Professor Jeannette Littlemore is a Professor of Applied Linguistics and Head of Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics at the University of Birmingham. She is also a founder member of the International Association, Researching and Applying Metaphor. Her most recent book is Metonymy: Hidden Shortcuts in Language, Thoughts and Communication.
Research Interests
Prof Littlemore's research focuses on the acquisition and use of metaphor and other types of figurative language by second language learners. She is also interested in applications of cognitive linguistics to second language learning and teaching..
Words from Professor Littlemore
I am very much enjoying working as a Distinguished Professor for the Research Institute in Bilingual Learning and Teaching (RIBiLT) at the Open University of Hong Kong.
I believe that Bilingual Education is hugely valuable, as students working in more than one language have been shown to develop a much more flexible approach to problem solving and are more open to new ideas and new ways of seeing things. These skills are central to the understanding of metaphors and idioms, which is what I am working on along with Dr Danny Leung and Dr Vanliza Chow from the Institute. Danny is working on the ways in which idioms differ in English and Cantonese and looking at the ways in which knowledge of idioms in one's first language knowledge facilitates the learning of idioms in one's second language. Vanliza is looking at metaphors used in health discourse, and the challenges they present to bilingual medical practitioners. Together, we are developing new frameworks for analysis and discussing the implications of this work for cross-cultural and cross-linguistic communication. Danny and Vanliza are a pleasure to work with and we have had some inspiring discussions.
I came over to The Open University of Hong Kong earlier this year and delivered workshops for staff and students. These were hugely enjoyable, the questions were stimulating and thought-provoking and I was made to feel extremely welcome by academic and professional colleagues from right across the Institute and the Department. I am very much looking forward to continuing to work with RIBiLT, not least because I love the international outlook that RIBiLT has.
Events and activities in OUHK
2017 Jan 18-23
Workshop
Colour idiom reaction time experiment with 40 E&L undergraduate students
2017 Jan 20
Seminar
“Figurative Language in Cross-linguistic Communication and Language Teaching”
2017 Jan 21
Seminar
“Metaphor and Advertising”
2017 Jan 23
Workshop
“Metaphor and the Language Learner” for 100 E&L undergraduate students
Other facilitated Research Outputs
With advisory support from Prof Jeannette Littlemore, related research outputs have been facilitated:
Prof Jeannette Littlemore served as an expert to provide intellectual support to Dr Vanliza Chow who has obtained a research grant under the Faculty Development Scheme (FDS) of the Research Grants Council (Jan. 2017 / Dec. 2018)
Dr Danny Leung got assistance from Prof Jeannette Littlemore as Co-I on the research topic “When English idioms meet Cantonese idioms: compilation, classification and comprehension”.
Dr Vanliza Chow presented a paper entitled “Exploring the use of metaphors in oncology nursing journal articles” at 3rd International symposium on Figurative thought and language in Croatia, on 28 April, 2017.
Dr Danny Leung and Dr Vanliza Chow had a paper presented in RaAm 6th Specialised Seminar entitled 'Connecting colours and emotions: a cross-cultural study' (by Prof. J. Littlemore, P. Prez-Sobrino, D. Houghhton, D. Leung and V. Chow) at University of Southern Denmark, Odense, on 18 – 19May, 2017.
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