中国英语学习者英语隐喻加工与概念整合——来自ERP的证据
|
摘要
本研究旨在通过事件相关电位(ERP)调查中国英语学习者英语隐喻理解的认知机制。三十名被试根据英语水平被分为两组。实验采用句尾词范式,实验句均控制为X(s)是Y(s)的形式。通过语义判断任务,比较和分析两组受试者在阅读英语违例句、隐喻句和本义句时引发的ERP成分。实验结果支持概念整合理论,认为所有语言形式都是用相同的机制处理,消耗不同程度的认知资源。同时,二语水平对隐喻加工有一定影响,中国低水平英语学习者无法在认知层面上清楚地区分英语隐喻和本义表达,而较高水平的英语学习者在隐喻加工中花费相对更多的认知资源和认知努力。
The present study aims to investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying English metaphor processing by Chinese EFL learners. Thirty participants were grouped based on their English proficiency. A sentence-final word paradigm was adopted with stimuli being of the X( s) be Y( s) form. Through a semantic judgment task,ERPs elicited by anomalous,metaphorical and literal sentence endings by subjects in both groups were compared and analyzed. The results support the conceptual blending theory in that all languages are processed with the same mechanism though costing different cognitive effort. What's more,results show that language proficiency does play a role in metaphor processing. English metaphors and literal expressions are not clearly distinguished cognitively for Chinese EFL learners with low level of proficiency. It is also suggested in the present study that learners with higher English proficiency spent relatively more cognitive resources in metaphor processing.
The present study aims to investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying English metaphor processing by Chinese EFL learners. Thirty participants were grouped based on their English proficiency. A sentence-final word paradigm was adopted with stimuli being of the X( s) be Y( s) form. Through a semantic judgment task,ERPs elicited by anomalous,metaphorical and literal sentence endings by subjects in both groups were compared and analyzed. The results support the conceptual blending theory in that all languages are processed with the same mechanism though costing different cognitive effort. What's more,results show that language proficiency does play a role in metaphor processing. English metaphors and literal expressions are not clearly distinguished cognitively for Chinese EFL learners with low level of proficiency. It is also suggested in the present study that learners with higher English proficiency spent relatively more cognitive resources in metaphor processing.
引文
[1]Arzouan,Y.,Goldstein,A.&M.Faust.Dynamics of hemispheric activity during metaphor comprehension:Electrophysiological Measures[J].Neuro Image,2007,36(1):222-231.
[2]Balconi,M.&S.Amenta.“A fighter is a lion.”Neuropsychological indexes in comprehending frozen metaphors[J].Journal of Pragmatics,2010,42(12):3246-3257.
[3]Blasko,D.&C.M.Connine.Effects of familiarity and aptness on metaphor processing[J].Exp.Psychol.Learn.Mem.Cogn,1993,19:295-308.
[4]Bowdle,B.F.&D.Gentner.The career of metaphor[J].Psychological Review,2005,112(1):193-216.
[5]Charteris-Black,J.Second language figurative proficiency:A comparative study of Malay and English[J].Applied Linguistics,2002,23:104-33.
[6]Chen,H.J.,Peng,X.S.&Y.L.Zhao.An ERP study on metaphor comprehension in the bilingual brain[J].Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics,2013,36(4):505-517.
[7]Coulson,S.&C.Van Petten.Conceptual integration and metaphor:An event-related potential study[J].Memory&Cognition,2002,30(6):958-968.
[8]De Grauwe,S.,Swain,A.,Holcomb,P.J.,Ditman,T.&G.R.Kuperberg.Electrophysiological insights into the processing of nominal metaphors[J].Neuropsychologia,2010,48(7):1965-1984.
[9]Elston-Guettler,K.E.,Paulmann,S.&S.A.Kotz.Who’s in control?Proficiency and L1 influence on L2 processing[J].Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,2005,17(10):1593-1610.
[10]Fauconnier,G.&M.Turner.Conceptual integration networks[J].Cognitive Science,2008,22(2):133-187.
[11]Fauconnier,G.&M.Turner.The Way We Think[M].New York:Basic Books,2002.
[12]Friederici,A.D.The time course of syntactic activation during language processing:A model based on neuropsychological and neurophysiological data[J].Brain Language,1995,50(3):259-281.
[13]Gibbs,R.W.Spilling the beans on understanding and memory for idioms[J].Memory&Cognition,1980,8(2):149-156.
[14]Gibbs,R.W.Literal meaning and psychological theory[J].Cognitive Science,1984,8(3):275-304.
[15]Gibbs,R.W.On the psycholinguistics of sarcasm[J].Journal of Experimental Psychology General,1986,115:3-15.
