英语论文网

Chapter One Literature Review

1.1 Overview on Conceptual Metaphor Theory Home and Abroad
Metaphor studied at linguistic level has always been viewed for asthe traditional metaphor. All the studies of the traditional metaphor arecentered on the linguistic perspective—metaphor is a rhetoric device, akind of figures of speech, a semantic deviation or a semantic creation(mainly in the theory of interaction). Aristotle is forefather of traditionalmetaphor. The Comparison Theory has had a great influence on othermetaphor theories for two thousand years. Aristotle claims some of themetaphor functions, that is, an ornament of language in poetics or rhetoricand a deviation of language in semantics. Semantic derivation takes placein the same domain.Another traditional metaphor theory which is labeled as substitutiontheory holds that semantic derivation appears in two domains.Traditionally, most rhetoric researchers and critics, including Quintilian,who inherited and innovated the substitution theory, hold the view(ShuDingfang;2001:23). In effect, under the circumstance ，a metaphor is aprocess that says one thing but means another.Researches related to English instruction and conceptual metaphorare not very abundant, but there are some studies which giveenlightenments for follow-up researchers. Jia Dongmei(2008) on thetheory of conceptual metaphor and the teaching of metaphor; Xu Zhiyuan& Wang Xiaolu(2014) have studied Chinese EFL learners' understandingof metaphor and its model construction; Xu Zhiyuan & Zhao Ming(2014)have made a study on metaphor comprehension strategies of differentEnglish proficiency learners, etc.
.........

1.2 Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Vocabulary Learning
The foreland of the study of metaphor has been in the westerncountries. In whichever perspective metaphor is studied, the researchersin the western country have found that metaphor has a close relationshipwith the appearance, development and use of vocabulary. Even thecognitive linguists have recognized that the conventional vocabulary ismostly metaphorical, because metaphorical expressions are governed andarranged by the conceptual metaphor. In recent years, the western scholars has gradually shift the academic fruit of metaphor study to thelanguage pedagogy and begun to take insights into the relationshipbetween metaphor and vocabulary acquisition and learning. Some famouscomments on it will be displayed as follows:Hester (1967:21) points out the fact that if the source of every wordis examined carefully, it is quite possible to find the trace ofmetaphorization on them.Leech (1983: 9-27) expresses his belief that the conceptual meaningor the cognitive meaning of vocabulary is the most basic in linguisticcommunication and that without conceptual meanings, linguisticcommunication can't be made.
......

Chapter Two Theoretic Basis

2.1 Constructivist Teaching Theory
Constructivism is a kind of theory of knowledge and learning. It laysemphasis on learner’s initiative. Learning is considered as a process ofmeaning generation and understanding construction which based onlearner’ original knowledge and experience. The process is usuallyperformed and completed under the interaction of social culture. Theconstructivism come into being with profound ideological origins. It ismuch different from the traditional teaching and learning theory. Theconstructivism has important value