A Cognitive Linguistic Account of Temporal Metaphors and Its Pedagogical Value for L2 Vocabulary Learning Analyzing Mapping Mechanisms, Image Schemas, and Multimodal Task-Based Instruction
Abstract
Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Traditional rote memorization fails to capture the cognitive rationale behind these expressions. This
study employs Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) to conduct a systematic analysis of "TIME-AS-SPACE" models. It
categorizes linear, vertical, and circular schemas while examining the cognitive continuity inherent in temporal prepositions and verbs across
multiple languages (English, Mandarin, and Spanish). The inquiry posits that temporal language is not an arbitrary collection of collocations
but a reflection of a coherent cognitive system grounded in embodied experience and radial categories. We further argue that this mapping is
multimodal, manifested through linguistic output, mental simulation, and co-speech gestures. A four-stage pedagogical frameworkNotice,
Interpret, Produce, and Evaluateis proposed. By utilizing multimodal task chains and conceptual clustering, this framework assists learners
in constructing a structured mental lexicon and fostering heightened metaphorical awareness.
Keywords
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/rcha.v4i5.9736
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