Exploring crosslinguistic influence on learning particles in phrasal
verbs through a cognitive linguistic approach
It is now well established that English phrasal verbs cause
English as foreign language learners no small degree of confusion due to the
semantic complexity. However, the influence of crosslinguistic transfer on
learning phrasal verbs has remained unclear. There even has been little
qualitative analysis of the crosslinguistic difference between literal and
metaphorical meanings of particles. This paper proposes an instructional
approach underpinned by metaphor and categorization in cognitive linguistics and
highlights particles as a means of disentangling polysemous verb-particle
constructions. Fifteen students from four universities in Taipei City and City of Newcastle upon Tyne
participated in the study. Results of the qualitative data, i.e., discussion
tasks, in-session tasks, and interviews, suggested that despite the difficulty
of understanding some target items, the crosslinguistic similarities and
differences generally aid the learning of the phrasal verbs via the proposed
approach. Raising an awareness of crosslinguistic difference between
metaphorical meanings of particles can be pedagogically useful.
Article outline
- 1.Background
- 1.1Challenges of phrasal verbs in EFL learning
- 1.2Cognitive linguistic approach to teaching particles and phrasal verbs
- 1.3Crosslinguistic influence
- 1.4Objectives of the study
- 2.Methods
- 2.1Participants
- 2.2Materials
- 2.3Instruments
- 2.4Procedure
- 2.5Analysis
- 3.Results and discussion
- 3.1Research question one: Crosslinguistic similarities and differences
- 3.1.1Similar L1/L2 use in spatial meanings of particles in phrasal
verbs
- 3.1.2Similar L1/L2 use in temporal/metaphorical meanings of particles in
phrasal verbs
- 3.1.3Different L1/L2 use in spatial meanings of particles in phrasal
verbs
- 3.1.4Different L1/L2 use in temporal/metaphorical meanings of particles in
phrasal verbs
- 3.2Research question two: L2 production
- 3.2.1Phrasal verbs with spatial meanings
- 3.2.2Phrasal verbs with temporal meanings
- 3.2.3Phrasal verbs with metaphorical meanings
- 3.3Research question three: Learners’ attitudes toward the cognitive linguistic
approach intervention
- 4.Conclusion and pedagogical implications
-
References
References (79)
References
Atkinson, D. (1987). The
mother tongue in the classroom: A neglected
resource?. ELT
Journal,
41
(4), 241–247. 

Atkinson, D. (1993). Teaching
in the target language: A problem in the current
orthodoxy. The Language Learning
Journal,
8
(1), 2–5. 

Boers, F. (2000). Metaphor
awareness and vocabulary retention. Applied
Linguistics,
21
(4), 553–571. 

Boers, F. (2013). Cognitive
linguistic approaches to teaching vocabulary: Assessment and
integration. Language
Teaching,
46
(2), 208–224. 

Boers, F., & Lindstromberg, S. (Eds.). (2008). Cognitive
linguistic approaches to teaching vocabulary and
phraseology. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 

Boers, F., & Stengers, H. (2008). A
quantitative comparison of the English and Spanish repertoires of figurative
idioms. In F. Boers & S. Lindstromberg (Eds.), Cognitive
linguistic approaches to teaching vocabulary and
phraseology (pp. 355–374). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 

Bolinger, D. (1971). The
phrasal verb in
English. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Brugman, C. (1981). The
story of over. Master’s
thesis. Berkeley: University of California.
Butzkamm, W. (1998). Code-switching
in a bilingual history lesson: The mother tongue as a conversational
lubricant. International Journal of Bilingual
Education and
Bilingualism,
1
(2), 81–99. 

Butzkamm, W. (2003). We
only learn language once. The role of the mother tongue in FL classrooms:
Death of a dogma. The Language Learning
Journal,
28
(1), 29–39. 

Celce-Murcia, M., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999). The
grammar book: An ESL/EFL teacher’s
course. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
Cervantes, I. M., & Gablasova, D. (2018). Phrasal
verbs in L2 spoken English: The effect of L2 proficiency and L1
background. In V. Brezina & L. Flowerdew (Eds.), Learner
corpus research: New perspectives and
applications (pp. 28–46). London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Charteris-Black, J. (2002). Second
language figurative proficiency: A comparative study of Malay and
English. Applied
Linguistics,
23
(1), 104–133. 

Cook, V. (2001). Using
the first language in the classroom. The
Canadian Modern Language
Review,
57
(3), 402–423. 

Cooper, T. C. (1999). Processing
of idioms by L2 learners of English. TESOL
Quarterly,
33
(2), 233–262. 

Cornell, A. (1999). Idioms:
An approach to identifying major pitfalls for
learners. International Review of Applied
Linguistics in Language
Teaching,
37
(1), 1–22. 