[16]Gildea,P.&S.Glucksberg.On understanding metaphor:The role of context[J].Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior,1983,22:577-590.
[17]Giora,R.On the priority of salient meanings:Studies of literal and figurative language[J].Journal of Pragmatics,1999,31(7):919-929.
[18]Glucksberg,S.The psycholinguistics of metaphor[J].Trends in Cognitive Sciences,2003,7(2):92-96.
[19]Greenhouse,S.W.&S.Geisser.On methods in the analysis of profile data[J].Psychometrika,1959,24(2):95-112.
[20]Grice,H.P.Logic and conversation[C]//Cole,P.&J.L.Morgan.Syntax and Semantics:vol.3.Speech Acts.New York:Academic Press,1975.41-58.
[21]Inho,A.,Lima,S.D.&P.J.Carroll.Contextual effects on metaphor comprehension in reading[J].Memory and Cognition,1984,12:558-567.
[22]Kaan,E.,Harris,A.,Gibson,E.&P.J.Holcomb.The P600 as an index of syntactic integration difficulty[J].Language Cognitive Processes,2000,15(2):159-201.
[23]Kotz,S.A.&K.Elston-Güttler.The role of proficiency on processing categorical and associative information in the l2 as revealed by reaction times and event-related brain potentials[J].Journal of Neurolinguistics,2004,17(2):215-235.
[24]Kutas,M.&S.A.Hillyard.Reading senseless sentences:Brain potentials reflect semantic incongruity[J].Science,1980,207:203-205.
[25]Kutas,M.&S.A.Hillyard.Brain potentials during reading reflect word expectancy and semantic association[J].Nature,1984,307:161-163.
[26]Lai,V.T.,T.Curran&L.Menn.Comprehending conventional and novel metaphors:An ERP study[J].Brain Research,2009,1284:145-155.
[27]Lakoff,G.Metaphor and Thought(2nd ed.)[M].Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,1992.
[28]Lakoff,G.&M.Johnson.Metaphors We Live By[M].Chicago:University of Chicago Press,1980.
[29]Littlemore,J.&G.Low.Figurative Thinking and Foreign Language Learning[M].New York:Palgrave Macmillan,2006.
[30]Lu,A.&J.X.Zhang.Event-related potential evidence for the early activation of literal meaning during comprehension of conventional lexical metaphors.Neuropsychologia,2012,50(8):1730-1738.
[31]Ortony,A.,Schallert,D.L.,Reynolds,R.E.&S.J.Antos.Interpreting metaphors and idioms:some effects of context on comprehension[J].Journal of Verbal learning and Verbal Behavior,1978,17:465-477.
[32]Paller,K.A.&M.Kutas.Brain potentials during memory retrieval provide neurophysiological support for the distinction between conscious recollection and priming[J].Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,1992,4(4):375-392.
[33]Pynte,J.,Besson,M.,Robichon,F.H.&J.Poli.The time-course of metaphor comprehension:An event-related potential study[J].Brain and Language,1996,55(3):293-316.
[34]Searle,J.R.Expression and Meaning:Studies in the Theory of Speech Acts[M].Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,1979.
[35]Tang,X.,Qi,S.,Wang,B.,Jia,X.,&W.Ren.The temporal dynamics underlying the comprehension of scientific metaphors and poetic metaphors[J].Brain Research,2017,1655:33-40.
[36]Tartter,V.C.,Gomes,H.,Dubrovsky,B.,Molholm,S.&R.V.Stewart.Novel metaphors appear anomalous at least momentarily:Evidence from N400[J].Brain and Language,2002,80(3):488-509.
[37]Türker,E.The role of L1 conceptual and linguistic knowledge and frequency in the acquisition of L2 metaphorical expressions[J].Second Language Research,2016,32(1):25-48.
[38]Van Herten,M.,Kolk,H.H.&D.J.Chwilla.An ERP study of P600 effects elicited by semantic anomalies[J].Cognitive Brain Research,2005,22(2):241-255.
[39]Weiland,H.,Bambini,V.&P.B.Schumacher.The role of literal meaning in figurative language comprehension:Evidence from masked priming ERP[J].Frontiers in Human Neuroscience,2014,8:583-583.
[40]Yang,F.P.G.,Bradley,K.,Huq,M.,Wu,D.&D.Krawczyk.Contextual effects on conceptual blending in metaphors:An even-related potential study[J].Journal of Neurolinguistics,2013,26(2):312-326.
[41]Yeganehjoo,M.,Yap,N.T.,Abdullah,M.H.&B.H.Tan.The influence of cross-linguistic similarities on L2idiom production[J].The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies,2012,18:91-107.
