Metaphorical Conceptualizations Of Arab Learners Of Turkish

Abstract

Metaphor analysis is considered to be a fruitful line of inquiry deserving more attention and application in foreign language instruction. However, the research examining linguistic metaphors used by foreign language learners, especially those learning less common languages, is almost non existent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the metaphorical concepts used by Arab students of Turkish (N=42) by tapping into their personal language learning experiences. By systematically attempting to organize abstract thoughts into concrete ones, 40 metaphors were produced in response to the cue "Learning Turkish is like." Results were organized into four conceptual categories. (c) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.