Graduation paper 2009 NGUYEN PHU QUYNH n

Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Running Head: TEACHING PHRASAL VERBS- A COGNITIVE APPROACH Conceptual Metaphor and Its Application in Teaching Phrasal Verbs to English Majors at Thuc Hanh High School, HCMC Nguyen Phu Quynh Nhu and Phan Thanh Bich Huyen HCMC University of Education Supervisor: Mr Nguyen Ngoc Vu (M Ed.) April 6th, 2009 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, we would like to extend our great gratitude to Mr Nguyen Ngoc Vu whose invaluable guidance and constant support have made all this happen His profound knowledge of linguistics has, to a great extent, aided us from choosing and narrowing down the topic to doing the experiments in the most suitable and realistic way Secondly, we are also indebted to Dr Nguyen Thanh Tung whose course on research methodology benefits us a lot when we start writing the paper We, never for once, have to worry about the format as to which chapters go after which as well as what should be written for each one Thirdly, we wish to send special thanks to the English Department staff for their ongoing assistance and care in ensuring that we are provided with the best conditions to conduct our study Last but not least, bundles of thanks are sent to our beloved family and friends whose undying love and support are the greatest source of comfort with which we can complete this paper Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Table of Contents Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .6 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .9 Cognitive Linguistics Conceptual Metaphor Theory 13 Phrasal Verbs 26 CHAPTER 3: DESIGN AND METHOD OF INVESTIGATION 38 Research Sites 38 Participants 38 Data Type and Method of Collection 39 Analytical Framework 39 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 44 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 51 Discussion .51 Strengths of the Study .52 Weaknesses of the Study 52 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 53 Conclusion 53 Recommendations 53 REFERENCES 55 APPENDIX A – Control Group’s Handout 58 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach APPENDIX B – Experimental Group’s Handout .63 APPENDIX C – Worksheet 69 APPENDIX D – Answer Key to the Worksheet 73 APPENDIX E – Conceptual Metaphors Used in the Worksheet .75 APPENDIX F – Tables .77 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach ABSTRACT This paper presents the theory of cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphor to organize phrasal verbs according to the four particles “in”, “out”, “up”, and “down” On that basis, the study attempts to test the practicality of the cognitive approach to teaching phrasal verbs The research design was quantitative, experimenting with English majors at Thuc Hanh High School in two separate groups: control and experimental Results showed that all of the experimental groups surpass the control groups in guessing the meanings of unfamiliar phrasal verbs The findings suggest that conceptual metaphor can be used as an effective tool in teaching phrasal verbs at high schools Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Setting the Scene In Vietnam, as for high school students’ foreign language learning, phrasal verbs, which constitute a remarkable portion in the English language, are often considered one of the hardest aspects to master Among the most regularly given reasons is the claim that phrasal verbs are merely accidental combinations of words whose meanings differ to a great extent from the meaning of each individual word Besides, more phrasal verbs are being created day by day by the native speakers, somehow making the understanding of phrasal verbs’ meanings, which is arbitrary in itself, much more complicated Problem The traditional way of teaching phrasal verbs in Vietnam is mainly focusing on how they work, i.e what their meanings are and where they stand in a sentence, rather than on why they are structured that way, i.e why this verb must go with this particle and not another On the part of the students, after doing some practice exercises on phrasal verbs, they have no other choice than learning them by heart However, to some extent, such approach is not logical because students will easily forget all these verbs if they are not constantly revised and applied Proposal From such reality, there is a real need for another approach to the teaching of phrasal verbs Therefore, we propose to this research in order to solve that prevailing problem Aims This study aims to give an overview of cognitive linguistics as well as detailed background information of conceptual metaphor from which the meanings of phrasal verbs can be interpreted more systematically The second aim is to test the practicality of applying conceptual metaphor in teaching phrasal verbs to the English majors by doing experiments at Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Thuc Hanh High School Last but not least, our objective is also to evaluate this approach in English language teaching reality Null Hypothesis For the main aim of this study is to test the application of the new approach in teaching phrasal verbs in Thuc Hanh High School, we hypothesize that there is no significant difference in students’ performance between the traditional and the new approaches Significance We conduct this research with the hope that in the foreseeable future, interested teachers will get to know more about cognitive linguistics and realize the importance of conceptual metaphor in teaching phrasal verbs so that they can adapt it to their own teaching conditions Besides, hopefully