نشریه بین المللی مطالعات زبان ، ادبیات ، فرهنگ و تاریخ 4 4 "Metaphors and images utilized by EFL learners to depict the process of learning a foreign language." "Metaphors and images utilized by EFL learners to depict the process of learning a foreign language." 65 68 10.22051/jera.2021.31891.2698 FA pejman Department of English, Malayer Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamadan,Malayer, Iran 2024 08 21 In this paper, I will contend that understanding the images and metaphors held by foreign language learners regarding the essence of the target language and its acquisition can offer significant insights to educators, aiding in addressing various language learning challenges. To uncover learners' perceptions, a questionnaire was distributed to 350 English learners across diverse locations in Iran, prompting them to complete the sentence: "Learning a foreign language is like . . ." After analyzing 200 responses, the obtained metaphors were categorized into broader themes. The implications of these metaphors and their categories, along with plausible theoretical interpretations, are explored within a cognitive-psychological framework. In this paper, I will contend that understanding the images and metaphors held by foreign language learners regarding the essence of the target language and its acquisition can offer significant insights to educators, aiding in addressing various language learning challenges. To uncover learners' perceptions, a questionnaire was distributed to 350 English learners across diverse locations in Iran, prompting them to complete the sentence: "Learning a foreign language is like . . ." After analyzing 200 responses, the obtained metaphors were categorized into broader themes. The implications of these metaphors and their categories, along with plausible theoretical interpretations, are explored within a cognitive-psychological framework. /downloadfilepdf/799910