Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Its Pedagogical Implications for Idiom Teaching

【Abstract】The paper attempts to start from the cognitive linguistic view and explore teaching methods of English idioms by using the conceptual metaphor theory.It aims to analyze the following three teaching methods：building idiom teaching on the analysis of conceptual metaphor，categorizing the source domain of conceptual metaphor，comparing the similarities and differences between metaphors of Chinese and English.Through the above analysis，the paper arrives at the conclusion that conceptual metaphor knowledge is an important premise for the deep understanding of English idioms and that teachers need help students heighten their sense of conceptual metaphors so as to better understand and memorize English idioms.

【Key Words】Conceptual metaphor； English idiom； idiom teaching

1.Introduction

Idioms are where the essence of a language lies since they reflect the cultural identity of a particular nation[1]Idiom learning is one of the major difficulties that ed by Lakoff and Johnson[2]has provided idiom learning and teaching with a new perspective.The research findings of cognitive linguists，represented by Lakoff and Langacker，have shown that many idioms originated from humans cognitive structures[3]Moreover，Gibbs[4]，after conducting six experiments，found that “idioms have complex meanings that are motivated by independently existing conceptual metaphors that are partly constitutive of everyday thought”.K?vecses[5]，for another example，emphasized that “Many，or perhaps most，idioms are products of our conceptual system and not simply a matter of language（i.e.，a matter of the lexicon）”.He also defined the nature of idioms as conceptual and not linguistic.

2.Application of Conceptual Metaphor Theory to Idiom Teaching

2.1 Building Idiom Teaching on the Analysis of Conceptual Metaphor

In the cognitive linguistic view，“metaphors are sets of mappings between a more concrete or physical source domain and a more abstract target domain”[5]Therefore，in idiom teaching，the process of applying conceptual metaphor theory to interpret idioms is essentially one that links that the abstract domain and the concrete domain，which is aimed at turning the abstract domain concrete.After this process，the meaning in the concrete domain will activate imagery in the students head，that is，the students processing of idioms will be dual-coded.For instance，when explaining the meaning of the idiom extend the olive branch which students happen to come across in a particular text，the teacher may first explain its biblical origins—in Genesis，a dove brings an olive branch to Noah to indicate that Gods anger had died down and the flood waters had abated.This can be useful since it is much likely to call up in the students mind a mental picture of that concrete scene.

In sum，teaching idioms on the basis of conceptual metaphor can help students better understand and memorize idioms.

2.2 Categorizing the Source Domain of Conceptual Metaphor

In Metaphors We Live By，Lakoff and Johnson[2]reported that “the metaphorical concept is systematic” and that “metaphorical expressions in our languages are tied to metaphorical concepts in a systematic way”.Therefore，how to build different systems of metaphorical concept holds the key to understanding and memorizing in idiom teaching，and thus the teacher should pay close attention to building systems of metaphors by categorizing them according to their source domain.

Specifically speaking，the teacher need first introduce groupings of words and phrases，idioms which are comprised of familiar items and just a few new ones.Then，before directly giving the definitions of the idioms，the teacher should first provide the student with example sentences containing each of the idioms.Next，the student should be invited to infer the meanings of these idioms and then categorize the idiomatic expressions on their own according to the groupings they have been introduced to.

Since categorization tasks require a certain degree of cognitive effort，which is known to increase the chances of remembering them longer，asking the students to categorize figuratively used words or idiomatic expressions by themselves is very much likely to have a desirable effect.

2.3 Comparing the Similarities and Differences between Metaphors of Chinese and English

Lakoff[6]found that “metaphorical mappings vary in universality； some seem to be universal，others are widespread，and some seem to be culture specific”.For this reason，metaphors from two different cultures are comparable.A comparison between idioms from two different languages（and thus two different cultures）may enable the student to explore the reasons behind these differences so as to have a better understanding of these idioms.Hiraga[7]noted four possible combinations of metaphorical concepts and metaphorical expressions in terms of similarity and the difference of two cultures：

The first possible combination is that two cultures have similar metaphorical concepts and these concepts are expressed in similar metaphorical expressions.Many metaphorical words in the English and Chinese language have similar metaphorical meanings.For example，the English idiom break the ice，which means that “to take the initiative in starting something” is roughly equivalent to the Chinese idiom “打破堅冰”，which has the same figurative meaning.

The second type of combination is that two cultures have similar metaphorical concepts but are expressed in different metaphorical expressions.When the teacher gives the meaning of English idioms of this type，it may be sensible for the teacher to change conceptual metaphors in the original English and replace it with another that is more familiar to Chinese.For example，the English idiom put all ones eggs in one basket which means that “to risk everything one has on one project” can be rendered “不能在一棵樹上吊死” or “孤注一擲”，both of which are idiomatic expressions that Chinese people often come across in their daily lives.

The third type of combination is that two cultures do not share metaphorical concepts but use similar metaphorical expressions.This type is worth our special attention for the slightest misunderstanding may cause a disastrous miscommunication.For example，the English idiom red tape means that “too many bureaucratic procedures”.In Chinese，however，the literal translation of red tape—“紅帶子” refers to the offshoot children and grandchildren of the imperial family in the Qing Dynasty.

The last type of combination is that two cultures have different metaphorical concepts and express them in different metaphorical expressions as well.For instance，the English idiom bag/bundle of nerves refers to “someone who is extremely nervous，worried or tense” and it can hardly find an equivalent in Chinese.For this reason，it can only be translated roughly as “極為緊張、擔憂的人”.

In conclusion，in teaching idioms，the teacher should design some comparison & contrast activities to invite the students to notice the differences between idioms from different languages.In this way，the teacher may help students deepen their understanding of new idioms.

3.Conclusion

In conclusion，the conceptual metaphor theory reveals the essence and cognitive motivation for most idioms.Thus，developing students awareness of conceptual metaphors and ability of recognizing them can enable students to better understand and memorize English idioms.This paper is preliminary and tentative in nature and it is suggested that this paper can become a good start in applying the conceptual metaphor theory to English idiom teaching.It is expected that in classroom idiom teaching，teachers can fully take into account the advantages and disadvantages of the cognitive view of idioms according to specific features of the idioms to be taught.

References：

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[2]Lakoff.G.& Johnson，M.Metaphors We Live by[M].Chicago/London：University of Chicago Press.1980.

[3]劉正光.周紅民.慣用語理解的認知研究[J].外語學刊.2002.（2）.7-14.

[4]Gibbs.R.W.，Bogdanovich，J.M.，Sykes.J.R.，& Barr.D.J.Metaphor in Idiom Comprehension[J].Journal of Memory and Language，1997.（31）.141-154.

[5]K?vecses，Z.Metaphor：A Practical Introduction[M].New York：Oxford University Press.2010.

[6]Lakoff，G.The contemporary theory of metaphor[A]In A.Ortony（Ed.）.Metaphor and Thought（2nd Ed.）[M].（pp.202-251）.Cambridge：Cambridge University Press.1993.

[7]Hiraga，M.Metaphor and comparative cultures[J].Cross-cultural Communication：East and West.1991.（3）：140-166.

作者簡介：李楠，男，（1990—），漢族，江蘇南京人，東南大學外國語學院碩士研究生，研究方向：翻譯理論與實踐。