appearing in sentential context. The testing was preceded by a 25-minute introductory lesson on idiomatic language and idiomatic expressions. In addition, the Experimental group was introduced to the concept of CMs and was given examples of metaphors motivating idioms in order to illustrate the connection between the two concepts. This was denied to the Control group that remained unaware of the connection between idioms and CMs. The data obtained through the translation task were then subjected to a previously designed coding system, according to which the answers were categorized as No translation provided (NO TR), Incorrect translation provided (INC TR), Correct translation – no CM employed (COR NO CM), Correct translation – target CM employed (COR TG CM), and Correct translation – CM employed (COR CM). There was a significant difference in the scores for the Control group (M = 1.46, SD = .38) and the Experimental group (M = 1.91, SD = .40) conditions ; t(148) = 6.859, p = .000. EFL students proved more successful in comprehending idioms when they were aware of the underlying motivation. The same results were obtained by other studies conducted on speakers of different L1s learning English as a foreign language (Boers, 2000aBeréndi, Csábi, & Kövecses, 2008 ; Vasiljevic, 2011). While transfer from L1 can facilitate the learning process between languages that are seemingly alike, it can also pave the ground towards incorrect translations. Negative L1 transfer was observed in our study with the English idiom add fuel to the fire and its Croatian equivalent dolijevati ulje na vatru. L1 transfer might also be the reason why lower means were obtained for CS idioms whose L1 equivalents are non-existent in Croatian. From these findings, we concluded that both factors, i.e., L1 transfer and CM facilitation, exert influence on idiom comprehension in EFL contexts. CM awareness offers a helping hand to the learner, but additional awareness-raising lessons need to be implemented before learners are dissuaded from resorting to L1 transfer strategies and applying CM motivation as an active learning tool. The t-test results for the CS idioms indicated there was a significant difference (F(1, 77) = 67.203, p = .000) between the Control and the Experimental groups. The Experimental group yielded higher means in CM conditions than the Control group did in no CM conditions for CS idioms in Part 2 ; this suggests that the comprehension of CS idioms is raised with metaphoric awareness. Metaphor-aware students performed better with culturally-specific items than those students who were denied the same tool. Making the learners aware of the idioms’ underlying motivation seems to heighten their understanding of those vocabulary items. Statistical significance for each of the five metaphors was calculated based on the total means obtained for each data set by the Experimental group. The test performed on the Experimental group means obtained in Part 1 of the instrument suggests there was a statistically significant effect of the type of CM motivation on idiom comprehension, F(3.696, 262.419) = 11.013, p = .000. This means that the Experimental group understood some CMs significantly better than other CMs. This suggests that while there is an undeniable difference in comprehension between shared and non-shared metaphors between languages, there are also intra-group differences in the group of shared metaphors. A difference between English and Croatian was observed with relation to the CONTAINER metaphor. The reason could be that Croatian is more prone to lexically generate anger expressions related to solids than those related to liquids. The study suggests that CMs cannot be used as a ready-to-employ facilitative tool that requires no effort on the part of the learner. However, CMs present a useful tool in the retention of vocabulary although their facilitative effect depends highly on the teaching methods employed in the process of raising metaphoric awareness.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

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