CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR

By TAN HOOI KOON (RACHEL) ROYZAL BIN TAMI SHANTI A/P KARAPPAN NUR AIDA AHMAD

What is Conceptual Metaphor?

Traditional Definition Novel or poetic linguistic expression where one or more words for a concept are used outside of their normal conventional meaning to express a similar concept Exists primarily in the realm of poetic figurative language Contemporary Definition A cross ___domain mapping in the conceptual system Primarily conceptual, conventional and part of the ordinary system of thought and language Exists in everyday language and poetic language

History
Michael Reddy (1993)
The Conduit Metaphor Analysed ordinary everyday language and showed that: 1. Locus point of metaphor is thought, NOT language 2. Metaphor is a major & indispensable part of our ordinary, conventional way of conceptualizing the world 3. Our everyday behaviour reflects our metaphorical understanding of experience

Conceptual Metaphor
Involves understanding one ___domain of experience (source ___domain) and transferring that understanding (mapping) to a very different ___domain (target ___domain) Metaphor IS NOT language, but thought and reason Mappings show how one metaphor is realised using different linguistic expressions
Lakoff, 2006

Conceptual Metaphor
Mapping = Primary importance
Transfer of mental contents from one person to another Usually at a superordinate level (vehicle), not subordinate level (car)

Language = Secondary importance

Tool of transfer (sometimes image-based)

Conventional=
Fixed part of our conceptual system

Conceptual Metaphor
LOVE AS A JOURNEY

Concept of Journey
Conceptual Mapping Source Domain

Concept of Love

Target Domain

Our relationship is at the crossroads. The marriage is on the rocks. Look how far weve come. Its been a long, bumpy road.

LINGUISTIC EXPRESSIONS

Conceptual Metaphor Examples

An example that we usually hear is:
Argument is war

Target Domain

Source Domain

Some daily expressions:

1-Your claims are indefensible. 2-He attacked each weak point. 3-He shut down all my arguments. 4-His critics were right on target.

Conceptual Metaphor Examples

Another form of metaphorical expression:
Patience is a virtue. Target Domain Source Domain

This Conceptual Metaphor can be expressed in

1-You reap what you sow. 2-If you keep on the right track, youll be fine. 3-She needs some peace of mind to recollect herself.

Conceptual Metaphor Examples

There are many examples of conceptual metaphors that we use in our daily conversation and they were sometimes expressed within our discourse without us realizing it.

Conceptual Metaphors that Use Elements of Nature

1- I gave him the icy glare. 2-His sunny face was just what I wanted to see. 3-Let us throw some light into the matter. 4-Once inside the group, he did not know how to break the ice. 5-The root of the problem is yet to be found. 6-The ocean of his mind was awash with ideas.

Other Metaphorical Expressions

1-Youre hotter in person. 2-Everything bad was out of the picture. 3-You broke my heart into pieces. 4-I presented nicely and think I nailed it. 5-We have to think outside the box.

Metaphors in Literature
KNOWN AS NOVEL METAPHOR EXTENSION OF CONVENTIONAL METAPHOR - OFTEN HIGHLY ABSTRACT IMAGE METAPHOR MAPS ON ONE MENTAL IMAGE FROM ONE SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE ONTO MENTAL IMAGES OF DIFFERENT SOURCES ONE SHOT METAPHOR - NOT ORDINARILY HOW WE CONCEPTUALISE OUR EXPERIENCE

Analyzing Metaphors in Poems

My wife whose hair is brush fire Whose thought are summer lightening Whose waist is an hourglass FREE UNION:ANDRE BRETON Hair is brush fire Image metaphor : associating mental image of fire to hair 1. hair colour 2. hair volatility 3. hair controllability Extension of conventional metaphor: mapping the structure of hair into the ___domain of human personality 1. radiance 2. lively, full of energy 3. a blend of vibrant colours Conclusion : Admiring the beauty of his wifes hair Accepting his wifes lack of self grooming is a beauty to be proud of

Analyzing Metaphors in Poems

My wife whose hair is brush fire Whose thought are summer lightening Whose waist is an hourglass FREE UNION:ANDRE BRETON Whose thought are summer lightening Image metaphor : associating mental image of summer and lightening 1. summer season and lightening contradicts but acceptable in poetry 2. summer brightness, beauty, positive 3. lightening- fast, sharp Extension of conventional metaphor: mapping the structure of nature into the ___domain of thinking 1. summer- intelligent opinions 2. lightening- quick, sharp minded, straight to the point Conclusion: An act of thought that is admired as intelligent , immediate and straight to the point

