Jacob Lavoie
My research focuses on the reading comprehension of figurative language, particularly metaphor, in a non-dominant second language. What makes the inherent "double aboutness" of metaphor so challenging in a second language? Why do the two contexts that render a given metaphor readily apparent to native speakers remain, to a certain extent, opaque to second-language readers? What mechanisms trigger metaphoric construal in second-language readers, and how do these mechanisms align with broader theories of second-language reading?
Building on Bernhardt’s Interactive Compensatory Model of second-language reading, I argue that metaphor represents a privileged site for examining how linguistic knowledge, literacy operations, and background knowledge interact dynamically under conditions of cognitive load. Although language knowledge and literacy together account for only part of L2 reading comprehension, figurative language has rarely been theorized within this unexplained portion of variance. My work positions metaphor comprehension as a crucial variable in understanding advanced second-language reading.
To address these questions, my research develops a theoretically grounded account of metaphor informed by cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics, and second-language reading research. Rather than treating metaphor comprehension as a matter of vocabulary size alone, I distinguish between three interrelated levels of representation in the bilingual lexicon: surface lexical form, semantic representation (the network of literal and extended senses associated with a lexeme), and conceptual representation (the cross-domain mappings and culturally mediated framing patterns that motivate those senses). Cross-linguistic differences often arise not merely because two languages use different words, but because they organize semantic and conceptual correspondences differently. As a result, learners may possess accurate lexical knowledge while lacking access to the conceptual structures that render a metaphor interpretable for native speakers. Conversely, they may transfer conceptual patterns from the first language onto superficially similar forms in the second, producing confident but unintended interpretations.
The broader goal of this research is to develop a theoretically and empirically grounded model of figurative language comprehension in a second language. Although figurative language is widely regarded as a hallmark of advanced proficiency, it remains under-theorized in second-language pedagogy. By clarifying the cognitive triggers of metaphor comprehension, my work seeks to inform more precise and effective approaches to teaching figurative language in advanced language classrooms.
Beyond applied linguistics, my research in literary studies explores Arab-German encounters across various cultural and literary practices. I examine representations of the Arab world in German literature across different historical periods and literary movements, as well as the reception and transformation of German literature in the Arab world. My primary focus is on contemporary Arab-German authors whose works critically engage with dominant discourses on migration, integration, radicalization, and memory culture in Germany. Across both strands of my research, I am interested in how conceptual structures shape what becomes legible across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Peer-reviewed articles:
LaVoie, J. (2024). Insights into metaphor (mis)understandings. Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, 57(2), 162–179.
https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.12297
Lavoie, J., Bernhardt, E. B., & Kamil, M. L. (2024). Additional Language Reading. In Reference Module in Social Sciences. Elsevier.