Conceptual Metaphor
Literature Review on Metaphors
From the Perspective of Cognitive Linguistics
The definition of metaphor Traditionally, metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another by saying that one is the other, as in “He is a tiger”. It is a property of words, and is used for some artistic and rhetorical purpose. However, this view has been challenged recently by cognitive linguists (Liu & Wen, 2012: 249). Cognitive linguists and philosophers have shown that metaphors are not just a way of expressing ideas by means of language, but powerful cognitive tools for our conceptualization of the world (Wang, 2011: 162). Cognitive linguists believe: “Metaphorical ideation is a kind of creative thinking ability that came to birth with the development of the human beings’ cognitive ability, it is the high-level stage of human beings’ cognitive development and especially it is necessary ability for human beings to observe abstract things.” (Zhao, 2001:102) Fauconnier (1998) points out that “mappings between domains are at the heart of the unique human cognitive faculty of producing, transferring, and processing meaning.” Many abstract concepts are organized with specific or well-known images by using metaphors. Metaphor in cognitive linguistics is a two-way affair: it can go from linguistic metaphor to conceptual metaphor or from conceptual to linguistic metaphor. For instance, cognitive linguists have used the abundant and systematic presence of metaphors in language as a basis for postulating the existence of conceptual metaphors, which illustrates the move from language to thought. Here is a whole series of conceptual metaphors which capture our thinking about “ideas” below. IDEAS ARE FOOD IDEAS ARE PEOPLE IDEAS ARE PLANTS IDEAS ARE PRODUCTS IDEAS ARE RESOURCES IDEAS ARE MONEY IDEAS ARE FASHION IDEAS ARE CUTTING
From the Perspective of Cognitive Linguistics
The definition of metaphor Traditionally, metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to another by saying that one is the other, as in “He is a tiger”. It is a property of words, and is used for some artistic and rhetorical purpose. However, this view has been challenged recently by cognitive linguists (Liu & Wen, 2012: 249). Cognitive linguists and philosophers have shown that metaphors are not just a way of expressing ideas by means of language, but powerful cognitive tools for our conceptualization of the world (Wang, 2011: 162). Cognitive linguists believe: “Metaphorical ideation is a kind of creative thinking ability that came to birth with the development of the human beings’ cognitive ability, it is the high-level stage of human beings’ cognitive development and especially it is necessary ability for human beings to observe abstract things.” (Zhao, 2001:102) Fauconnier (1998) points out that “mappings between domains are at the heart of the unique human cognitive faculty of producing, transferring, and processing meaning.” Many abstract concepts are organized with specific or well-known images by using metaphors. Metaphor in cognitive linguistics is a two-way affair: it can go from linguistic metaphor to conceptual metaphor or from conceptual to linguistic metaphor. For instance, cognitive linguists have used the abundant and systematic presence of metaphors in language as a basis for postulating the existence of conceptual metaphors, which illustrates the move from language to thought. Here is a whole series of conceptual metaphors which capture our thinking about “ideas” below. IDEAS ARE FOOD IDEAS ARE PEOPLE IDEAS ARE PLANTS IDEAS ARE PRODUCTS IDEAS ARE RESOURCES IDEAS ARE MONEY IDEAS ARE FASHION IDEAS ARE CUTTING
References: (1)Eva Feder Kittay. Metaphor: Its Cognitive Force and Linguistic Structure. London: Oxford University Press, 1990. (2)Fauconnier. G & Turner. M. Principles of Conceptual Integration. Stanford: CSLI, 1998 (3)Gibbs, Raymond W (4)Philip Eubanks. The story of conceptual metaphor. Poetics Today 3, 1999: 419 - 442. (5)Rui, Na & Zhao, Bi. Study of metaphors in William Wordsworth’s poetry from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. Read and Write Periodical 4, 2010: 14-17. (6)Lakoff, George & M. John. Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. (7)Xie, Beini & Zhou,Weijing. Metaphor in Emily Dickinson’s poems applying on cognitive linguistics theory. Xue Zhou Kan 43, 2011: 201- 202. (8)刘润清（Liu, Runqing）、文旭(Wen,Xu)