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative
inquiry & research design: Choosing among five
approaches. Thousand Oak: Sage.
Dagut, M., & Laufer, B. (1985). Avoidance
of phrasal verbs – A case for contrastive
analysis. Studies in Second Language
Acquisition,
7
(1), 73–79. 

Deignan, A., Gabryś, D., & Solska, A. (1997). Teaching
English metaphors using cross-linguistic awareness-raising
activities. ELT
Journal,
51
(4), 352–360. 

Dirven, R. (2001). English
phrasal verbs: Theory and didactic
application. In M. Pütz, S. Niemeier & R. Dirven (Eds.), Applied
cognitive linguistics II: Language
pedagogy (pp. 3–28). Berlin & Boston: Mouton de Gruyter. 

Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research
methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed
methodologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Duff, P. (2018). Case
study research in applied linguistics. New York & London: Routledge. 

El-Dakhs, D. A. S., Sonbul, S., & Alwazzan, R. (2021). Learning
phrasal verbs in the EFL classroom: The effect of prior vocabulary knowledge
and opacity. International Review of Applied
Linguistics in Language
Teaching,
60
(4), 1253–1291. 

Elgort, I. (2017). Incorrect
inferences and contextual word learning in English as a second
language. Journal of the European Second
Language
Association,
1
(1), 1–11. 

Gairns, R., & Redman, S. (2011). Idioms
and phrasal verbs. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gardner, D., & Davies, M. (2007). Pointing
out frequent phrasal verbs: A corpus-based
analysis. TESOL
Quarterly,
41
(2), 339–359. 

Garnier, M., & Schmitt, N. (2015). The
PHaVE List: A pedagogical list of phrasal verbs and their most frequent
meaning senses. Language Teaching
Research,
19
(6), 645–666. 

Gu, P. Y. (2003). Vocabulary
learning in a second language: Person, task, context and
strategies. Teaching English as a Second or
Foreign
Language,
7
(2), 1–25.
Holme, R. (2004). Mind,
metaphor and language teaching. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Holme, R. (2009). Cognitive
linguistics and language
teaching. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Holme, R. (2012). Cognitive
linguistics and the second language
classroom. TESOL
Quarterly,
46
(1), 6–29. 

Hulstijn, J. H., & Marchena, E. (1989). Avoidance:
Grammatical or semantic causes. Studies in
Second Language
Acquisition,
11
(3), 241–255. 

Irujo, S. (1986). A
piece of cake: Learning and teaching
idioms. ELT
Journal,
40
(3), 236–242. 

Kövecses, Z., & Szabó, P. (1996). Idioms:
A view from cognitive semantics. Applied
Linguistics,
17
(3), 326–355. 

Krashen, S. (1989). We
acquire vocabulary and spelling by reading: Additional evidence for the
input hypothesis. The Modern Language
Journal,
73
(4), 440–464. 

Krashen, S. (2004). The
power of reading: Insights from the
research. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Kurtyka, A. (2001). Teaching
English phrasal verbs: A cognitive
approach. In M. Pütz, S. Niemeier & R. Dirven (Eds.), Applied
cognitive linguistics II: Language
pedagogy (pp. 29–54). Berlin & Boston: Mouton de Gruyter. 

Lakoff, G. (1987). Women,
fire, and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the
mind. London: University of Chicago Press. 

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors
we live
by. London: University of Chicago Press.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2003). Metaphors
we live
by. London: University of Chicago Press. 

Langacker, R. W. (1987). Foundations
of cognitive grammar (vol. I): Theoretical
prerequisites. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Laufer, B., & Eliasson, S. (1993). What
causes avoidance in L2 learning: L1-L2 difference, L1-L2 similarity, or L2
complexity?. Studies in Second Language
Acquisition,
15
(1), 35–48. 

Laufer, B., & Girsai, N. (2008). Form-focused
instruction in second language vocabulary learning: A case for contrastive
analysis and translation. Applied
Linguistics,
29
(4), 694–716. 

Leow, R. P. (2001). Do
learners notice enhanced forms while interacting with the L2?: An online and
offline study of the role of written input enhancement in L2
reading. Hispania,
84
(3), 496–509. 

Li, L., & Xu, H. (2015). Using
an online dictionary for identifying the meanings of verb phrases by Chinese
EFL
learners. Lexikos,
25
1, 191–209. 

Liao, Y., & Fukuya, Y. J. (2004). Avoidance
of phrasal verbs: The case of Chinese learners of
English. Language
Learning,
54
(2), 193–226. 

Lindstromberg, S. (1996). Prepositions:
Meaning and method. ELT
Journal,
50
(3), 225–236. 

