The influence of cultural universality and specificity on EFL learners' comprehension of metaphor and metonymy

Abstract

EFL learners may face different degrees of difficulty in transferring figurative expressions between L1 and L2 due to cultural similarities and differences embedded in languages. This study explores the influence of universality and specificity of culture on EFL learners' comprehension of metaphor and metonymy. Twenty eight Taiwanese EFL learners were asked to translate 12 English sentences into Chinese. Findings indicate that the participants performed the best when English and Chinese shared the same conceptual metaphors, and performed the worst when conceptual metaphors were distinct. The findings both support and qualify the interlanguage continuum of L2 acquisition. Suggestions to integrate conceptual metaphors and metonymies so as to effectively raise EFL learners' awareness of abstract concepts are made for future empirical research.Keywords: English as foreign language, universality and specificity of culture, metaphor and metonymy, interlanguage, comprehension.

The Interplay of Cross-Linguistic Differences and Context in L2 Idiom Comprehension

“…The first question also concerned the effect of formal similarity between the L2 idioms and their L1 equivalents on comprehension. The results obtained in the present study consistently show that an increasing formal difference corresponds to a decrease in idiom comprehension, which generally concurs with previous studies (Türker, 2016;Chen and Lai, 2013;Yeganehjoo et al, 2012;Charteris-Black, 2002). However, we should sound a note of caution with regard to the consistency with previous results, since cross-linguistic formal differences have been defined in different ways: Whereas we used the term formal distance to refer to morphosyntactic differences between the L1 and the L2, other studies such as Türker (2016) used the term "linguistic distance" to denominate both morphosyntactic and semantic differences in the linguistic realization of a conceptual metaphor.…”

“…at the feet of somebody') was often described in French as mettre des bâtons dans les roues ('to put sticks in the wheels'). In general, these findings align well with previous research (Türker, 2016;Chen and Lai, 2013;Charteris-Black, 2002;Liontas, 2002;Irujo, 1986), but contrast with the results of the study by De Cock and Suñer (2018), which indicate that cross-linguistic conceptual differences do not automatically lead to an impaired comprehension of metaphorical taboo expressions. Thus, future research should focus on whether the different degrees of conceptual distance also apply to such specific topic domains.…”

“…using the concept of physical motion to understand expressions of time), rather than using the contextual clues (Ferreira, 2008, see also Boers et al, 2007). Moreover, another group of studies is concerned with discerning to what extent the reliance on learners' L1 linguistic knowledge and culture affects idiom processing in the L2, showing that cross-linguistic similarity, in very broad terms, facilitates L2 idiom comprehension (Chen and Lai, 2013;Charteris-Black, 2002;Liontas, 2002;Irujo, 1986). The study by Charteris-Black (2002) reveals that L2 learners manifested better performance when metaphorical expressions were conceptually and linguistically similar to their L1 equivalents.…”

“…Acknowledging the importance of metaphoric competence at different levels of L2 learning and the necessity of leveraging the treatments that address this competence in the classroom, the question arises as to how far the L1 cultural and linguistic background of learners influences L2 metaphor comprehension and thus the effectiveness of such treatments (Hoang, 2014). Although this question has been addressed in many studies (De Cock and Suñer, 2018;Türker, 2016;Chen and Lai, 2013;Yeganehjoo et al, 2012;Ferreira, 2008;Charteris-Black, 2002;Liontas, 2002;Irujo, 1986), the interaction effects between cross-linguistic aspects and other key factors such as the context and frequency of use on L2 metaphor comprehension are still poorly understood. Therefore, further research needs to include more complex study designs in order to gain deeper insights into the interplay of those factors and thus provide a complete picture of the variability in L2 metaphor comprehension.…”

The Influence of the Mother Tongue on the Use of Metaphor in English as a Second Language

“…The results of studies in the field of idioms showed that L1 knowledge helps to understand identical and similar idioms, however it interferes in comprehension of completely different idioms and in the production of idioms in tests (Irujo, 1986;Charteris-Black, 2002;Chen & Lai, 2013). In addition, L1 influence on the use of idioms is higher at the beginning and at advanced stages of L2 learning (Kellerman, 1987).…”