Promoting Figurative Language Competence in the Foreign Language Classroom

Abstract

In this book, we have tried to examine the role of figurative thinking in foreign language learning, focussing on all five areas of competence in Bachman’s (1990) model, namely sociolinguistic, illocutionary, textual, lexico-grammatical, and strategic. It will hopefully be apparent from the previous chapters that there is some variation in the exact nature of its contribution to each of these different areas, and that teachers will therefore need to deal with it in different ways. Generally speaking, in the areas of sociolinguistic and lexico-grammatical competence, the main issue seems to be one making learners aware of the presence of figurative language, and of the ways in which figurative mechanisms operate differently across languages. In contrast to this, in the areas of illocutionary, textual and strategic competence, figurative language takes on a much more functional role, so, in addition to recognising how it reflects stance, increases coherence and cohesion, and contributes to an argument, learners need to know how to use it for maximum effect. This variation is reflected in the types of teaching activities that we have suggested in the different chapters.