The Nature of Metaphor

Abstract

Metaphors are ubiquitous features of spoken and written language that permit us to experience one thing in terms of another. “Seeing is believing” helps us understand the abstract concept of belief in terms of the concrete sense of sight. Derived from two Greek words that mean “to transfer,” metaphors transfer certain attributes from the source domain, in our example, Seeing to the target domain of Believing. The chapter explores how metaphors have cognitive properties and allow us to learn new things and to express abstract ideas and complex relations. Metaphors are a powerful trope of figurative language and commonly appear in both formal medical writings and the informal daily interactions of doctors, patients, and the public more generally. The chapter describes how metaphors connect abstract and concrete domains and offers an array of examples that helps us decipher how metaphors originate from human experiences and how they evolve. It explores how metaphors frame perceptions and shape reality and their potency in the language of the clinic.