this thesis can add more to the facilitation of a modern way in teaching- a cognitive approach Structure of Thesis Chapter 2, entitled Theoretical Framework, sets out to give an extensive background of cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphor to form the basis for the meaning elaboration of phrasal verbs with the focus on the particle In chapter 3, the method of data collection, including research site and participants, handout and worksheet designing and an analytical framework for the quantitative research method, will be given a detail description Chapter continues the previous chapter by analyzing and interpreting the results from the experiments with the accompanying statistics in tables A discussion of the data analysis in terms of English language teaching will be included in chapter 5- Discussion Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Finally, chapter will give a brief summary of the results and explicitly answer the research questions together with some implications in applying the new approach in real English classes in high schools Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Cognitive Linguistics Historical Background No one can deny the role of theoretical linguistics in developing models of linguistic knowledge with some fields such as syntax, phonology, morphology, and semantics According to Chomskyan theory, linguistic structures are not viewed in terms of meaning Rather, they are considered in the light of a fixed set of rules that decides the combinations of words and that is independent of meaning However, growing out of theoretical linguistics, cognitive linguistics view stresses the relation- or mapping- between form and meaning which is conveyed through linguistic structures Research into cognitive linguistics emerged in the 1970s with the studies of linguists who showed a great interest in language-mind relation and who denied the traditional way of explaining linguistic items using only the properties within language The new movement was to study how linguistic structures are related to things outside language such as cognitive principles, one of them being human categorization; pragmatic principles; and functional principles in general (Kemmer, 2007) During the 1980s, the works of Lakoff and Langacker on cognitive linguistics began to attract serious attention, and they were of the first choice for reference to linguists in several countries like Germany and Japan The first influential book by Lakoff is Metaphors We Live By in 1980 followed by Women, Fire and Dangerous Things in 1987 which focuses on human cognition and its dependence on metaphor- a mapping of conceptual structures from one domain onto another In the same year, Langacker’s Foundations of Cognitive Grammar Vol also soon became popular The next influential book on cognitive linguistics whose widespread influence continues up to this day is Topics in Cognitive Linguistics edited by Brygida Rudzka-Ostyn in 1988 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach 10 Throughout the 1990s, much more attention was paid to the cognitive branch, making it an important field of study in linguistics The works of Lakoff and other linguists like Langacker and Talmy formed the basis for the development of later cognitive theories In the 2000s, regional Cognitive Linguistics Associations flourished in many countries such as Finland and Germany, proving the great interest spared for this prominent research field In short, although cognitive linguistics is still a relatively new area of study, it has gained more and more popularity since the first time it appeared in single works Up to now, there have been many conferences on this approach together with several articles, books, and research projects on applied cognitive linguistics, which is bound to reach a very promising future development Definition Through stages of cognitive linguistics development, the central idea that many linguists agree on is that the study of language is the study of how we use language in language activities It is supposed that in such activities, we subconsciously utilize cognitive and cultural resources for models and frames to establish various connections and group information (Geeraerts & Cuyckens, 2007) Then, based on these processes, we can map, transfer, and elaborate on information creatively Another important idea is that meaning is strongly emphasized in cognitive linguistics study: The main feature that distinguishes Cognitive Linguistics from generative grammar has to with the place of meaning in the theory In the generative model the structure of linguistic expressions is deemed to be determined by a formal rule system that is largely independent of meaning By contrast, cognitivists argue that linguistic structure is a direct reflex of cognition in the Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach 69 Appendix C Worksheet University of Education HCMC English Department  Name (optional) Grade : : Male/Female WORKSHEET ON PHRASAL VERBS We are students from class 4C, English Department, University of Education We are doing research on Teaching Phrasal Verbs in The Cognitive Approach to boost students’ comprehension of reading texts This worksheet serves as the phrasal verb test for both groups We would be grateful if you could cooperate by doing the exercises given seriously Thank you  Chúng đến từ lớp 4C, Khoa Anh, ĐHSP TP.HCM Chúng nghiên cứu đề tài Giảng dạy Cụm động từ theo Hướng Ngôn Ngữ Học Tri Nhận để nâng cao khả đọc hiểu học sinh Bài tập nhằm kiểm tra khả sử dụng cụm động từ nhóm Rất mong nhận hợp tác bạn cách làm tập cách nghiêm túc Cám ơn