Analyzing Metaphors in Poems

My wife whose hair is brush fire Whose thought are summer lightening Whose waist is an hourglass FREE UNION:ANDRE BRETON Whose waist is an hourglass Image metaphor : associating mental image of hourglass and waist 1. hourglass - time measuring device with two transparent bulbs connected by a narrow tube 2. waist part of body between hip and trunk which is narrower than any parts of the body 3. hourglass and waist to show physical figure of a woman Extension of conventional metaphor: mapping the structure of nature into the ___domain of thought 1. hourglass a symbolic personification on perfect physical figure of a woman 2. waist an important body part that decides the physical features of a woman especially Conclusion A compliment of his wifes physical structure that is as perfect as the hourglass

Discussion
The poem consists of
One shot metaphor image metaphors used do not conceptualize with our experience Brush fire beauty of hair not feeling Maps only one image onto other image Hourglass - automatic mental image of perfectly shaped woman (Part-whole relationship) Conceptual mapping between conventional mental images Summer - source ___domain -the structure of summer. -Brightness, beauty, positive, clear Thought - target ___domain - thought that is clear, wise and positive Lightening - source ___domain the structure of lightening, bright, sharp, straight to the point Thought target ___domain thought that is clear, straight to the point and rational

Metaphor and Poem Interpretation

Individuals perceive it according to their mental cognition Ambiguity in poem opens for vague interpretation Nevertheless Metaphor identification in understanding poem Is an automatic process happens unconsciously Evokes a source ___domain to a target ___domain that is not related but used to interpret the poem

RESEARCH ARTICLE METAPHOR IN IDIOM COMPREHENSION

Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr., Josephine M. Bogdanovich, Jeffrey R. Sykes, Dale J. Barr Journal of Memory & Language 37, 141-154 (1997)

Introduction Metaphor is not just an aspect of language but a significant part of human condition (Gibbs, 1994; Johnson, 1987; Lakoff, 1987; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Sweetser, 1990)

What role does metaphoric thought play in how people use and understand language? Gibbs (1994) four different hypotheses address this question.

Research Article
H4 - Metaphoric thought functions in peoples immediate on-line use and understanding of linguistic meaning It is unclear whether metaphoric thought is accessed in peoples immediate production and understanding of linguistic meaning. Goal in reported studies examine whether pre-existing CM affect immediate idiom comprehension Main goal of present study use a more sensitive, on-line priming measure to examine the role of conceptual metaphors in immediate idiom processing

Experiment 1
Purpose to investigate whether people access metaphorical knowledge during on-line processing of idioms Procedure participants read simple stories which ended with either 3 different phrases - An idiomatic expression - A literal paraphrase - A control sentence Immediately after - Related target word - Unrelated target word

Example

He blew his stack. (idiom phrase) He got very angry. (literal paraphrase) He saw many dents. (control phrase) Heat related target Lead unrelated target
ANGER IS HEATED FLUID IN A CONTAINER conceptual metaphor

Result & Discussion

Conceptual metaphors are accessed during peoples normal comprehension of idioms. The priming effects were found under conditions in which participants were not alerted to the metaphorical nature of idiomatic phrases. A control study was conducted to prove that the priming effect was participants association of the metaphorical concept, not literal meaning of idioms.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that people are not making their lexical decision responses to the metaphor targets simply because of processing of these phrases literal meaning.

Experiment 2
Purpose to test the idea that conceptual metaphors are quickly accessed during idiom comprehension. Procedure Same stories used. Stories ended with either 2 idiomatic phrases, with roughly the same meaning - An idiomatic expression - An idiomatic expression Immediately after - Related target word - Unrelated target word

Example

Bob blew his stack. (consistent idiom)

ANGER IS HEATED FLUID IN A CONTAINER conceptual metaphor

Bob bit her head off. (inconsistent idiom)

ANGER IS ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR conceptual metaphor

Heat related target Lead unrelated target

What was measured? Response latencies were measured from the onset of the phrase to when the participants pressed the response key. (similar to experiment 1) Then, participants made quick decisions to the target word by pushing as quickly as possible one of two designated buttons on a keyboard.

Result and Discussion

Data demonstrate that people do not quickly access the same metaphorical information when they read idioms which are partly motivated by different underlying CM even though these phrases have similar figurative meanings.

General Discussion General Discussion

Researchers findings show that CM can under some circumstances be quickly accessed during immediate idiom comprehension. Does not mean that preexisting metaphorical concepts are automatically accessed each time an idiom is encountered. People may not actually compute metaphorical mappings each time they hear or read idiomatic phrases. They may only access highly conventional metaphorical concepts that have been pre-computed. The quick speed with which people access idioms compared to literal non-idiomatic phrases implies that it is unlikely that people are actually computing metaphorical mappings each time they read or hear idioms.

Our Insights
Metaphor is not just language, but a part of human processing of the environment. An unconscious process that happens automatically when we read. Gives an inferential meaning to the listener. Interpretations of Conceptual Metaphors - culturebased, individual-based Metaphors show that language is abstract

Thank You.