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Chapter One Introduction

This is an empirical study on the application of Conceptual Metaphor in collegeEnglish vocabulary teaching. This chapter introduces the research background, thepurpose and the significance of this study, and the structure of the study.

1.1 Research background
It is well known that vocabulary plays an essential role in foreign languagelearning. Wilkins, the famous British linguist, commented, “While without grammarvery little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (Wilkins,1972). Mc Carthy commented the critical role of vocabulary in second-language (L2)learning: “No matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how successfulthe sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wider range of meanings,communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way” (Mc Carthy,1990). Besides, the number and the extent of the vocabulary directly affect the levelof listening, speaking, reading and writing.With the development of the cross-cultural communication in the world, Englishbecomes more and more important, and the English level of the college studentsbecomes the universal demand although most of them are not majors in English.There are three levels in vocabulary of College English Curriculum Requirements(2007): the basic requirement includes 4795 words and 700 phrases, the intermediaterequirement includes 6395 words and 1200 phrases, and the advance level requiresstudents should master a total of 7676 words and 1870 phrase. Compared with theCollege English Curriculum Requirement (2004), the 4500 words and 700 phrases arerequired in the basic level, 5500 words and 1200 phrases in the intermediate one and6500 words and 1700 phrases in the advanced requirements. It is easy to find therequirement is increased. This kind of challenge requires teachers to find a better wayto improve the English vocabulary level of students.College students begin to pay more attention to the English learning when theyrealize the importance of English. The traditional English teaching method pays moreattention to the recitation and analysis of the sound, spell and meaning of the newwords. It requires students to recite the new words list, and provide corresponding orsimilar Chinese interpretation, and then do the translation practices with the words.This kind of method is lack of the advancement of the accurate and flexible usage ofthe words. However, the accurate and flexible usage of the words are very needed inthe process of improve English vocabulary level. Therefore, some effective teachingmethods must be fought and taken by teachers to help students to master wordsflexibility.
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1.2 The purpose and significance of the study
Metaphor, a kind of rhetorical device, is included in the field of cognitive sciencewith the republication of the Metaphors We Live By. It has close relationship with theways of human thinking, thus, it is also related to the method of memory andunderstanding of vocabulary. Compared with the traditional method, the new methodwhich applies the Conceptual Metaphor to English vocabulary teaching and learningwill change the method and results of vocabulary learning. For teachers, the newmethod of teaching vocabulary will be more flexibility. For students, the new methodof vocabulary learning will be more interesting. The application of this theory invocabulary teaching can help learners master and memori