This presentation was delivered online by Meriem Ateich and it is titled

Enhancing Pragmatic Competence through Figurative Language in EFL

Classrooms. The main thrust to carry this presentation according the her is
seen in the importance of Figurative language to convey deeper messages and
associations. Additionally, It helps in recognizing implied meanings,
understanding cultural nuances, and adapting communication styles. In the
beginning, she defined Figurative language as any way of saying something
other than ordinary way. Figurative language can be found in daily
communication and literary works, suchaspoetry, drama, song and movie.
Figurative language, including all its various forms of figure of speech
(e.g. metaphor, simile, metonymy, irony, sarcasm, etc.), has attracted a great
deal of attention amongst scholars in pragmatics. In her online presentation,
she gave examples of figurative language. For instance, That was a piece of
cake is an example of an idiom to name only a few. Sometimes, the first
interpretation that comes to mind (the most accessible one) turns out not to be
satisfactory and forces the hearer to backtrack. The presenter bringe into our
attention reputable figures in the study of pragmatics including the
iterpretation of figurative language, though, she did not clearly define the
premises under which François Recanati’s theory and claims are built on. His
research enhances our understanding of how figurative language contributes to
communication. Additionally, she also mentioned Dan Sperber and Deirdre
Wilson three Stages of Interpretation, starting by literal meaning stage,
explicature stage, and finally the implicature stage. An important question was
posed by one Anass Aittamout in this regard : to what extent these three stages
of interpretation are similar to the theory of Austin who defined pragmatic
meaning based on three construct which are locutionary act, illocutionary act
and perlocutionary act ? the answers by our colleagues were varied but agreed
on the idea that both theories are similar. Several example of figurative
language were provided to evedince her claims. For instance, when someone
says « her grammar is on point, said no one ever » different types of meaning
can be derived. The litereal meaning can be seen as t someone is praising the
person's grammar skills, but it is contradicted by the phrase "said no one ever.
And, The explicature meaning explains that the expression sarcastically implies
that the person's grammar skills are not considered impressive. Finally, the
implicature meaning suggests a humorous or self-aware commentary on the
challenges or stereotypes surrounding grammar skills in the context of learning.
Apart from these examples, the presenter provided some Moroccan idomatic
expressions and their equivalence in english language, for instance, « Sahl
Mahl= easy peasy.» a key qustion in this regard was if it is adequate to
translate and find the equivalents to expression from one language to another.
The answer that was circulating in the online discussion is that it is a necessity,
before doing this step, to consider the context in which the expressions are
delivered. Before concluding her presenation, she added ideas concerning the
importance of teaching figuratice language and some classroom
implementation in this respect. Teaching figurative language enhances
students' critical thinking skills, as they learn to analyze, interpret, and evaluate
messages beyond theirliteralmeanings. Also, Figurative language is pervasive in
everyday communication. To implement the teaching of figurative language in
the classrooms, teachers need to consider guided practice, role-plays and
dialogues, and authentic materials among many other tools and
relevantteaching methods. In the conclusion, Incorporating figurative language
in EFL classrooms, through explicit instruction, guided practice, and authentic
materials, allows students to develop their pragmatic competence in a
meaningful and engaging way.