[英語教學資源中心] 創意與理解--解析英語學習者如何運用隱喻高階技能
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由國立政治大學英語教學資源中心、英國語文學系、語言學研究所共同主辦，名為「第二語言學習者需要了解隱喻的哪些知識？」（What Do Second Language Learners Need to Know about Metaphor ?）之實體講座於5月14日上午舉行。本次講座由國家科學及技術委員會國際科技人士短期訪問計畫及本校研發處經費補助，由政大英文系特聘教授賴惠玲邀請國際知名學者Jeannette Littlemore擔任主講人。Jeannette Littlemore目前為英國伯明翰大學英國語文及語言學系教授（Department of English Language and Linguistics, University of Birmingham），並同時擔任隱喻研究與應用協會之主席（Chair of the Association for Researching and Applying Metaphor）。本場活動由英語教學資源中心主任鍾曉芳開場，由賴惠玲介紹講者。講者的研究主要關注隱喻和轉喻在理解以及表達情感經歷中的作用，並探討隱喻和轉喻對語言學習和跨文化交流的影響。講座吸引了校內超過百位師生蒞臨現場，並有來自30所學校的校外師生線上參與。
在現今人與人互動頻繁的世代，掌握語言，特別是隱喻（Metaphor）和轉喻（Metonymy）的運用至關重要；對於第二語言學習者而言，理解隱喻的意涵及使用方式，更能幫助其在學術寫作上更上層樓。因此，Jeannette Littlemore針對何為隱喻、其如何被理解及產生、話語群體（Discourse Community）對隱喻的理解是否具有重要性及隱喻如何被應用於廣告行銷，以及不同文化對隱喻的處理、理解等議題進行探討。
首先，講者以淺顯易懂的例子：「茱麗葉是太陽。」（Juliet is the sun.）讓與會者思考該句子背後可能的意涵，同時快速理解何謂隱喻。講者表示，隱喻就是使用生動的意象來描述抽象概念，為語言增添了多層次的含義。同時，轉喻與隱喻也息息相關，兩者的差別在於轉喻通常被使用於相同或密切相關的領域。例如：在新聞文章中所呈現的「白宮發布了一則聲明。」（The White House has issued a statement.）句中白宮（美國總統官邸與主要辦公處）被用來轉喻為美國政府。在此例子中，讀者能清楚的看出轉喻的手法及對象；然而在許多情況下，語言使用隱喻抑或是轉喻的手法是難以區別的。
在隱喻的理解方面，通常涉及掌握喻體和喻依間的關聯性。對於第二語言學習者而言，能夠透過手勢或圖片解釋的隱喻，通常較容易被理解；然而在面對與文化內涵相關的隱喻時，第二語言學習者則較不易理解，以「康克戲」（Conkers）一詞為例，它是一種英國的傳統遊戲，玩家用串在繩上的馬栗相擊，擊破對方的馬栗者獲勝。此遊戲充滿了競爭性和樂趣，所以當有以 「Conkers in the trees」來影射人的時候，這句話可能暗示著某人正處於樂於接受挑戰或冒險的狀態，類似於試圖打破遊戲中的馬栗，可以理解成單純或不成熟。
另一方面，講者也引用了自己研究中的發現，說明學習者對隱喻的理解會因認知風格（Cognitive Style）而有所差異：具有「整體型認知風格」（Wholistic Cognitive Style）的學習者能更快地理解隱喻的意涵，而屬於「影像型認知風格」（Imager Cognitive Style）的學習者，則較擅長發想具創意性的隱喻。另外，由於學習者通常有意識地使用第二語言，這使他們更擅長在其第二語言中理解隱喻的含意。講者也提到手勢的運用，有助於外語學習者理解隱喻，例如在學術諮詢中，教師也常將手勢結合隱喻語言，以具象化隱喻的可能意涵。
隱喻的產生及使用亦是本次講座的重點之一。隱喻不僅局限於文學，它們常被延伸到日常話語、國際外交、塑造思想，以及傳達複雜的概念。舉例來說，日本的進階英語學習者利用創新隱喻（Novel Metaphor）來闡述其教學理念：「讓學生沐浴在大量的英語中最好，但我們又不想把他們丟進水裡。」（It is best for the students to be showered in a lot of English. But we don't want to throw them in the water.）與此同時，講者也說明不同程度的第二語言學習者，會將隱喻以不同的形式及功能應用於自身的寫作中。
此外，對隱喻的理解會因文化和語言背景而異，這突顯了認識話語群體對於有效溝通的重要性。對於「見習生」（Apprentices）而言，他們是新加入該群體的成員，對於群體中的術語、規範和慣例還不太熟悉，因此需要時間和經驗來理解這些隱喻。在過程中，他們通常會從其他成員那裡學習，並逐漸成為群體的一部分。
在講座的尾聲，講者說明了隱喻如何被應用於行銷中。在廣告裡，隱喻的複雜映射通常能被迅速理解，引發受眾共鳴及觸發其聯想。許多廣告商利用隱喻提升其品牌知名度、獲得品牌認同，更促進了跨文化交流；然而，不同文化群體對於相同廣告中隱喻的反應及理解存在差異，這顯示出在設計具隱喻概念的廣告時，廣告商須考慮到受眾的多元性。
最後，Jeannette Littlemore再次強調其鼓勵學習者使用創意性隱喻（Creative Metaphor）的理念，並說明身為語言教師，在鼓勵學生使用創意性隱喻的同時，也該不避諱教授較複雜的隱喻概念，以利學習者的語言學習成果，並幫助其彌合不同語言理解上的差距。
Creative Language Use and its Comprehension: How English Learners Master Advanced Metaphorical Communicative Skills
On the morning of May 14th, the EMI Resource Center, Department of English, and Graduate Institute of Linguistics at National Chengchi University co-hosted a physical lecture titled “What Do Second Language Learners Need to Know about Metaphor?”. This lecture was sponsored by the International Science Scholars and Experts to Taiwan for Short-term Project from the National Science and Technology Council, and our Office of Research and Development, through the application of Professor Huei-ling Lai from the Department of English. We invited internationally renowned scholar, Jeannette Littlemore, to be the keynote speaker of this talk. Professor Jeannette Littlemore is currently in the Department of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Birmingham, and serves as the Chair of the Association for Researching and Applying Metaphor. This event was opened by Professor Siaw-Fong Chung, Director of the EMI Resource Center, and the speaker was introduced by Distinguished Professor Huei-Ling Lai. The speaker’s research primarily focuses on the role of metaphor and metonymy in understanding and expressing emotional experiences, as well as exploring their impact on language learning and cross-cultural communication. More than one hundred participants attended the on-site lecture, and about thirty participants from other universities joined online.
In an era of interconnection, mastering language, especially the use of metaphor and metonymy, is quite crucial. Understanding metaphorical meanings and usage can greatly aid second language learners in academic writing. Therefore, Professor Littlemore discussed various topics related to metaphor, such as what metaphor is, how it is understood and generated, the importance of its comprehension in discourse communities, and its application in advertising.
