An Investigation And Analysis Of English Majors' Metaphorical Competence

Over metaphor, a multitude of academicians have been doing substantial researches. The classical school laid emphasis on the heightening effects of metaphor, deeming it an adornment divergent from language. To epitomize, metaphor is not an internalized part of language, but a deviant form.Cognition view is a watershed that separates the classical camp from the contemporary one. The contemporary theorists represented by Lakoff and Johnson have found that metaphor is an intrinsic feature of not only cognition but also language and that metaphor functions as an impetus of language development and progress in human cognition. Since metaphor鈥攁 matter of thought plays a fundamental structural role in organizing our conceptual systems, cultivation of metaphorical competence ought to be an indispensable part of foreign language teaching. Generally discourses produced by many foreign language learners are characterized by an unnatural degree of 'literalness', though they are impeccable in terms of linguistic structures and communicative appropriacy. Danesi, based on this observation, advanced beyond linguistic competence and communicative competence into the domain of metaphorical competence. This thesis, aiming at detecting the influence conceptual metaphors exert on foreign language learning, collected texts produced by 33 English-major junior students in DMU (Dalian Maritime University) and their English proficiency report. It turned out that there exists a significant positive correlation between metaphorical competence and overall language proficiency inclusive of writing, dictation, reading and grammar& vocabulary. At last, several metaphor-based learning strategies are tentatively brought forward: comprehension strategies, retention strategies and production strategies.