An exploration of CFL learners’ metaphor use in second language writing: Effects of genre and topic

Abstract

This article investigates the effects of genre and topic on the metaphors used by Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) learners’ writing. Using Conceptual Metaphor Theory as the theoretical framework, our study analyzed 900 essays, which include three genres (argumentative essays, narrative essays, and letter writing) and six topics, extracted from the HSK Dynamic Essay Corpus. The results show that both genre and topic influence the use of metaphors by CFL learners, but their effects manifest in different ways. Genre influences the frequency of metaphor due to differences in pragmatic purposes. Specifically, we found that argumentative essays and narrative essays exhibit a notably higher frequency of metaphor use than letter writing. Argumentative essays have a higher frequency than narrative essays. Topic not only affects the frequency of metaphor use but also influences the selection and frequency of classic source domains. Additionally, differences in metaphor frequency across topics are more pronounced in genres with higher metaphor frequency (argumentative essays and narrative essays) and insignificant in a genre with the lowest metaphor frequency (letter writing). Our findings contribute to the further development of conceptual metaphor theory, as well as to the teaching of genre and metaphor in Chinese L2 writing.