The speaker began with a simple and understandable example, “Juliet is the sun”, to prompt attendees to think of the possible meanings behind such a sentence and quickly grasp the concept of metaphor. Metaphor, as explained, involves using vivid imagery to describe abstract concepts, adding layers of meaning to language. At the same time, metonymy, closely related to metaphor, differs in that it typically involves the substitution of one term with another in the same or related domain. For example, in the sentence “The White House has issued a statement”, the White House (the official residence and workplace of the U.S. president) is used metonymically for the U.S. government. However, distinguishing between metaphor and metonymy can sometimes be challenging.
On the other hand, understanding metaphor often entails grasping the relationship between the metaphorical source and the target domains. For second language learners, metaphors that can be explained through gestures are typically easier to understand. However, when facing those related to cultural nuances, second language learners may find them more challenging to understand. Take the term 'Conkers' as an example; it refers to a traditional British game where players use conkers threaded on strings to strike each other, and the player who breaks the opponent’s conker first is the winner. This game is filled with competitiveness and enjoyment. Therefore, when the phrase ‘Conkers in the trees’ is used metaphorically to refer to a person, it may suggest that the person is eager to accept challenges or adventures, similar to trying to break a conker in the game. This person can be understood as naive or immature.
The speaker also highlighted findings from their research, showing that learners' understanding of metaphor differs because of their Cognitive Style. Learners with Wholistic Cognitive Style tend to understand metaphorical meanings more quickly, while those with Imager Cognitive Style excel at generating creative metaphors. Additionally, learners typically consciously use their second language, which makes them more skilled at understanding the nuances of metaphors in that language. The speaker also mentioned that the use of gestures aids foreign language learners in understanding metaphors. For instance, in academic consultations, teachers often integrate gestures with metaphorical language to visualize the potential meanings of metaphors.
The generation and usage of metaphor were also key points of this lecture. Metaphors extend beyond literature into everyday discourse, including international diplomacy, shaping thoughts, and conveying complex concepts. For example, advanced English learners in Japan used novel metaphors to explain their teaching philosophies: “It is best for the students to be showered in a lot of English. But we don’t want to throw them in the water.” The speaker also stated that different proficiency level learners will apply metaphor in different forms and functions in their writing.
Furthermore, understanding of metaphor varies based on cultural and linguistic backgrounds, which emphasizes the importance of recognizing discourse communities for effective communication. Apprentices, new members of a community, require time and experience to understand the metaphors, norms, and conventions within the group, and they often learn from other members and gradually become part of the community.
Towards the end of the lecture, the speaker explained how metaphor is applied in marketing. In advertisements, the complex mappings of metaphors are often quickly understood, making the audience relate to it. Many advertisers use metaphor to enhance brand awareness, gain brand identity, and foster cross-cultural communication. However, different cultural groups may react differently to the same metaphors in advertisements, highlighting the need for advertisers to consider audience diversity when designing ads with metaphorical concepts.
Last but not least, Professor Littlemore emphasized her idea about encouraging learners to use creative metaphors and suggested that language teachers not avoid teaching more complex metaphorical concepts, for it can not simply benefit learners' language learning outcomes but help bridge comprehension gaps between languages as well.
The EMI Resource Center：https://www.eminccu.com/
