The importance of cultivating Metaphoric Competence in Teaching Reading

SunXiaoyao

【Abstract】Metaphor is outstanding in Foreign Language Learning and Teaching.Based on discussing the reading model in reading teaching and the relationship between the metaphoric competence and reading comprehension，this paper advocated that teachers should cultivate students metaphoric competence to improve students reading proficiency.

【Key words】metaphoric competence； teaching reading； interactive model

1.Introduction

With the development of cognitive science and linguistics，human beings have a better understanding of metaphoric competence（MC）and gradually apply it to the Foreign Language Learning（FLL）.Many foreign scholars had achieved prominently in the research field of MC.Moreover，many domestic scholars pay more and more attention to combining the theory and practice of MC and studying them，trying to apply them to the Second Language Acquisition（SLA）and Foreign Language Teaching（FLT）.

Jiang Meng observed the development of MC of English Majors in China，and drawn a conclusion that the level of MC of English learners is limited in our country，but even the higher level of English proficiency of learners is，the higher level of their MC is，the development of MC of learners in foreign language classroom is still relatively slow.JiangMengs research provided a powerful experimental evidence to study the development of MC of English Majors in our country.（Jiang Meng，2006）Fu Fuying considers that strengthening the cultivation of students MC pioneers a new path of FLT，and teachers should be aware to cultivate students MC and help them to understand and even create a new metaphor in order to promote the development of their language skills.（Fu Fuying，2008）Based on the Language Skill Model，Chen Lang advocates applying metaphor theory to SLA included vocabulary，reading，culture and so on，and encouraging students to use of metaphorical thinking to promote their MC.（Chen Lang，2010）Liu Xiangyun also believes that metaphor is not only a kind of linguistic phenomenon，but also a mean of cognition，which influences our ways of thinking.（Liu Xiangyun，2011）

Teachers should set up a new way of thinking in FLT by taking metaphor as the breakthrough point to understand the culture of target language，then to promote the cognitive ability and improve the ability of thinking of students.And teachers should cultivate students MC to improve their proficiency in the use of target language.

2.Definition of Metaphoric Competence

Metaphor is omnipresent，while it is closely connected with human thought and cognition and vital to promote the learners ability to understand and produce metaphors.Mastering MC has become an indispensable part of SLA.MC generally refers to four aspects as following，firstly，the originality of metaphor； secondly，the ability to find out the meaning of metaphor； thirdly，the speed to extract the meaning of metaphor； fourthly，the proficiency to interpret metaphor.（Hu Zhuanglin，2004）Yun Fengshi has carried out the definition of MC at home and abroad，and proposed a new definition of MC，which refers to the ability of cognitive subject constructing a certain semantic relation between cognitive objects based on their own experience in two different domains.（Yuan Fengshi，Xu Baofang，Wang Lifei，2012）

So，MC refers to the ability to distinguish and comprehend metaphor in vocabulary，grammar and discourse，to understand one kind of thing in terms of another，to give a reasonable meaning of metaphor quickly，to identify metaphorical expressions in the news，academic and other reading materials，and to grasp the meaning behind the metaphoric concepts and metaphorical expression.

3.Teaching Reading and Metaphoric Competence

Reading is one of the most important skills in FLT，also an important teaching goal to improve reading proficiency for teachers.But at present，most of English classes are hard to improve students reading proficiency for employing the traditional teaching reading model，which taking the teacher as the center and the students passively participated in the teaching activities.The interactive model of reading is the latest and successful research results in the modern reading theory.It is helpful for students to acquire knowledge of language and culture，strengthen the interaction between the linguistic knowledge and the non linguistic knowledge in the process of reading and improve the reasoning skills of the learners to convey the information from the author.（Ni Jincheng，2014）Fu Bo has contrasted the application effect of traditional model with interactive model and found out the latter one could significantly improved the students reading proficiency better.（Fu Bo，2007）And Su Jiazhuo has drawn a same conclusion by demonstrating the application effect of interactive model and traditional model.（Su Jiazhuo，2010）

Interactive model theory and image schema theory are perfectly in harmony without previous consultation，and we generally believe that the concept of image schema is proposed from the conceptual metaphor theory.Considering that English learners will inevitably come into contacting with metaphor in reading，we can hold that the influence of metaphor on reading proficiency is significant and cultivating MC of students plays a vital role in reading proficiency.

In the process of Teaching Reading，teachers should promote the creative thinking and reading proficiency of students by using of metaphorical thinking to let the students reading more effectively and guiding them building the general idea of article.

4.Conclusion

Metaphors is not only a kind of phenomenon in reading unavoidably，but also the basis of improving reading proficiency.The metaphorical thinking is an important part of interactive model in reading，which has to master.So teachers must pay attention to cultivating MC of students in Teaching Reading to enhance learners reading proficiency so that the learners could enrich their language skills.

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作者简介：孙小瑶（1991.10-），女，汉族，广东惠州人，本科，现为广州大学教育硕士，全日制在读研究生一年级，研究方向：学科教学，英语。