[42]Zhao,M.,Meng,H.S.,Xu,Z.Y.,Du,F.L.,Liu,T.,Li,Y.X.&F.Y.Chen.The neuromechanism underlying verbal analogical reasoning of metaphorical relations:An event-related potentials study[J].Brain Research,2011,1425(33):62-74.
[43]龚玉苗,周榕.隐喻理解的ERPs研究述评[J].心理学探新,2009,29(2):38-42.
[44]刘燕妮,舒华.ERP与语言研究[J].心理科学进展,2003,11(3):296-302.
[45]束定芳.论隐喻产生的认知、心理和语言原因[J].外语学刊,2000,(2):23-33.
[46]束定芳.论隐喻的运作机制[J].外语教学与研究,2002,34(2):98-106.
[47]吴诗玉,马拯,冯新华.二语隐喻理解加工的认知机制研究:跨模式启动实验的证据[J].外语教学与研究,2014,(6):889-900.
[48]徐知媛,王小潞.中国英语学习者的隐喻理解策略及理解模型建构[J].外语教学与研究,2014,46(1):98-110.
[49]周恩,丁年青.大学英语教学与双语教学的衔接:现状与思考[J].外语界,2012,(4):68-75.
[2]Balconi,M.&S.Amenta.“A fighter is a lion.”Neuropsychological indexes in comprehending frozen metaphors[J].Journal of Pragmatics,2010,42(12):3246-3257.
[3]Blasko,D.&C.M.Connine.Effects of familiarity and aptness on metaphor processing[J].Exp.Psychol.Learn.Mem.Cogn,1993,19:295-308.
[4]Bowdle,B.F.&D.Gentner.The career of metaphor[J].Psychological Review,2005,112(1):193-216.
[5]Charteris-Black,J.Second language figurative proficiency:A comparative study of Malay and English[J].Applied Linguistics,2002,23:104-33.
[6]Chen,H.J.,Peng,X.S.&Y.L.Zhao.An ERP study on metaphor comprehension in the bilingual brain[J].Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics,2013,36(4):505-517.
[7]Coulson,S.&C.Van Petten.Conceptual integration and metaphor:An event-related potential study[J].Memory&Cognition,2002,30(6):958-968.
[8]De Grauwe,S.,Swain,A.,Holcomb,P.J.,Ditman,T.&G.R.Kuperberg.Electrophysiological insights into the processing of nominal metaphors[J].Neuropsychologia,2010,48(7):1965-1984.
[9]Elston-Guettler,K.E.,Paulmann,S.&S.A.Kotz.Who’s in control?Proficiency and L1 influence on L2 processing[J].Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,2005,17(10):1593-1610.
[10]Fauconnier,G.&M.Turner.Conceptual integration networks[J].Cognitive Science,2008,22(2):133-187.
[11]Fauconnier,G.&M.Turner.The Way We Think[M].New York:Basic Books,2002.
[12]Friederici,A.D.The time course of syntactic activation during language processing:A model based on neuropsychological and neurophysiological data[J].Brain Language,1995,50(3):259-281.
[13]Gibbs,R.W.Spilling the beans on understanding and memory for idioms[J].Memory&Cognition,1980,8(2):149-156.
[14]Gibbs,R.W.Literal meaning and psychological theory[J].Cognitive Science,1984,8(3):275-304.
[15]Gibbs,R.W.On the psycholinguistics of sarcasm[J].Journal of Experimental Psychology General,1986,115:3-15.
[16]Gildea,P.&S.Glucksberg.On understanding metaphor:The role of context[J].Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior,1983,22:577-590.
[17]Giora,R.On the priority of salient meanings:Studies of literal and figurative language[J].Journal of Pragmatics,1999,31(7):919-929.
[18]Glucksberg,S.The psycholinguistics of metaphor[J].Trends in Cognitive Sciences,2003,7(2):92-96.
[19]Greenhouse,S.W.&S.Geisser.On methods in the analysis of profile data[J].Psychometrika,1959,24(2):95-112.
[20]Grice,H.P.Logic and conversation[C]//Cole,P.&J.L.Morgan.Syntax and Semantics:vol.3.Speech Acts.New York:Academic Press,1975.41-58.
[21]Inho,A.,Lima,S.D.&P.J.Carroll.Contextual effects on metaphor comprehension in reading[J].Memory and Cognition,1984,12:558-567.
[22]Kaan,E.,Harris,A.,Gibson,E.&P.J.Holcomb.The P600 as an index of syntactic integration difficulty[J].Language Cognitive Processes,2000,15(2):159-201.
