A Study Of Cross-Linguistic Transfer Of Metaphor In SLA

Metaphor is a complicated cognitive phenomenon as well as a special language phenomenon. With the development of cognitive linguistics, the powerful cognitive function of metaphor has become one of the fastest growing and significant areas of language research over the past decades of years. The recent research on metaphor has shifted the focus from the rhetoric function of metaphor to its cognitive nature, investigating the possibility that metaphor is not only a form of speech, but also more fundamentally a form of thought.Cross-linguistic transfer has been a central issue in SLA and second language teaching for a long time. The relevant research shows that it is one of the most important factors that influence the successful acquisition of an L2. And it will also affect the acquisition of the subcategories of the L2. However, little research at home and abroad has been carried on the cross-linguistic transfer of metaphor in SLA.Before learning English, Chinese learners (except for children) have already acquired the L1 metaphorical system, and learner's metaphorical system developed in first language acquisition is supposed to influence their SLA. This influence will, to a high degree, be determined by the similarities and differences between the metaphorical systems of two languages as well as two cultures. Namely, the L1 metaphorical system is supposed to have an impact on SLA, and cause the cross-linguistic transfer of metaphor. Moreover, the cross-linguistic transfer of metaphor is an important determinant of a good mastery of the L2 and it deserves much attention from the second language teachers. The research of metaphor and SLA are both related to language cognition. It is bound that theories of cross-linguistic metaphor transfer should develop themselves into the field of SLA, and it is also necessary for SLA research to enrich and enlarge itself by adopting the theories of cross-linguistic metaphor transfer.This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter One is a general introduction, which briefly illustrates the significance of the present research and the research questions. Chapter Two lays out the theoretical foundation of the thesis, which reviews relative accounts of language transfer theory and the cognitive approach to metaphor. Previous studies at home and abroad on cross-linguistic metaphor transfer have also been reviewed thoroughly. In Chapter Three, the author puts forward her own theoretical framework and the relevant factors concerned with the cross-linguistic transfer of metaphor in SLA. Based on the cognitive and linguistic analysis of the cross-linguistic metaphor transfer, perceiving metaphorical competence as a part of linguistic competence, the research possibility and necessity are confirmed. Chapter Four outlines the empirical methodology which recruits 60 undergraduates from Liaoning Normal University, and gives an account of the quantitative analysis of the experimental data with the help of SPSS 10.0 for Windows. The statistical results prove the hypotheses of the research. Chapter Five is the conclusion of the whole thesis, which presents the major findings of the present research, limitations of the research and the directions for future study.