bạn Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach 70 EXERCISE Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verbs presented in your handout: 1) If you want more information about the English course, you can contact John He’s in charge of ………… ………… brochures 2) The responsibilities of raising children can’t ………… her ………… 3) The magic show at that circus is still …………… ……… the crowds 4) Tim has ……… … ……… in the world of artists Now he has more money and a higher social position 5) Our talk ……………… ………… because of some problems on the telephone line 6) Because he broke his leg, he had to ………… …… the second half of the football match 7) Don't ……… ……… all the milk, we need some for breakfast 8) When we breathe, we ………… ……… oxygen 9) I can’t ………… ………… the answer to this difficult mathematical sum 10) The central hospital …………… ………… last year due to the serious lack of staff EXERCISE Fill in the blanks with the correct particles: IN, OUT, UP or DOWN 1) When you tighten …… security, you make it stricter 2) His secretary was so angry that she stormed ……… and slammed the door behind her 3) In order to access the account, you need to key …… the correct password 4) Sorry to barge …… , but I couldn’t help overhearing what you were saying 5) Tom always tries to buddy ….…… no matter how coldly you treat him 6) It was several minutes before the noise died ………… 7) He let ……… a scream of terror when he saw the monster 8) I carry a notebook so that I can jot ….…… every ideas of the lecture Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach 71 9) At first, he encountered a lot of problems but finally things are beginning to look ……… He’s happy with his life now 10) This scandal does not bring ………… Britney Spears’ singing career EXERCISE Match the items in column A with the suitable ones in column B There are some extra ones in column B that you don’t need to use A B Sum up a we can’t just back out now I had to read the letter b we finally got in from work at twice She didn’t want to send us 10pm c to a school where Joanna seems to be under a envelop d lot of stress The loss of their only child the letter and put it in the after presenting the program for eight years e we would be boxed in by so many regulations Because we’ve promised to f to take in the news g I think she’s feeling weighed go dancing with them, She’ll bow out at the end of the month It’s a very important down by all her responsibilities h they rushed out immediately meeting so Oh, buck up, Anthony; i we heard her cry out in pain 10 After months of research, j I’ll put it down in my diary Mary finally figured out Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach k to keep out any protestors l really pulled them down m everyone is sick of looking at your sad face n the solution to that problem 72 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Appendix D Answer Key to the Worksheet Exercise 1) giving out 2) wear her down 3) pulling in 4) moved up 5) broke down 6) sit out 7) drink up 8) take in 9) work out 10) closed down Exercise 1) up 2) out 3) in 4) in 5) up 6) down 7) out 8) down 9) up 10) down 73 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Exercise 3 10 c f e g k a d j m n 74 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Appendix E Conceptual Metaphors used in the Worksheet Exercise 1: as presented in handout Exercise 2: tighten up POWER IS UP storm out BUILDING AS CONTAINER key in BLANK AS CONTAINER barge in ACTIVITY AS CONTAINER buddy up FORMING A RELATIONSHIP IS UP die down DECREASING IS DOWN let out MOUTH AS CONTAINER jot down WRITING OR RECORDING IS DOWN look up HAPPY/ GOOD IS UP bring down WEAKNESS IS DOWN sum up COMPLETE IS UP take in BODY AS CONTAINER box in OBLIGATION AS CONTAINER weigh down SAD IS DOWN pull down SAD IS DOWN back out ACTIVITY AS CONTAINER bow out ACTIVITY AS CONTAINER put down WRITING OR RECORDING IS DOWN Exercise 3: 75 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach buck up HAPPY IS UP figure out PROBLEM AS CONTAINER 76 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Appendix F Tables 77 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Table 13 Group Statistics for Class 12D in Exercise and Exercise EXERCISE2 EXERCISE3 VAR00001 N Mean Std Deviation Std Error Mean 1.00 21 6.76 1.76 0.38 2.00 21 4.48 2.02 0.44 1.00 21 5.90 2.74 0.60 2.00 21 3.67 2.80 0.61 78 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach 79 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Table 15 Group Statistics for Class 10D1 in Exercise and Exercise EXERCISE2 EXERCISE3 VAR00001 N Mean Std Deviation Std Error Mean 1.00 20 6.40 1.79 0.40 2.00 20 4.50 2.24 0.50 1.00 20 7.05 2.28 0.51 2.00 20 5.00 2.51 0.56 80 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach 81 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach Table 17 Group Statistics for Class 10D2 in Exercise and Exercise EXERCISE2 EXERCISE3 VAR00001 N Mean Std Deviation Std Error Mean 1.00 21 6.14 1.39 0.30 2.00 21 4.57 1.60 0.35 1.00 21 6.19 2.68 0.58 2.00 21 4.48 2.42 0.53 82 Teaching Phrasal Verbs – A Cognitive Approach 83 ... in 1980 followed by Women, Fire and Dangerous Things in 1987 which focuses on human cognition and its dependence on metaphor- a mapping of conceptual structures from one domain onto another In... hamburger, exchanging money at a bank, sending a letter, etc While participating in these interactions, an individual has to communicate intentions, concepts and meaning with others, which means he or... process input and produce language, thus gaining experience in learning the language (Robinson & Ellis, 2008) In essence, the core belief that many cognitive linguists hold is that linguistic knowledge