Sports-Related Englısh Metaphors In Teachıng Englısh As A Foreıgn Language In Turkey

Since English is the primary world language, non-native speakers find that the ability to understand and use it is deemed crucial for their progress in the fields of education, global trade, and other professions. For many students and professionals from developing countries, learning English is integral to their dreams of studying or working abroad. Learning English is thus becoming an inescapable necessity for those not born into English-speaking societies. English, as with learning any language, involves dealing with a whole host of linguistic and social practices, some of which are neither readily apparent nor easily grasped.  Figurative language often presents a serious challenge to learners. Idioms, which are very common in English, cannot be taken literally without confusing a text’s meaning or diluting its original substance. There is, therefore, a need for any language learner to go beyond taking words as they are and appreciating figurative speech, such as metaphors if they are to reach the end goal of being fully fluent and conversant in their new language. Once considered a stylistic issue, metaphor is now considered a vital component of everyday and even specialized language and most importantly, a fundamental mechanism of human conceptualizations of the universe. The use of metaphor in language, communication and thought has been examined extensively and mutually in teaching and learning any foreign language. Day by day, the body of literature that investigates the relationship between metaphor and L2 learning has been increasing significantly.