THE EFFECT OF USING MULTIMODAL CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH READING AND WRITING SKILLS

Conceptual metaphors have a wide presence in our daily lives and also have a special place in cognitive linguistics. Many researchers emphasize the importance of metaphors in the language learning process. Learners face many challenges encountering metaphorical expressions in the target language, and since metaphors are present in most discourse contexts, they cannot be ignored. In this paper, we argue the effects of explicit multimodal metaphor training in developing reading and writing skills in an EFL context. To examine the effects of using conceptual metaphors in English language classrooms and assess the metaphorical ability of EFL students, we directed two measuring instruments: pre-test and post-test for control and experimental groups in both reading and writing skills. The pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group who were exposed to explicit multimodal metaphor training were compared with the control group's scores through this bipartite study. The outcomes of this paper can shed light on teaching and learning the multimodal language in an EFL context. The findings showed that learners who were exposed to multimodal metaphors and received explicit instruction from their teacher resulted in a better understanding of metaphorical texts, enhancing the ability of metaphor production and also in better scores. In other words, this paper found that explicit multimodal metaphor instructions can lead to some improvements in metaphor comprehension and production in an EFL context.