METAPHOR IN LEARNING SPECIALIZED LANGUAGE: TERMINOLOGY ACQUISITION BY STUDENTS IN HEALTHCARE SPECIALTIES

Abstract

The influence of awareness of conceptual metaphors on the acquisition of medical terminology among non-native students is a complex issue that underscores the significance of metaphorical understanding in language learning. Research has shown that metaphors play a crucial role in making intricate medical concepts more accessible, as they connect new information to the learners' pre-existing knowledge. This cognitive linkage not only aids in comprehension but also fosters deeper engagement with the material, ultimately enhancing the learning experience for students. Studies show that these metaphors facilitate engagement with complex subjects, making them more approachable by framing concepts such as learning as a journey or understanding as a puzzle. This cognitive mapping fosters connections between new vocabulary and learners' pre-existing knowledge, thereby enhancing their metaphorical competence significantly. Reports suggest that focused instruction can improve the ability to produce metaphors, a skill particularly beneficial for bilingual learners dealing with the intricacies of medical terminology. This emphasized the idea that metaphors function not merely as linguistic tools but also as cognitive connectors, promoting a more profound comprehension across different languages. For non-native students, grasping these metaphorical frameworks is vital, as they often face the challenge of interpreting dense and abstract language found in medical literature. The current paper presents an experiment held over three consecutive academic years, which aims at proving the value of introducing new innovative methods of specialized vocabulary acquisition via the application of conceptual metaphor tools. The study is centered around teaching dental terminology to students of dental technology at the Medical College at the Medical University – Plovdiv. Two groups are formed in each academic year, one serving as the control group and the other as the experimental one. The experiment itself consists of several stages aiming at identifying and classifying terms related to dental anatomy and dental processes via conceptual metaphor. The experiment is validated through the use of a gapped test and a questionnaire that is filled in by the members of the experimental groups. The results suggest a strong affinity on the side of the students of the experimental groups for using new cognitive approaches to term acquisition. Therefore, it can be concluded that using cognitive methods in teaching EAP and especially conceptual metaphor plays a crucial role in the cognitive processes of understanding EAP vocabulary in the target language. The current study corroborates findings by scholars from many countries. As a follow-up, it will be informative to gauge the effectiveness of the eventual expansion and extension of the scope and scale of the use of such cognitive methodology by its application to other areas of medicine. Thus, it can be proven that metaphorical conceptualization plays a crucial role in shaping how various phenomena are framed, particularly aiding learners in navigating the complex foundations of medical terminology, even beyond the medical context.