Effect Of Conceptual Metaphor On Phrasal Verbs Comprehension And Output Of Chinese EFL Learners

Phrasal verbs are quite common in English, which is a prominent characteristic of the English language (Bolinger, 1971). The frequently use of phrasal verbs plays an essential role in daily communication. If people want to read widely and write well, they have to master as many phrasal verbs as possible. But in fact, it is one of the most difficult areas in learning the lexicon for learners of English as a foreign or second language. At present, some scholars have tried to study the phrasal verbs from the structures of the phrasal verbs. There are not many researches based on the conceptual metaphor perspective of phrasal verbs, so the author of this thesis attempts to investigate three questions. Firstly, does the Conceptual Metaphor influence the comprehension of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learners? Secondly, does the Conceptual Metaphor affect the output of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learners? Thirdly, what is the role of the Conceptual Metaphor in the prolonged retention of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learnersIn order to work out the above questions, an empirical study has been carried out. 60 sophomores majoring in Chinese Literature from two parallel classes in Changchun Normal University take part in the experiment. One class is the controlled class and the other is the experimental class. The participants are required to finish four tests, the first of which is to testify whether the Conceptual Metaphor influences the comprehension of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learners; the second of which is to verify whether the Conceptual Metaphor affects the output of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learners; the third of which and the retest of which are to demonstrate that the role of Conceptual Metaphor in the prolonged retention of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learners. During the experiment, the instructor taught the participants of the two classes in different ways. In the controlled class, the English phrasal verbs are instructed through the traditional way, whereas in the experimental class, the instructor introduced basic knowledge of conceptual metaphors which are motivations for understanding the meanings of the phrasal verbs. After the experiment, the data are collected, scored and further analyzed by the researcher.Results of the discussion indicate that the Conceptual Metaphor does influence the comprehension of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learners. And the Conceptual Metaphor influences the output of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learners. But the affecting extent to the output of phrasal verbs is a little lower than that to the comprehension of phrasal verbs. Finally, the Conceptual Metaphor is effective to prolong the retention of phrasal verbs for Chinese EFL learners. The rate of retention is also influenced by the instruction of the Conceptual Metaphor. According to the findings of this study, the author discusses the implications and suggestions for teaching and learning phrasal verbs.