Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 The Biggest Problem for Chinese EFL Learners 1
1.3 The Theoretical Framework 3
1.4 Methodology 8
1.5 Conclusions and Significance of the Study 9
1.6 The Organization of the Dissertation 10
Chapter 2 Literature Review of the Acquisition of Vocabulary,Idioms,and Proverbs 11
2.1 Introduction 11
2.2 Some Basic Concepts Concerning Vocabulary Learning 12
2.2.1 What does'vocabulary learning'imply? 12
2.2.2 Context 13
2.2.3 L2 vocabulary learning and acquisition 16
2.2.4 Summary 16
2.3 Vocabulary Acquisition Research in the Past Thirty Years 16
2.4 A Framework for Reviewing EFL Vocabulary Learning 21
2.5 Chinese EFL Learners'Vocabulary 23
2.5.1 An expert view on Chinese EFL learners'vocabulary 24
2.5.2 Learners'own evaluation 27
2.5.3 A corpus survey on Chinese EFL learners'vocabulary 28
2.5.4 Conclusion 29
2.6 Vocabulary Learning Material 29
2.6.1 Organization and presentation of learning material 29
2.6.2 Clustering words by semantic features 31
2.6.3 Conceptual metaphor in expanding lexicon 33
2.6.4 Summary 33
2.7 Vocabulary Learning Process 34
2.7.1 Cognitive qualities of input and their influences on retention 34
2.7.2 Level of processing hypothesis 37
2.7.3 Involvement load hypothesis 38
2.7.4 Summary 39
2.8 Vocabulary Learning Strategies 40
2.8.1 Vocabulary learning strategies 40
2.8.2 Keyword mnemonics,rote rehearsal,and semantic processing 42
2.8.3 Summary 43
2.9 The Acquisition of Idioms and Proverbs 43
2.9.1 The learning of idioms and proverbs 44
2.9.2 The cognitive motivation for the meaning of idioms and proverbs 45
2.9.3 Summary 47
2.10 What the Conceptual Metaphor and Image Schema Based Approach Can Offer to Vocabulary Development/Learning 48
2.11 Conclusions 49
Chapter 3 Exposition of a Conceptual Metaphor＆Image Schema Based Approach 53
3.1 Introduction 53
3.2 Technical terms 54
3.3 A Theory of Conceptual Metaphor 56
3.3.1 A general classification of metaphor theories 56
3.3.2 A theory of conceptual metaphor 60
3.3.3 Conceptual metaphor links concrete and abstract domains 63
3.3.4 Summary:conceptual metaphor linking metaphor sets,idioms and proverbs 64
3.4 The Theory of Image Schema 65
3.4.1 Image schemas are recurring patterns 65
3.4.2 The Invariance hypothesis:Image schemas in conceptual metaphors 68
3.4.3 The major properties of image schemas 69
3.4.4 Summary 71
3.5 Image Schemas in Lexical Semantic Analysis 72
3.5.1 Relations between image schemas and words 72
3.5.2 The application of image schemas in lexical semantics 74
3.5.3 A new way of analyzing lexical meaning:Image schematic feature analysis 80
3.5.4 Summary 81
3.6 Conclusions:The Hierarchical Structure 81
3.7 The Proposed Hypotheses 85
Chapter 4 Theoretical Support for the Conceptual Metaphor and Image Schema Based Approach 86
4.1 Introduction 86
4.2 Dual Coding Theory 86
4.2.1 Major claims of DCT 87
4.2.2 Empirical Studies of Concreteness Effects 88
4.2.3 A Bilingual Version of"Dual Coding Theory" 90
4.2.4 How DCT supports the"Conceptual Metaphor and Image Schema Based Approach" 93
4.2.5 Summary 97
4.3 Psychological Reality of Image Schemas 97
4.3.1 What is psychologically real? 98
4.3.2 Behavioral evidence for the psychological reality of image schemas 98
4.3.3 Image schemas as conceptual primitives during infancy 101
4.3.4 The neurological reality of conceptual metaphor 103
4.3.5 Schematic knowledge of spatial diagram representation 104
4.3.6 Summary 107
4.4 Psychological Reality of Hierarchical Structures 107
4.4.1 Hierarchical organizations in various domains 107
4.4.2 Evidence for the psychological reality of hierarchical structure 108
4.4.3 The advantages of hierarchical structure 110
4.4.4 Summary 111
4.5 Conclusions 111
Chapter 5 Methodology:Empirical Support for the Conceptual Metaphor＆Image Schema based Approach 114
5.1 Introduction 114
5.2 Experiments on Hypothesis 1 115
5.2.1 Hypothesis 1 115
5.2.2 Materials 116
5.2.3 Methodology 118
5.3 Experiments on Hypothesis 2 120
5.3.1 Hypothesis 2 120
5.3.2 Materials 122
5.3.3 Methodology 123
5.4 Experiments on Hypothesis 3 124
5.4.1 Hypothesis 3 124
5.4.2 Materials 124
5.4.3 Methodology 126
