Title: The influence of cultural universality and specificity on <scp>EFL</scp> learners' comprehension of metaphor and metonymy
Abstract: EFL learners may face different degrees of difficulty in transferring figurative expressions between L 1 and L 2 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 T aiwanese EFL learners were asked to translate 12 E nglish sentences into C hinese. Findings indicate that the participants performed the best when E nglish and C hinese shared the same conceptual metaphors, and performed the worst when conceptual metaphors were distinct. The findings both support and qualify the interlanguage continuum of L 2 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.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-04-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 17
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