隱喻思維：漢英雙語能力的認知神經處理

Abstract

學習新的語言也涉及學習表達意義的新方式與規範，而隱喻便是其中之一。儘管已有大量先前研究採用事件相關電位（Event-Related Potential；ERP）的方法對隱喻語言的神經認知處理進行瞭解，但很少有研究從雙語的角度進行探討。本論文探討第二語言英語使用者是否以不同於母語使用者的方式處理隱喻語言，並呈現ERP初步結果。實驗共招募兩組參與者：在台灣的英語母語者與非英語母語者的台灣人。此外，此研究亦使用文化智商量表（Cultural Intelligence Scale）來測量跨文化能力，以控制兩組參與者學習和適應新文化進而擴展到新意義表達方式的能力。實驗材料由語境-目標句對組成，其中目標句根據動詞分為隱喻或字面兩種情境。14名非英語母語者和6名英語母語者的ERP平均數據的質性比較結果顯示，母語和非母語使用者在處理動詞隱喻時存在差異：非母語組在目標句的動詞上觀察到N400，而母語組在賓語的名詞上可能存在N400。此外，在目標句最後一個詞之後的500-800毫秒的時間窗裡，兩個語言組都觀察到持續的晚期負向波，這可能代表著隱喻與字面情境之間的記憶檢索差異。總而言之，本論文支持了不同語言背景的人以不同方式處理隱喻的觀點——具體而言，對於英語母語者和非英語母語者的句子理解歷程而言，隱喻處理在不同階段會產生不同的影響。Learning a new language involves learning new ways and norms to mean things, including metaphor. Despite much prior research on the neurocognitive processing of metaphorical language using the event-related potential (ERP) methodology, few studies have explored it from a bilingual perspective. This thesis presents preliminary results from an ERP study investigating whether L2 English speakers process metaphorical language differently from native speakers. To undertake this goal, two groups were recruited: native English speakers in Taiwan and Taiwanese non-native English speakers. Additionally, intercultural competence was measured using the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) to control for participants' ability to learn and adapt to new cultures and, by extension, new ways of meaning. Materials consisted of context-target sentence pairs, where target sentences were metaphorical or literal depending on the verb. ERPs based on the grand averages of 14 non-native participants and 6 native English participants were analysed. The results indicated qualitative differences in how native and non-native speakers processed verbal metaphors, with an N400 observed at the verb for the non-native group anda possible N400 seen at the object head noun for the native group. Additionally, a late sustained negativity was observed for both language groups at the 500–800 ms time window following the target sentence final word, possibly indicating memory retrieval differences between metaphorical and literal conditions. In sum, this thesis lends support to the notion that persons of different language backgrounds process metaphors differently—specifically, that metaphors affect different points of the sentence comprehension process for non-native speakers and native-speakers of English.