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Perceived Attributions of Discourse Goals for Using Metaphors and Similes by Iranian EFL Undergraduates
Abstract
The bulk of L2 research on
figures of speech boils down to the comprehension domain. By contrast, little
work has been conducted on the investigation of the discourse goals for the
speaker or the writer's figurative production. This study, going beyond the
customary metalinguistic approaches to figurative investigation, aimed at
shedding light into a number of different discourse goals as they were
identified by Iranian EFL undergraduates in sentences
containing figurative language based on 4 independent variables: Figure Type,
Tenor Concreteness, Context, and Modality. The participants were given a number
of sentences, containing both metaphors and similes, and were asked to choose
as many 12 discourse goals as possible which they considered to be the reasons
for triggering the utterances. The results indicated that the discourse goal of
Compare Similarities was more frequently selected for similes than for
metaphors by the participants. The Context variable turned out to have
significant interaction with the choice of the discourse goals of Provoke
Thought, Get Attention, Clarify, and Contrast Differences,
whereas the factor of Modality influenced only Add Emphasis. Also, 3
goals, Add Interest, Clarify, and Show Positive Emotion
significantly affected Tenor Concreteness. Comparatively, some marked
differences were noticed between Iranian L2 learners and native speakers. L2
teachers are, therefore, advised to more emphasize the correct attributions of
discourse goals for metaphors and similes.
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