A Study Of Learning Phrasal Verbs Based On Conceptual Metaphor In EFL Class

In foreign language learning, phrasal verbs are regarded as the major obstacles on thepath to proficiency in English in spite of the large number and widespread usage in writtenand spoken English. Learners often feel extremely hard to master phrasal verbs and themain difficulties lie in that most of phrasal verbs have idiomatic meanings which can notbe directly inferred from the combinations. Therefore, it is necessary to do some researchand try to find a solution to this problem. According to cognitive linguistics, metaphor isthe main mechanism through which we comprehend abstract concepts and abstract ones.Lakoff and Johnson (1980) argue that when one conceptual domain is understood in termsof another conceptual domain, we have a conceptual metaphor. The fact that a largeamount of expressions are closely linked with conceptual metaphor contributes newinsights into foreign language learning. The application of conceptual metaphor theory hasbeen drawing increasing attention in the field of applied linguistics. However, there are fewempirical researches about the application of conceptual metaphor to phrasal verbs inChinese EFL learning environment.In light of the above-mentioned, the present study adopts a cognitive teaching methodwhich aims to apply conceptual metaphor to the explanation of basic meanings andextended meanings of particles in phrasal verbs. The researcher attempts to explore theeffects of conceptual metaphor has on the learning of English phrasal verbs as well as theeffects of enhancing learners’ awareness of conceptual metaphor upon the learning ofEnglish phrasal verbs.The instruments mainly used in the empirical study were as follows: a self-report, apre-test, an experimental study, a post-test and interview. The subjects involved in thisstudy were82non-English majors from two classes of a university in Suzhou. Thefollowing research questions are addressed in this study:1. What effects does conceptual metaphor have on the learning of English phrasalverbs?2. What are the effects of enhancing learners’ awareness of conceptual metaphor uponthe learning of English phrasal verbs?Based on the discussion and analysis of the statistic data, the major findings of this study can be summarized below:Firstly, when conceptual metaphor is applied to the learning of English phrasal verbs,there is a significant difference of the scores between the subjects in two groups. Thesubjects in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group.Secondly, both the positive and negative effects would be produced through enhancinglearners’ awareness of conceptual metaphor upon the learning of English phrasal verbs. Itdepends on the individual experience and knowledge.The findings of the study can provide an effective way of learning English phrasalverbs for Chinese students, which can improve their learning efficiency. Besides, it canalso offer some implications for phrasal verbs teaching in EFL class.