5.5 Experiments on Hypothesis 4 130
5.5.1 Hypothesis 4 130
5.5.2 Materials 131
5.5.3 Methodology 133
5.6 Experiments on Hypothesis 5 137
5.6.1 Hypothesis 5 137
5.6.2 Materials 139
5.6.3 Methodology 141
5.7 Summary 143
Chapter 6 The Results 144
6.1 Introduction 144
6.2 Results of Hypothesis 1 145
6.2.1 The output of SPSS 145
6.2.2 Descriptive comments 146
6.2.3 Conclusion 147
6.3 Results of Hypothesis 2 147
6.3.1 The output of SPSS 147
6.3.2 Descriptive comments 148
6.3.3 Conclusion 149
6.4 Results of Hypothesis 3 150
6.4.1 The output of SPSS 150
6.4.2 Descriptive comments 151
6.4.3 Conclusion 152
6.5 Results of Hypothesis 4 152
6.5.1 The output of SPSS 152
6.5.2 Descriptive comments 154
6.5.3 Conclusion 156
6.6 Results of Hypothesis 5 157
6.6.1 The output of SPSS 157
6.6.2 Descriptive comments 159
6.6.3 Conclusion 161
6.7 Conclusions 162
Chapter 7 General Discussions and Conclusions 165
7.1 Introduction 165
7.2 Conceptual Metaphors as Organizers of Metaphorical Expressions 166
7.3 Conceptual Metaphors in English and Chinese 168
7.4 Conceptual Metaphors as Motivators in Understanding Idioms and Proverbs 170
7.5 Image Schemas in Organizing Metaphorical Expressions and in Motivating Idioms and Proverbs 171
7.6 General Discussion on Subjects'Opinions Reflected from Questionnaires 173
7.7 Conclusions 176
Chapter 8 Pedagogical Implications&Applications 178
8.1 Introduction 178
8.2 Using Conceptual Metaphors and Image Schemas in Extending Lexicon 179
8.3 Using Conceptual Metaphors and Image Schemas in the Acquisition of Idioms and Proverbs 184
8.4 Using Conceptual Metaphors and Image Schemas in Reading Comprehension 189
8.5 Using Conceptual Metaphor and Image Schemas in Literary Analysis 193
8.6 Conclusion:Bridging the Gulf between Cognitive Linguistics and Applied Linguistics 196
References 201
List of Appendices 239
Appendix 1:Test for Hypothesis 1 239
Appendix 2:Learning Material for Group 1 in Hypothesis 1 241
Appendix 3:Discussion Material for Group 2 in Hypothesis 1 245
Appendix 4:Learning Material for Group 2 in Hypothesis 1 246
Appendix 5:Test for Hypothesis 2 251
Appendix 6:Discussion Material for Group 1(English conceptual metaphors)in Hypothesis 2 253
Appendix 7:Learning Material for Group 1 in Hypothesis 2 254
Appendix 8:Discussion Material for Group 2(Chinese metaphors)in Hypothesis 2 258
Appendix 9:Learning Material for Group 2 in Hypothesis 2 259
Appendix 10:Test for Hypothesis 3 264
Appendix 11:Learning Material for Group 1 in Hypothesis 3 265
Appendix 12:Discussion Material for Group 2 in Hypothesis 3 268
Appendix 13:Learning Material for Group 2 in Hypothesis 3 268
Appendix 14:Test for Hypothesis 4 273
Appendix 15:One Week Delay Test for Hypothesis 4 274
Appendix 16:Learning Material for Group 1 in Hypothesis 4 275
Appendix 17:Learning Material for Group 2 in Hypothesis 4 277
Appendix 18:Discussion and Learning Material for Group 3 in Hypothesis 4 279
Appendix 19:Test for Hypothesis 5 284
Appendix 20:One Week Delay Test for Hypothesis 5 285
Appendix 21:Learning Material for Group 1 in Hypothesis 5 286
Appendix 22:Learning Material for Group 2 in Hypothesis 5 288
Appendix 23:Discussion and Learning Material for Group 3 in Hypothesis 5 291
Appendix 24:100-word list organized by conceptual metaphors 297
Appendix 25:100-word list with frequency from Thorndike(1972) 305
Appendix 26:100-word list with degrees of difficulty 309
Appendix 27:Questionnaire 312
Appendix 28:Selected Diagram(1)drawn by Group 2 in H3 313
Appendix 29:Selected Diagram(2)drawn by Group 2 in H3 314
Appendix 30:Selected Diagram(3)drawn by Group 3 in H3 315
Appendix 31:Image(1)used in Group 3 in H4 316
Appendix 32:Image(2)used in Group 3 in H5 317
Appendix 33:SPSS outcome for H1(Group 1 and 2) 318
Appendix 34:SPSS outcome for H2(Group 1 and 2) 319
Appendix 35:SPSS outcome for H3(Group 1 and 2) 320
Appendix 36:SPSS outcome for H4(Group 1 and 2) 321
Appendix 37:SPSS outcome for H4(Group 1 and 3) 322
Appendix 38:SPSS outcome for H4(Group 2 and 3) 323
Appendix 39:SPSS outcome for H5(Group 1 and 2) 324
Appendix 40:SPSS outcome for H5(Group 1 and 3) 325
Appendix 41:SPSS outcome for H4(Group 2 and 3) 326