COGNITIVE AND LINGUODIDACTIC FEATURES OF ENGLISH METAPHORS

Abstract

This article examines the cognitive nature of English metaphors within the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory and considers the linguodidactic implications of this framework for teaching English as a foreign language. Metaphor is treated not as a rhetorical embellishment but as a fundamental mechanism of conceptualisation, through which abstract target domains are structured in terms of more concrete source domains. Drawing on a descriptive-analytical review of foundational and applied literature, the article classifies English conceptual metaphors into structural, orientational, and ontological types and illustrates their systematic character. It then surveys evidence that explicit metaphor-awareness activities improve vocabulary retention and develop metaphorical competence, and discusses difficulties facing Uzbek-speaking learners, whose native conceptual system diverges from English in several respects. Classroom techniques are proposed, including thematic clustering of vocabulary by source domain, etymological elaboration, and contrastive metaphor analysis.