Vitenskapelig sammendrag
A growing body of research indicates that metaphoric competence is intrinsic to successful communication. Even no, this concept is not included in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the 2001 document intended to comprehensively "establish a common basis of language syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc. across Europe."1 The proposed book addresses the issue of metaphoric competence and its potential for foreign language education by presenting the results of a rigorous and systematic identification of every metaphorically used word in 40,000 words of text: 20,000 produced by advanced Norwegian learners of English (L2 English) and 20,000 produced by English A-level students (L1 English) - the first study to explore metaphor in learner English in such great depth. This examination of metaphorical production offers compelling evidence concerning the degree of metaphoric competence among advanced learners of English. This evidence in turn indicates the extent to which metaphoric competence should be incorporated into the CEFR guidelines, at least with regard to written communication.Issues concerning metaphorical creativity across languages are also discussed, focusing on the inherent contradiction between flexibility and conventionality. Whereas there seems to be an unwritten rule that native speakers of a language may play with the flexibility that metaphor allows, non-native speakers are often advised to adhere to metaphorical conventionality. Otherwise, they risk being perceived as linguistically incompetent. The borderline between “innovation/creativity” and “error” in the metaphorical production of foreign learners of English is addressed, thereby adding new perspectives to related ongoing discussions in the field of world English.Moreover, methodological issues associated with metaphor identification are dissected in a thorough analysis of the usefulness of the newly developed Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP). Meticulous attention is paid to procedural details. In this way, the book may function as a reference document for future studies into metaphor in discourse, as well as for more general studies that explore learner language.
Vis fullstendig beskrivelse