Metaphorical Descriptions Research Articles

FRAGMENTE2

The exposition provides an insight into the collaborative process of creating and performing Fragmente2 (2021) a choreomusical work by musician Kerstin Frödin and choreographer-dancer Åsa Unander-Scharin based on the Japanese avant-garde composer Makoto Shinohara’s solo piece for tenor recorder, Fragmente (1968). The exposition is an attempt to describe the methodology and creative process in this project, wherein music and dance intertwine in a non-hierarchical manner. The exposition follows the structure of the performance, which consists of a series of fragments, each of them analysed and descibed in terms of choreomusical interaction. We used Don Ihde’s experimental phenomenology and perspective variation (1986) as an artistic method to analyse and explore different aspects of our choreomusical materials and interaction concepts. To address and elaborate the choreomusical elements, we used Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s distinction between abstract and concrete movements (1945/2012), Pierre Schaeffer’s musical objects (1966/2017), and our own concept of choreographic objects. Furthermore, to jointly analyse and evaluate different interaction concepts we used video recordings, annotated scores, choreography scripts, movement instructions, personal reflections, and metaphorical descriptions of the 17 fragments. The process resulted in a contrapuntal choreomusical work where music and dance act as equal parts.

A Palimpsestuous Interpretation of Ramin Bahrani’s Fahrenheit 451

A Palimpsestuous Interpretation of Ramin Bahrani’s Fahrenheit 451. Drawing on a poststructuralist approach to adaptation as an instance of intertextuality (Stam 2000) and Linda Hutcheon’s metaphorical description of adaptations as palimpsests (2006), this paper will analyse the ways in which Ramin Bahrani, director and co-writer of the script of Fahrenheit 451 (2018, HBO), rewrote Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel by the same name, leaving only traces of the source text visible in his appropriation. Supposedly reimagining Bradbury’s text for a new generation of viewers, digital natives of the online virtual worlds, the film reads more like a heavy-handed filmic palimpsest that allows only some of the book’s ideas and memorable lines to resurface from underneath the new writing. Relying mostly on visual spectacle and the screenwriter-director’s own concerns about the fragility of civil rights, democracy and humaneness in a world increasingly controlled by certain interest groups through the internet and social media, the film leaves audiences wondering about the appropriateness of the title—an anchoring device promising a straightforward adaptation of the text—and the film’s actual relation with Bradbury’s novel. Keywords: palimpsestuous interpretation, appropriation, Fahrenheit 451, Ramin Bahrani, Ray Bradbury, dystopia, technology

The Traces of Cancer: A Metaphorical Understanding of the Experiences of Women Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

This study feeds into ongoing discussions on the metaphors used by cancer patients. Its aim is to explore how women living with a history of breast cancer use metaphors to express and interpret the experience of cancer remission. Data were collected in interviews designed to capture a rich and metaphorical description of participants' experiences with breast cancer and what these experiences mean to them. Ten participants were recruited. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the participants' narratives highlighted a central metaphor: the cancer trace in one's life. The participants had to adapt to four specific traces of cancer: (1) the identity trace, (2) the existential trace, (3) the bodily trace, and (4) the narrative trace. We discuss how cancer challenges one's sense of biographical continuity and initiates a search for a new way of being. We also discuss how the metaphor of the trace differs from the metaphor of the cancer hero living without any trace of cancer.

Adding synesthetic metaphors in English-Ukrainian translations of fiction

This article combines analytical tools of cognitive translation analysis and affordances of corpus linguistics to inquire into the translation procedure of adding synesthetic metaphoric descriptions in English-Ukrainian translations of fiction. The research is based on 40 examples of addition, extracted manually from Ukrainian translations of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, The Hours by Michael Cunningham, and The Secret History and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. All the 40 synesthetic metaphoric descriptions introduced into Ukrainian translations correspond to the source-text non-metaphoric descriptions, though in theory, added synesthetic metaphors could refer to a point in the original where there is no text at all. All of the added synesthetic metaphoric descriptions are based on the TOUCH source domain, which supports Ullmann’s (1957) claim that TOUCH, being the most accessible sensory mode, is a predominant source of cross-sensory transfer. Analysis of results suggests that the translators’ choice to add synesthetic metaphoric descriptions to the target text is influenced by the higher conventionality degree of such descriptions compared to that of the direct non-metaphoric translation equivalents of the non-metaphoric source-text material. Disclosure Statement The authors reported no potential conflicts of interest. * Corresponding author: Olha Zhulavska, 0000-0002-3132-6877o.gulawskay@gf.sumdu.edu.ua

Instrumental support for increasing personal resilience against destructive manipulations

The article confirms the possibility of metaphorical description by clients of options for manipulating their behavior that are significant to them. It has been shown that Sandplay Therapy can be used to successfully design and rehearse the desired forms of behavior and form associated sensory standards for subsequent ideomotor training. Evidence is presented of the validity of an assumption that the very elements of such materialized displays of the existing orientation schemes and their photographs support to quickly assess the intensity of the emotional experiences accompanying such modeling and the physiological processes associated with them. It has been established that cardiac measurements followed by calculation of the stress index of the various components of the autonomic nervous system make it possible to assess the level of stress caused by the client’s imagination of a problematic situation for him/her, where he/ she is facing a traumatic manipulation. It is noted that measurements of changes in galvanic skin reactions also allows judging the intensity of experiences that accompany the rebuilding of the associative connection of the depicted items with those manifestations of manipulation of which it is a metaphorical representation. Another assumption has also been confirmed that Sandplay Therapy can be used to effectively prevent some undesired manipulative influences on the client’s personality. At the same time, in addition to establishing the effectiveness of therapeutic procedures, cardiometric measurements and recording of electrodermal activity for the client himself/herself serve as a kind of bio-feedback. Using the latter, the client gets an opportunity to assess how much the response to metaphorical representations of manipulative influences corresponds to how exactly he/she would like to act if they are detected.

