Experiential Basis of Meaning in a Semantic Associative Test: A Move toward an Embodied Explanation of Primary Metaphor

Habibollah Ghassemzadeh,Akram Khamseh,Mansooreh Rajablo,Elham Eshtad,Jamal Abedi,Uta Sassenberg,Maryam Rahat

doi:10.4236/psych.2017.812123

Abstract

The concept of meaning has undergone many changes in the course of scientific study of language, thought and behavior. At first, it was explained as something which happens in the mind and then is changed to a product of association of ideas. Today, however, new meaning of meaning has emerged with the emphasis on the experiential basis as has been formulated in the concept of metaphoric expression. In this paper, we report a preliminary study on meaning as measured by a semantic-associative test in four different cultures (Iranian, German, Arabic and American). The findings have been explained in the framework of the primary metaphors and embodiment theory.

Highlights

The Meaning of MeaningMeaning has been considered as one of the most complicated and controversial terms in the history of linguistics, philosophy and cognitive psychology.According to Ogden and Richards (1923), whose book “Meaning of Meaning” appeared more than nine decades ago, “No less than sixteen groups of definitions [of meaning] can be profitably distinguished...” (p. 74)
New meaning of meaning has emerged with the emphasis on the experiential basis as has been formulated in the concept of metaphoric expression
We report a preliminary study on meaning as measured by a semantic-associative test in four different cultures (Iranian, German, Arabic and American)

Summary

Introduction

The Meaning of MeaningMeaning has been considered as one of the most complicated and controversial terms in the history of linguistics, philosophy and cognitive psychology.According to Ogden and Richards (1923), whose book “Meaning of Meaning” appeared more than nine decades ago, “No less than sixteen groups of definitions [of meaning] can be profitably distinguished...” (p. 74). Reference or denotation of an expression is the thing that it stands for. The part of meaning that is not its reference is termed its sense (Frege, 1892/1970). The sense of a word means “its place in a system of relationships which it contracts with other words in vocabulary” (Lyons, 1968: 427). Sense and reference are complementary aspects of meaning. Sense pertains to the relationship between a word and other words in the language. Reference deals with relationships between a word and what it stands for in the world (Graham, 1985: 96). To use language in a meaningful manner, we need to play attention to both properties (Carroll, 1999:105-108)

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