The Development of Metaphor and Proverb Translation in Children Grades 1 through 7

The development of children’s ability to translate figurative speech was studied, using sentences containing metaphors, dual function words, and proverbs, as presented in classroom workbooks. One hundred twenty children from first, third, fifth, and seventh grades were asked to describe the meaning of each figurative word or phrase placed in context. Responses were scored on a four- point scale indicating the extent to which the child used a literal or figurative translation. Significant effects between grade levels and figurative conditions were found, indicating that the ability to translate figurative speech proceeds along a developmental hierarchy of language comprehension. The majority of third grade children were able to translate metaphors and dual function words into figurative language successfully. The ability to translate proverbs required a level of comprehension that does not appear in most children until seventh grade, as suggested by Piaget.