Academic Paper |
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| Title: | The Development of Conceptual Fluency & Metaphorical Competence in L2 Learners |
| Author: | Mohammad Reza Talebi Nezhad |
| Email: | click here to access email |
| Institution: | University of Isfahan |
| Author: | Mahmood Hashemian |
| Email: | click here to access email |
| Institution: | University of Isfahan |
| Linguistic Field: | Applied Linguistics |
| Abstract: |
Conceptual Fluency (CF) and Metaphorical Competence (MC) have interested many L2 researchers. Leading the front is Danesi (1992, 1995, 2003) who contends that metaphorical language cannot afford to be ignored by L2 curricula anymore. His push is to instill in L2 learners a more functional communicative competence. This article reports on a study to scrutinize the development of CF and MC in Persian students of English. First, a group of language students (95 freshmen, 92 sophomores, 139 juniors, and 90 seniors) were tested to see whether they were conceptually and metaphorically competent, and the results showed they were almost bereft of such a competence, and the analysis of their writings uncovered low metaphorical density. The findings corroborated Danesi’s (1992) claim: L2 learners do not necessarily develop CF and MC after several years of study. Then, the juniors partook in the study in which they were exposed to the metaphorical language of English. The posttest results were indicative that they had developed their CF and MC to a large extent, and their written discourse was almost as metaphorically dense as that of native speakers. The data revealed that it is possible to develop CF and MC in a classroom setting. Finally, the data indicated that there is a relationship between CF and MC.
Key words: conceptual fluency, metaphorical competence, conceptual metaphor,metaphorical density, verbal fluency |
| Type: | Individual Paper |
| Status: | Completed |
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