Does Embodiment of Verbs Influence Predicate Metaphor Processing in a Second Language? Evidence From Picture Priming.

Yin Feng,Rong Zhou

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.759175

Abstract

Distinct from nominal metaphors, predicate metaphors entail metaphorical abstraction from concrete verbs, which generally involve more action and stronger motor simulation than nouns. It remains unclear whether and how the concrete, embodied aspects of verbs are connected with abstract, disembodied thinking in the brains of L2 learners. Since English predicate metaphors are unfamiliar to Chinese L2 learners, the study of embodiment effect on English predicate metaphor processing may provide new evidence for embodied cognition and categorization models that remain controversial, and offer practical insights into L2 metaphor processing and pedagogy. Hence, we aim to investigate whether the embodiment of verbs, via the activation of sensorimotor information, influences two groups of L2 learners during their comprehension of conventional and novel predicate metaphors. The results show a significant effect of embodiment: a stronger facilitation for novel predicate metaphors in both higher-level and lower-level groups, and a weaker facilitation for conventional predicate metaphors in the lower-level group. The findings demonstrate preliminary evidence for a graded effect of embodiment on predicate metaphors processing, modulated by L2 proficiency and metaphor novelty. The study supports a hybrid view of embodied cognition and reveals that sensorimotor aspects of verbs may be the intermediate entity involved in the indirect categorization.

Highlights

Metaphorical language is not just a poetic expression and a conceptual device to communicate abstract ideas
Concerning the data of metaphors, we found that conventional metaphors and novel metaphors were processed faster in the related priming condition than the unrelated priming condition (CM: MRelated = 3073.8 ms < MUnrelated = 3289.3 ms, p = 0.000; novel predicate metaphors (NMs): MRelated = 3545.4 ms < MUnrelated = 3955.4 ms, p = 0.000)
The results of priming size seems to present a gradual facilitation on reaction time (Diff Lower−NM = 469.9 ms, Diff Higher−NM = 332.2 ms, Diff Lower-conventional predicate metaphors (CMs)= 243.7 ms) across metaphor novelty, sentence type and proficiency groups

Summary

Introduction

Metaphorical language is not just a poetic expression and a conceptual device to communicate abstract ideas. Neural studies found sensorimotor activations across brain regions when English natives read predicate metaphors (Chen et al, 2008; Desai et al, 2013; Obert et al, 2014; Lai et al, 2019); it has not been well-understood how Embodiment Effect on Predicate Metaphor action-based metaphors go beyond embodiment to create abstract thoughts in the brains of L2 learners whose language proficiency levels could affect difficulties of comprehension and embodiment. The aims of the present study are to investigate whether and how the embodiment of verbs, via the activation of sensorimotor properties, influences two groups of L2 learners during their comprehension of conventional and novel predicate metaphors and to explore the issues of intermediate entity in their processing of predicate metaphors

Objectives

Results

Conclusion