| This is a comparative study of the use of figurative language in Chinese L1 and English L2 texts written by eight Mandarin-speaking advanced students recruited from a university in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Based on the theories of interlanguage and the contemporary theories of metaphor, the researcher developed a notion of interfigurative language in the study to accommodate the description of L2 figurative language. Its basic assumption is that interfigurative language is not only a linguistic but also a conceptual phenomenon. A qualitative case study approach was adopted that included three parts: (a) a language use questionnaire, (b) two tasks for writing persuasive essays, one in Chinese, the other in English, and (c) two face-to-face interviews with each of the participants.;Analysis of the collected data indicated that the students used more figurative language in the Chinese essays than in English in terms of both varieties and occurrences. In the Chinese essays, the use of figurative language seemed to be affected by (a) the conventions of Chinese culture, (b) the individual's proficiency of figurative language, and (c) personal interest. In the English essays, the students tended to deviate from the figurative norms of both Chinese and English. Their use of figurative language was characterised by two main strategies: (a) playing safe by either underuse of unfamiliar figurative language or overuse of familiar figurative language for padding, and (b) using Chinese set phrases as linguistic and conceptual mediators for the formation of English metaphorical language.;The study concluded with two theoretical constructs. First, the student's use of English figurative language was partially affected by the conventions of their L1 figurative language. Second, their performance confirmed to some extent the notion of interfigurative language. |
