Hart and Risley's (1995) concept of a "word gap" (aka "language gap") is widely used to describe inferior cognitive development and lower academic achievement as by-products of the language patterns of families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In recent decades, this line of deficit research has proliferated and…

Explores some of the suggestive research on metaphor and extrapolates some general implications for second language learning and teaching. Communicating effectively in a second language involves one's ability to metaphorize. Moreover, the understanding of metaphor makes the learning process more meaningful for the student. (CB)