'Standard English' as a Metaphor of Language in the English Language Education Debate
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_misc/mj.199411760Abstract
This paper investigates a specific area of language about language in the English language education debate. It has been argued by Reddy (1979) that English metalanguage is dominated and structured by one major metaphorical framework, the conduit metaphor. In opposition to this frame is the negotiative metaphor, an alternative framework of generative metaphor (Schön, in Ortony, ed., 1979). Within these frameworks, key terms in the debate are seen to be metaphorical labels through which partial perspectives are expressed.
The chosen context of the English language education debate is one in which metalanguage has significant consequences for the linguistic and social outlook of future generations.
Although the main focus here is going to be on the metalinguistic metaphor rather than on the context, this study tries to complement existing work in this area of "language in language education" (e.g. Graddol and Swann 1988, Crowley 1989). In fact, it takes up the invitations of Graddol and Swann to join the debate on "the problem that variability in discourse meaning poses for those professionally concerned with language and education."
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