The Systematic Presentation Of Metaphorical Information In Bilingual Learner’s Dictionaries

Ever since their birth, learner’s dictionaries have long been essential tools for second language learning. In the first decade of the 21st century, the cognitive role of learner’s dictionaries in language learning has received more and more attention, which benefits greatly from the interdisciplinary study of lexicography, cognitive linguistics, and second language acquisition. Previous studies of this area based on the observation of the features and principles of language teaching and learning intend to improve language learners’competence by using dictionaries with lexicographic innovations. The relation between dictionary use and language learning has been further strengthened as the cognitive function of metaphor is explored more thoroughly. The systematic presentation of metaphorical information in learner’s dictionaries for the purpose of improving L2 learners’in-depth second vocabulary acquisition has become a significant topic in the field of lexicography, home and abroad, the study of cognitive functions of learner’s dictionaries in particular.Published in 2002 by the Macmillan Publishers Limited in Britain, Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (MEDAL) has first applied the theory of conceptual metaphor to the compilation of English learner’s dictionaries. This lexicographic innovation can be regarded as the frontier work of metaphorical information presentation in modern learner lexicography. It not only helps to make MEDAL distinctive among the "Big Five", but also contributes to the development of researching the cognitive function of learner’s dictionaries, thus receiving wide academic acknowledgement. However, MEDAL’s presentation of metaphorical information focuses particularly on the level of conceptual metaphor, and the concern for linguistic metaphor at different levels has been noticeably lacking, which significantly affects the systematicity of the presentation. Moreover, the utility of this lexicographical design feature of MEDAL has not yet been confirmed. Meanwhile, monolingual learner’s dictionaries are meant for non-native language learners worldwide, which may fail to meet the diversified reference needs of L2 learners from different countries. With respect to this limitation of monolingual dictionaries, it is hoped that bilingual learner’s dictionaries with their own merits can better facilitate the cultivation of L2 metaphorical intelligence. Taking second language learners’ needs into consideration, the present study is intended to explore the necessity, feasibility, and effectiveness of systematically presenting metaphorical information in bilingual learner’s dictionaries from both theoretical and practical perspectives.The elaboration on the necessity is not only the origin of and a prerequisite to this study, but also the basis of the following research. Results of literature review show that on the one hand both theoretical study and practical exploration of the metaphorical information presentation in bilingual learner’s dictionaries have just started, and are in great need of research on the effects of its systematicity. On the other hand, compared with monolingual learner’s dictionaries, bilingual learner’s dictionaries are left far behind regarding metaphorical information presentation. Moreover, studies on the development of L2 metaphorical intelligence along with dictionary use are also limited in number, which leaves much room for detailed exploration theoretically and practically. The present study is mainly concerned about the systematic presentation of metaphorical information in an English-Chinese dictionary designed for intermediate and advanced English learners in China concerning its theoretical basis, practical model, and verification of its use effects.To theorize about the systematic presentation of metaphorical information in bilingual learner’s dictionaries, the present study takes an interdisciplinary approach. It involves motivations from the research fields of cognitive linguistics, second language acquisition, and lexicography. From the perspective of cognitive linguistics, metaphor has a significant conceptual role, and helps as one major mechanism to extend and develop lexical meaning. Therefore, learner’s dictionaries, a tool for second language vocabulary acquisition, are supposed to present metaphorical information thoroughly and systematically. From the viewpoint of second language acquisition, L2 metaphorical intelligence plays a vital role in the construction of second language vocabulary system. Dictionary use helps the progressive development of L2 metaphorical intelligence, and is thus viewed as a necessary means of the systematic development of interlingual metaphor cognition. From the position of the lexicographical research, bilingual learner’s dictionaries, for the purpose of assisting the cognition of second language and culture, need to take into consideration the presentation of metaphorical information which relates language to cognition. Based on the practice of monolingual learner’s dictionaries, bilingual lexicographers are encouraged to make further innovations to deal with the peculiarities of referencing needs from L2 learners. The systematicity and localization of lexicographical treatment should be the main focus and top priority.As the main part of the study, the feasibility of a practical model of systematically presenting metaphorical information in bilingual learner’s dictionaries is justified by integrating the textual functions of the megastructure, macrostructure, microstructure, and mediostructure. The design features at the megastructural level include the systematic presentation of metaphorical information with regard to its guidance, instruments, and interlingual comparison and contrast. The measures at the macrostructural level centre around metaphorical entries, and mainly focus on their establishment and systematic features. The treatment at the microstructural level are based on the "semantic association" principles, ranging from the translation of entry words and examples, through the multi-layer sense ordering with the combination of logical connection and use frequency, to the description of metaphorical idioms and metaphorical concepts. As for the innovations at the mediostructural level, the cross-entry connections and metaphorical references are two major focuses. The former includes the connection between metaphorical entries and non-metaphorical entries, the connection between metaphorical entries themselves, and the cross-entry connection in special columns like metaphorical idioms and metaphorical concepts. The latter, explicit and implicit, varies either in form or in categorization on the basis of the hierarchy of metaphorical information cognition, which contributes to the multi-layer association system of metaphorical references.The effectiveness of systematically presenting metaphorical information in bilingual learner’s dictionaries is verified by an empirical study with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The research questions are mainly concerned with the immediate and lasting influence of using the sample English-Chinese dictionary entries on motivating Chinese students’English metaphorical intelligence. Moreover, their perception of the systematic presentation of metaphorical information is also investigated, which involves the dictionary user, the process of dictionary look-up, and the effects afterwards. Research instruments include a self-designed questionnaire, three test papers, two interview outlines, and some other supplementary materials. Statistical results show that:(1) the sample entries with systematic metaphorical information has gained wide acceptance and great popularity; (2) compared with the equivalent entries of MEDAL, the sample entries help more effectively to foster English metaphorical intelligence, especially in the sustainable development of English metaphorical production; (3) the sample entries have greater potentials for enriching learners’English expressions, and increasing their language expressiveness, especially in assisting L2 metaphorical production development, but they lack adequate elaboration on how to make use of metaphorical concepts, the specific explanation of interlingual metaphorical concepts, the convenient means of information retrieval, and the sufficient illustrative sentences. Nevertheless, all the participants agree on the applicability of metaphorical information presentation to effectively improving second language vocabulary competence.This study is of theoretical and practical significance for bilingual learner lexicography, second language acquisition, and the application of cognitive metaphor theory. Theoretically, it integrates cognitive linguistics and second language acquisition into lexicography, hence enlarging lexicographical research areas and enriching interdisciplinary studies of lexicography. The systematic presentation of metaphorical information in bilingual lexicography helps realize the cognitive functions of bilingual learner’s dictionaries and progress towards their treatment of localization as well as differentiation. Apart from the traditional way of researching existing literature and analyzing dictionary texts, empirical approaches are also employed to verify the effectiveness of lexicographical innovation. This effort helps to establish a new lexicographical research model, in which the theoretical explication, practical innovation, and effectiveness verification are interwoven as a whole. Practically, with an English-Chinese dictionary as an example, this study explores the design features of systematically presenting metaphorical information in bilingual learner’s dictionaries, which may shed some light on the practical compilation of bilingual learner lexicography. The verification of the effectiveness of systematically presenting metaphorical information is of much help in integrating dictionary compilation and dictionary use. It offers positive reference for the introduction of learner’s dictionaries to the in-depth second language vocabulary acquisition, autonomous foreign language learning, and foreign language teaching.