The Cognitive Power Of Metaphor In English Learning

In the traditional research of linguistics, metaphor is only envisaged as a deviation from ordinary language and is a rhetorical or poetic device. Metaphorical expressions are also excluded from the ordinary language. However, in the modern view, metaphor is far more than a rhetorical device. It is considered as a mode of thinking; a way of cognition and it plays an important role in structuring people's conceptual system. "Metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action. Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature."[1] This opinion has already got the extensive approval. Language is a product of human cognition. That is to say, there must be a close relation between metaphor and English language learning. Therefore, studying the role of metaphor in English language learning is of great importance and necessity. This thesis mainly concerns about the conceptual metaphor. By the explanation of the cognitive force of conceptual metaphors, the discussion lays special emphasis on how to use metaphor and its cognitive force in English language learning, especially learning vocabulary, culture and writing.