Abstract:

Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) has proved to be a comprehensive approach to depict the connections of a range of expressions related to a variety of domains of experience in a coherent way. Conceptual Metaphor Theory suggests that conceptual metaphor sets like GOOD IS UP and BAD IS DOWN guide our understanding of positive and negative experiences via notions connected to verticality. Moreover, conceptual metaphors as the aforementioned allow for expressions related to various domains of experience to be used across languages in a variety of ways. For instance, conceptual metaphors related to the domain of emotion provide a logic for the processing and use of linguistic expressions related to verticality in English such as “cheer up!” or “I’m just feeling down in the dumps”, and in Spanish like, “subir el ánimo” or “últimamente tengo la moral por los suelos”.

Conceptual Metaphor Theory has also been shown to be a theory with powerful pedagogical applications, especially to deal with vocabulary in the English as a Foreign Language classroom (Cortés de los Ríos, 2001; Littlemore, 2009; Velasco-Sacristán, 2009). For example, addressing conceptual metaphors as providing a logic for a specific group of foreign language expressions may foster their retention (Boers, 2000). In addition, working on learners’ awareness about particular interlinguistic differences has also been shown to accelerate their pace of learning and to provide for higher accuracy of use (Boers & Lindstromberg, 2008; Littlemore, 2009).

In this paper we will present a small pedagogical implementation of the Conceptual Metaphor approach to deal with a set of expressions belonging to the domain of emotions in an English for Specific Purposes course (English for Psychologists) held at a Spanish university. We explore the instructional effects of a series of activities exploiting metaphors of happiness and sadness. Data, collected by means of pre/post-tests, was processed quantitatively. Results show the effects of this pedagogical intervention and call for further research in this particular realm.

References:
[1] Boers, F. and Lindstromberg, S. (eds.) (2008). Cognitive Linguistic Approaches to Teaching Vocabulary and Phraseology. New York: Mouton de Gryuter.
[2] Boers, F. (2000). Metaphor awareness and vocabulary retention. Applied Linguistics, 21, 553-571.
Cortés de los Ríos, E. (2001). The teaching of metaphor in the advertising discourse of business papers. Ibérica, 3: 91-106.
[3] Lakoff, G. and Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Littlemore, J. (2009). Applying Cognitive Linguistics to Second Language Learning and Teaching. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
[4] Velasco-Sacristán (2009). A translation approach to metaphor teaching in the LSP classroom: Sample exercises from a Business English syllabus. Ibérica, 17: 83-98.

Keywords:

EFL, ESP, Conceptual Metaphor, Vocabulary, Emotions.