A Didactic Proposal Introducing the Use of Metaphors in Video game ESP Vocabulary Teaching

Abstract

Conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) demonstrated that metaphors go beyond being simple embellishing instruments in human discourse, and that in fact metaphors (that is, conceptual metaphors under CMT)) are mental constructs necessary for organizing and understanding the world around us (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Kövecses, 2017). Metaphors allow us to conceptualize complex concepts, thus making them tangible and accessible (Cortazzi and Jin, 1999; Mouráz, Pereira & Monteiro, 2013). The problem lies in the various paths that different speech communities take for conceptualizing complex concepts. This situation complicates our understanding of, and communication in, a foreign language. Research on the use of metaphor-based activities in the teaching of English for specific purposes (ESP) demonstrates that these activities can be an important instrument in foreign language learning (Heidari, Dabaghi & Barati, 2015). On the one hand, being instructed in metaphoric thinking can help us to understand how different cultures conceptualize the world around them; and on the other hand, it has been proven that metaphor-based activities facilitate lexicon learning (Hoang, 2014; Heidari et al., 2015). Despite the positive results found in studies on metaphor in ESP, this kind of activities have not been included in textbooks and manuals, and are seldom properly implemented in the classroom (Hoang, 2014). The aim of this study is to fill this gap in metaphor-based material by means of a didactic proposal. It is intended to provide teachers with a valuable tool for teaching vocabulary to ESP students studying ‘video games’. These activities are expected to help ESP students to gain metaphor awareness and ‘conceptual fluency’ (Danesi, 2000). Nevertheless, the didactic proposal has not been implemented yet, and its effectiveness is still to be tested. Further research is thus needed to address these limitations and improve the activities therein.