A Cognitive Approach To The Means Of Expressing Future In English And Their Teaching

Grammar, as one of the essential elements of language, is the basis for cultivating the language skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating in foreign language learning. The importance of grammar to language and language learning determines the importance of grammar teaching and grammar teaching research. This thesis studies the means of expressing future (MOEF) in English and their teaching from a cognitive perspective, aiming to make a meaningful attempt in the area of grammar teaching and research.The thesis has first made a cognitive study of the MOEF in English. It points out that MOEF are the language forms people employ to express the concept of "future"; the concept of "future" comes from the metaphorization of the spatial concept, namely the metaphorical projection from the spatial concept to the time concept; and that "future", which refers to the time after "present", is time unknown, and when people express future actions with MOEF, they are in fact expressing such subjective volitions as present prediction, present plan, present arrangement and so on. According to the semantic features of MOEF, the thesis has classified them into means of expressing predictive future and means of expressing non-predictive future; and in view of the starting point of future of the subjective volitions expressed by MOEF, the thesis has classified them into means of expressing future starting from the moment of speaking and means of expressing future starting before the moment of speaking. The semantic features and the starting point of future of MOEF have a restrictive function on the application of MOEF, and are therefore points worthy of note in learning and teaching MOEF. The thesis has then studied the cognitive teaching of MOEF, including the process of the cognitive teaching and a validity-checking experiment. Teaching MOEF from a cognitive perspective means teaching them according to the laws of cognition, specifically referring to teaching the form, meaning and use of MOEF according to the laws of cognition. The thesis has made a detailed study of how the form, meaning and use are taught in accordance with the laws of cognition. On the basis of the study, the author of the thesis has applied the cognitive laws discovered in the study to teaching the form, meaning and use of MOEF in her teaching practice. An experiment has been carried out to test the teaching effect, the result of which demonstrates that the cognitive teaching approach can help students better grasp the form, meaning and use of MOEF.This research on the cognitive approach to teaching MOEF is only a preliminary attempt made by the author to teach specific grammar knowledge with the cognitive approach. It is hoped that it can provide a new way of thinking for English grammar teaching, and promote the reform of English grammar teaching.