The Application of Conceptual Metaphor Theory to the Learning of English Vocabulary in Senior High School

【Abstract】：With the purpose of introducing metaphor as a cognitive approach to English vocabulary learning， this thesis firstly offers a systematic overview of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory. Secondly， on the basis of Conceptual Metaphor theory， according to the problems facing Chinese students， the research sets out to make an exploratory study of the effects of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory in English vocabulary learning. Thirdly， according to the features of conceptual metaphor， some tentative solutions to vocabulary learning will be given. In the end， there will be a brief conclusion of this paper.

【Key Words】： Conceptual Metaphor； English vocabulary learning problems；solutions

1. Possible Solutions to Problems in Studying English Vocabulary by Using Conceptual Metaphor Theory

1.1 Application of Conceptual Metaphor Theory to Learning Polysemy Terms

According to Lakoff Johnson， there are three types of the conceptual metaphor， that is， the structural metaphor， the orientational metaphor and the ontological metaphor. All these metaphors work through the cross-domain mapping based on the similarities between the two domains. Given below are some examples to illustrate how the polysemous words can be understood by means of conceptual metaphors.

Firstly， we will take an example of explaining polysemous words in terms of the orientational metaphor based on the classification of the conceptual metaphor. Cognitive linguists point out that among metaphors orientational metaphors are of great significance in the formation and expression of the human concepts and most abstract concepts can be understood in terms of orientational metaphors （Lan， 1999）. As we know， in the English vocabulary， adverbs have many usages when they are related to different verbs. In other words， different verb phrases with the same adverb may mean differently. Take the English adverb “up” for example. “Up” in spatial domain originally means “to a higher position” such as verb phrases “stand up” and “jump up”. According to the conceptual metaphor， the source spatial domain “up” can be mapped onto several other target domains including the emotional domain， the conscious domain， the quantity domain， the temperature domain and other target domains. When we map the spatial domain “up” onto the emotional domain， we get the orientational metaphor HAPPY IS UP. We can use verb phrases such as “cheer up” and “feel up” to express the happy emotions. Here， “up” means “happy”.

Accordingly， by finding out the underlying relations between meanings of the same word through metaphorical thinking， polysemy terms will be learnt much easier than before.

1.2 Application of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory to Learning Idioms

In the cognitive linguists’ view， metaphors are considered to be cognitive mechanism that relates a domain of knowledge to an idiomatic meaning in an indirect way. Essentially， most idioms are metaphorical expressions or conventional metaphors.

For instance， in the conceptual metaphor LOVE IS JOURNEY， “journey” is the source domain and “l(fā)ove” is the target domain. According to our life experience， most of us have known something about the source domain “journey”. By mapping the familiar domain “journey” onto the less familiar domain “l(fā)ove”， students can get a better understanding of the idiomatic expressions that are formed by the words used in the source domain. Gibbs claims that “our metaphorical conceptualization of love partly motivates the creation and use of linguistic expressions found in everyday speech and literature that refers to love and love relationship （e.g. Our marriage is off to a great start， Their relationship is at a cross-roads， Her marriage is on the rocks， After seven years of marriage， we’re spinning our wheels， and We are back on track again）” （Gibbs， 1997： 141）.

In short， idioms can be motivated as a cognitive mechanism that links domains of knowledge to idiomatic meanings. Thus， by employing the three types of conceptual metaphors， English idioms will be understood better and be stored in long-term memory.

2. Conclusion

On the part of Chinese students， first of all， conceptual metaphorical system can be used to help students enlarge the English vocabulary. By explaining to students the underlying connections between different meanings of the same word based on the cognitive mechanism of the cross-domain mapping， students may get a better understanding and memorization of the vocabulary， especially polysemy terms. Secondly， learning idioms by applying conceptual metaphor will help students effectively memorize meanings of idioms and help them develop their abilities of native-like fluency in using English language.

Bibliography

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[8]Lakoff， George. Johnson， Mark. （1980）. Metaphors We Live By. Chicago： University of Chicago Press.

作者簡介：趙敏，1992年12月28日出生，女，漢族，陜西省西安市周至縣人，西安外國語大學(xué)2015級外應(yīng)專業(yè)碩士研究生，主要研究方向是應(yīng)用語言學(xué)。