Figurative Thinking and Sociolinguistic Competence

Abstract

In Chapters 1 to 4, we saw that engaging in figurative thinking can in many cases help language learners work out a reasonable approximation of the meaning of unknown vocabulary, as well as extend the variety of things that they can talk about with their existing vocabulary. We also saw that although learners are likely to vary in their ability to engage in figurative thinking, several of the skills involved appear to be trainable, and that under appropriate instructional conditions, figurative thinking can lead to learning. The focus in Chapters 3 and 4 was very much on psychological processing; what we have not discussed in any detail is the role that figurative language, and by extension, figurative thinking, might play in performing (and acquiring mastery over) communicative functions. In the next five chapters, we will do precisely this, taking as a framework the model of communicative language ability proposed by Bachman (1990).