[23]Kotz,S.A.&K.Elston-Güttler.The role of proficiency on processing categorical and associative information in the l2 as revealed by reaction times and event-related brain potentials[J].Journal of Neurolinguistics,2004,17(2):215-235.
[24]Kutas,M.&S.A.Hillyard.Reading senseless sentences:Brain potentials reflect semantic incongruity[J].Science,1980,207:203-205.
[25]Kutas,M.&S.A.Hillyard.Brain potentials during reading reflect word expectancy and semantic association[J].Nature,1984,307:161-163.
[26]Lai,V.T.,T.Curran&L.Menn.Comprehending conventional and novel metaphors:An ERP study[J].Brain Research,2009,1284:145-155.
[27]Lakoff,G.Metaphor and Thought(2nd ed.)[M].Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,1992.
[28]Lakoff,G.&M.Johnson.Metaphors We Live By[M].Chicago:University of Chicago Press,1980.
[29]Littlemore,J.&G.Low.Figurative Thinking and Foreign Language Learning[M].New York:Palgrave Macmillan,2006.
[30]Lu,A.&J.X.Zhang.Event-related potential evidence for the early activation of literal meaning during comprehension of conventional lexical metaphors.Neuropsychologia,2012,50(8):1730-1738.
[31]Ortony,A.,Schallert,D.L.,Reynolds,R.E.&S.J.Antos.Interpreting metaphors and idioms:some effects of context on comprehension[J].Journal of Verbal learning and Verbal Behavior,1978,17:465-477.
[32]Paller,K.A.&M.Kutas.Brain potentials during memory retrieval provide neurophysiological support for the distinction between conscious recollection and priming[J].Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,1992,4(4):375-392.
[33]Pynte,J.,Besson,M.,Robichon,F.H.&J.Poli.The time-course of metaphor comprehension:An event-related potential study[J].Brain and Language,1996,55(3):293-316.
[34]Searle,J.R.Expression and Meaning:Studies in the Theory of Speech Acts[M].Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,1979.
[35]Tang,X.,Qi,S.,Wang,B.,Jia,X.,&W.Ren.The temporal dynamics underlying the comprehension of scientific metaphors and poetic metaphors[J].Brain Research,2017,1655:33-40.
[36]Tartter,V.C.,Gomes,H.,Dubrovsky,B.,Molholm,S.&R.V.Stewart.Novel metaphors appear anomalous at least momentarily:Evidence from N400[J].Brain and Language,2002,80(3):488-509.
[37]Türker,E.The role of L1 conceptual and linguistic knowledge and frequency in the acquisition of L2 metaphorical expressions[J].Second Language Research,2016,32(1):25-48.
[38]Van Herten,M.,Kolk,H.H.&D.J.Chwilla.An ERP study of P600 effects elicited by semantic anomalies[J].Cognitive Brain Research,2005,22(2):241-255.
[39]Weiland,H.,Bambini,V.&P.B.Schumacher.The role of literal meaning in figurative language comprehension:Evidence from masked priming ERP[J].Frontiers in Human Neuroscience,2014,8:583-583.
[40]Yang,F.P.G.,Bradley,K.,Huq,M.,Wu,D.&D.Krawczyk.Contextual effects on conceptual blending in metaphors:An even-related potential study[J].Journal of Neurolinguistics,2013,26(2):312-326.
[41]Yeganehjoo,M.,Yap,N.T.,Abdullah,M.H.&B.H.Tan.The influence of cross-linguistic similarities on L2idiom production[J].The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies,2012,18:91-107.
[42]Zhao,M.,Meng,H.S.,Xu,Z.Y.,Du,F.L.,Liu,T.,Li,Y.X.&F.Y.Chen.The neuromechanism underlying verbal analogical reasoning of metaphorical relations:An event-related potentials study[J].Brain Research,2011,1425(33):62-74.
[43]龚玉苗,周榕.隐喻理解的ERPs研究述评[J].心理学探新,2009,29(2):38-42.
[44]刘燕妮,舒华.ERP与语言研究[J].心理科学进展,2003,11(3):296-302.
[45]束定芳.论隐喻产生的认知、心理和语言原因[J].外语学刊,2000,(2):23-33.
[46]束定芳.论隐喻的运作机制[J].外语教学与研究,2002,34(2):98-106.
[47]吴诗玉,马拯,冯新华.二语隐喻理解加工的认知机制研究:跨模式启动实验的证据[J].外语教学与研究,2014,(6):889-900.
[48]徐知媛,王小潞.中国英语学习者的隐喻理解策略及理解模型建构[J].外语教学与研究,2014,46(1):98-110.
[49]周恩,丁年青.大学英语教学与双语教学的衔接:现状与思考[J].外语界,2012,(4):68-75.