A double-edged sword: Metaphor and metonymy through pictures for learning idioms

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  • Kris Ramonda
    Faculty of Foreign Language Studies , Kansai University , Osaka-fu Suita-shi, Yamatecho-3-3-35 , Osaka 564-8680 , Japan

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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This study examined the impact that metaphorical pictures and semantic transparency had on meaning recall of English idioms for L2 learners. Twenty-seven idioms of differing semantic transparency (low, mid, and high) were selected and two types of pictures were drawn for each idiom. One picture type was a literal only representation while the other was a literal+figurative representation. These idioms and picture conditions (no picture, literal only, and literal+figurative) were counterbalanced and presented to student participants (n=64) via a PowerPoint input treatment. The delayed posttests measured meaning recall of the idioms’ L1 paraphrased meaning. The data showed that in absolute terms, literal-figurative pictures promoted better retention of meaning at all levels of transparency, but this finding was most robust for high-transparency idioms. However, a number of pictures, especially those with metonymical elements, led to overspecification, which has wider implications for pictorial input in general.</jats:p>

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