“Desire Is Like a Dreadful Monster”: Analysis of Extended Metaphors in L2 Argumentative Essays by Chinese Learners of English

Abstract

This article explores the use, function, and understanding of extended metaphors in L2 argumentative essays by Chinese learners of English. The analysis starts with the identification of linguistic metaphors and extended metaphors in 72 argumentative texts produced by 37 intermediate Chinese English majors. The function of extended metaphors is then analyzed by adopting the bottom-up approach of establishing systematic metaphors from those identified extended metaphors, to draw learners’ communicative intentions in producing extended metaphors. To understand learners’ thinking processes behind using extended metaphors while writing, four of nine writers were interviewed about the process of writing extended metaphors in their texts in the stimulated recall interviews. It is found that extended metaphors, expressed through similes or direct metaphors at strategic stages in L2 argumentative essays, are often the result of learners’ conscious manipulation of L1 in producing L2 for various communicative purposes, such as the desire for vividness, coherence, comprehensibility, when there is a knowledge gap between L1 and L2, and for evaluative and persuasive power. These communicative functions are consistent with the ideational, interpersonal, and textual functions of language, which also coincide and interact with the rhetorical goals of moves and stages in L2 argumentative essays. Metaphoric thinking, L1 influence, and struggling to express meaning and persuade, cited in learners’ thought reports, are major factors triggering extended metaphors. The findings of this article can contribute to the knowledge of learners’ metaphoric competence in L2, which can, in turn, enrich teachers’ metaphor knowledge and draw teachers’ attention to learners’ creative ways of using metaphors and then raise metaphor awareness in L2 writing, teaching, and learning.

Systematic Metaphors in L2 Public Speaking: A Contrastive Study of Advanced Chinese EFL Learner and Native English Speaker

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“…In this field, some previous research focused on the patterns and functions of L2 metaphor produced by L2 learners. For example, it is found that L2 learners could use various types of metaphors to achieve vividness, coherence, and persuasiveness [4][5][6][7]. Other previous studies investigated the influencing factors behind L2 metaphor production.…”

Developing productive metaphoric competence through a frame-inspired task-based teaching model

“…In this context the present paper takes the EFL teacher's perspective in implementing a special approach designed to teach metaphor use in discourse and explores its effect on L2 learner texts as the course of study progresses. The texts under study belong to the descriptive-narrative genre, which has not been examined in terms of learners' productive metaphoric competence as much as the argumentative genre (e.g., Nacey 2013;Lu 2021).…”

Can second language metaphorical competence be taught through instructional intervention? A meta-analysis

“…However, in recent decades, there has been less discussion about the feasibility and impact of a pedagogical intervention on the development of metaphorical competence. The investigation adds to the understanding of the L2 learners' metaphorical competence by improving instructors' metaphor knowledge and increasing metaphor awareness in L2 writing, teaching, and learning (Lu, 2021 ). The previous study explored hemispheric differences in the processing of metaphors by introducing scientific metaphors as new metaphors and providing orientation mapping from the particular and known domains to the abstract and unfamiliar domains (Huang et al, 2022 ).…”