Seeing, hearing, and feeling L2 sounds through metaphoric gestures
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36505/TheLinguisticProceedings/2025/16/01/014/000674Keywords:
pronunciation, metaphoric gesture, embodied cognition, Japanese EFLAbstract
This paper presents an embodied approach to L2 pronunciation instruction using metaphoric gestures. Drawing on multimodal communication and embodied cognition, it argues that mapping physical actions onto abstract phonological concepts makes L2 sounds more accessible, tangible, and memorable. The paper introduces a pedagogical framework featuring thirteen metaphoric gestures designed to address segmental and suprasegmental challenges faced by Japanese EFL learners, including the /r/-/l/ distinction and English rhythm. These techniques encourage visualisation, self-monitoring, and multisensory engagement. Student feedback and consistently high evaluations collected over seven years suggest that the method is both effective and well received. The paper concludes by discussing cultural and pedagogical considerations and calls for further empirical research.
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Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited.
