Semantics and cognition

This chapter reviews the available empirical evidence for a universal metaphoric structure such as TIME IS SPACE and its effects on temporal cognition in L2 users. The chapter covers previous experimental evidence that lends support to the psychological reality of the TIME IS SPACE metaphor, while also revealing cross-linguistic differences in how this fundamental metaphor is instantiated across the world's languages. It then reviews research that has extended this exploration to the SLA arena. While studies specifically focusing on L2 users are still scarce, several promising lines of enquiry have been opened, showing that bilinguals may flexibly switch between different temporal frames depending on their…