Littlemore, J. (2003). The
communicative effectiveness of different types of communication
strategy. System,
31
(3), 331–347. 

Littlemore, J. (2009). Applying
cognitive linguistics to second language learning and
teaching. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Lu, Z., & Sun, J. (2017). Presenting
English polysemous phrasal verbs with two metaphor-based cognitive methods
to Chinese EFL
learners. System,
69
1, 153–161. 

Mahpeykar, N., & Tyler, A. (2015). A
principled cognitive linguistics account of English phrasal verbs with up
and out. Language and
Cognition,
7
(1), 1–35. 

Moon, R. (1997). Vocabulary
connections: Multi-word items in
English. In N. Schmitt & M. McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary:
Description, acquisition and
pedagogy (pp. 40–63). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning
vocabulary in another
language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

Neagu, M. (2007). English
verb particles and their acquisition: A cognitive
approach. Revista Española de Lingüística
Aplicada,
20
1, 121–138.
Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1985). A
comprehensive grammar of the English
language. London: Longman.
Ravin, Y., & Leacock, C. (2000). Polysemy:
An
overview. In Y. Ravin & C. Leacock (Eds.), Polysemy:
Theoretical and computational
approaches (pp. 1–29). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

Rosch, E. (1975). Cognitive
representations of semantic
categories. Journal of Experimental
Psychology:
General,
104
(3), 192–233. 

Rosch, E. (1977). Human
categorization. Studies in Cross-Cultural
Psychology,
1
1, 1–49.
Rosch, E., Mervis, C. B., Gray, W. D., Johnson, D. M., & Boyes-Braem, P. (1976). Basic
objects in natural categories. Cognitive
Psychology,
8
(3), 382–439. 

Rudzka-Ostyn, B. (2003). Word
power: Phrasal verbs and compounds: A cognitive
approach. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 

Schmidt, R. W. (1990). The
role of consciousness in second language
learning. Applied
Linguistics,
11
(2), 129–158. 

Schmitt, N. (1997). Vocabulary
learning
strategies. In N. Schmitt & M. McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary:
Description, acquisition and
pedagogy (pp. 199–227). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schmitt, N., & McCarthy, M. (Eds.). (1997). Vocabulary:
Description, acquisition and
pedagogy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Smith, S. A. (2021). Exploring
knowledge of transparent and non-transparent multi-word phrases among L2
English learners living in an anglophone
setting. System,
101
1, 102590. 

Strong, B., & Boers, F. (2019). The
error in trial and error: Exercises on phrasal
verbs. TESOL
Quarterly,
53
(2), 289–319. 

Swan, M. (1997). The
influence of the mother tongue on second language vocabulary acquisition and
use. In N. Schmitt & M. McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary:
Description, acquisition and
pedagogy (pp. 156–280). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Talmy, L. (2000). Toward
a cognitive semantics (vol. II): Typology and process in
concept. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Taylor, J. R. (2017). Syntactic
constructions as prototype
categories. In M. Tomasello (Ed.), The
new psychology of language: Cognitive and functional approaches to language
structure (vol.
1) (pp. 177–202). New York: Routledge. 

Torres-Martínez, S. (2015). A
constructionist approach to the teaching of phrasal verbs: Dispelling the
verb+particle myth in multiword verb
instruction. English
Today,
31
(3), 46–58. 

Tyler, A., & Evans, V. (2004). Applying
cognitive linguistics to pedagogical grammar: The case of
over. In M. Achard & S. Niemeier (Eds.), Cognitive
linguistics, second language acquisition, and foreign language
teaching (Vol. 181) (pp. 257–280). Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 

van der Veer, R. (2000). Some
reflections concerning Gal’perin’s
theory. Human
Development,
43
1, 99–102. 

Verspoor, M., & Lowie, W. (2003). Making
sense of polysemous words. Language
Learning,
53
(3), 547–586. 

White, B. J. (2012). A
conceptual approach to the instruction of phrasal
verbs. The Modern Language
Journal,
96
(3), 419–438. 

Yasuda, S. (2010). Learning
phrasal verbs through conceptual metaphors: A case of Japanese EFL
Learners. TESOL
Quarterly,
44
(2), 250–273. 

Zibin, A. (2016). The
comprehension of metaphorical expressions by Jordanian EFL
learners. Sage
Open,
6
(2), 1–15. 

Cited by (1)
Cited by one other publication
Lin, Sarah Hui-Ching & Alex Ho-Cheong Leung
2024.
ESL classroom interactions in a translanguaging space.
Applied Linguistics Review 15:6
► pp. 2397 ff.

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 14 november 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.