Like My Aunt Dorothy: Effects of Conversational Styles on Perceptions, Acceptance and Metaphorical Descriptions of Voice Assistants during Later Adulthood

Little research has investigated the design of conversational styles of voice assistants (VA) for adults in their later adulthood with varying personalities. In this Wizard of Oz experiment, 34 middle-aged (50 to 64 years old) and 24 older adults (65 to 80 years old) participated in a user study at a simulated home, interacting with a VA using either formal or informal language. Older adults with higher agreeableness perceived VA as being more likable than middle-aged adults. Middle-aged adults showed similar technology acceptance toward the informal and formal VA, and older adults preferred using informal VA, especially those with low agreeableness. Further, while both middle-aged and older adults frequently anthropomorphized VAs by using human metaphors for them, older adults compared formal VA with professionals (e.g., librarians, teachers) and informal VA with their close ones (e.g., spouses, relatives). Overall, the conversational style showed differential effects on the perceptions of middle-aged and older adults, suggesting personalized design implications.

The End of the World in the Quran and Physic

This paper delves into the exploration of eschatological themes present in the Quran, the sacred text of Islam, and their intersection with scientific theories in physics regarding the ultimate fate of the universe. Through a comparative analysis of Quranic verses and principles of physics, this study aims to elucidate the parallels, divergences, and potential synergies between religious and scientific perspectives on the end of the world. The research employs an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon insights from Islamic studies and physics to unravel the symbolic language and metaphorical descriptions used in both domains to depict complex cosmological concepts. Through critical analysis and scholarly discourse, the paper endeavors to foster a deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in contemplating the end of the world, thereby contributing to the ongoing dialogue between faith and science. The scientific facts of science fully confirm the verses of the Quran that refer to the death of the world, which is called the Resurrection, and after that the life of another world begins.

Варианты герменевтического толкования текста «Бардо Тхедол»: аллюзии и метафоры

Tibetan Buddhism is represented by several schools or traditions, each of which includes certain religious and mystical practices and is based on the meditative experience of the guru. In addition, Tibetan Buddhist schools are based on specific teachings presented in written and oral sources. The study of written sources is carried out most often from the standpoint of hermeneutics and textual studies, since it requires interpretation, interpretation and understanding of existing texts. One such text containing a special Tibetan teaching is the Bardo Thedol, or Book of the Dead, which largely reflects the peculiarities of Buddhism and its traditions. The reference to the text of the Book of the Dead has been carried out several times, because this source is characterized by a high degree of difficulty in understanding, and its hermeneutic interpretation in the context of this article allows us to reflect in more detail the allusiveness and metaphorical description of the mystical practice of dying.

Perceptions and metaphors of patients about epileptic seizures and postictal state in Medellín-Colombia: A qualitative study

IntroductionPWE describe epileptic seizures and the postictal state with the description of experienced symptoms or through metaphorical language. For treating physicians, this metaphoric language may go unnoticed. The purpose of the study is to identify both the real and metaphorical descriptions of epileptic seizures and postictal state referred by PWE from Medellín Colombia. MethodsIt is a qualitative study that uses grounded theory applied in ten semi-structured interviews of PWE from the Metropolitan Area of Medellín, Colombia. Descriptions of epileptic seizures and the postictal state were identified. For their classification into metaphorical and literal characteristics, the texts of “The Living Metaphor” by Paul Riccoeur, “The Illness and its Metaphors – AIDS and its Metaphors” by Susan Sontag, and “Metaphors of Everyday Life” by Lakoff and Johnson were used as references. ResultsTen clinical and fourteen metaphorical descriptions of epileptic seizures were identified. Regarding the postictal state, eight clinical and six metaphorical descriptions were identified. The metaphors were classified into three categories: a. external force b. depreciation and division and c. the absence of continuity (slowness, disconnection). ConclusionMetaphors are frequent in the description of epileptic seizures and can be useful in seizure classification, neuroanatomical localization, and therapeutic approach. Metaphors can be an initial stage in the construction of otherness as a form of identity.

Metaphorization of German socio-political discourse

The emergence of new phenomena and concepts determines the constant need for new means of cognition, nomination and evaluation — a process in which metaphors traditionally take the leading place. The article is devoted to the processes of replenishing the actual vocabulary of socio-political discourse through metaphorization as a means of secondary nomination. The subject of the study is the metaphorical character of this part of the modern German lexicon and the processes of metaphorization that took place in the German-language socio-political discourse during the last decade. The object of the study was lexical units selected from publications in modern German-language media. The paper describes the functioning of topical metaphors in the social sphere, domestic and foreign policy, economy, education, modern technologies, and ecology. The processes of metaphor migration between different spheres, as well as the expansion and specialization of their meaning are presented. The linguistic material is considered first of all in cognitive and nominative aspects and is analyzed according to several criteria: conceptosphere, belonging to parts of speech and language of origin, structural and functional characteristics, word-formation potential. Special attention is paid to the description of conceptual (cognitive), figurative and expressive-evaluative metaphors, as well as the anthropocentric nature of metaphor. The article analyzes a number of so-called «leading metaphors» of modern socio-political discourse, which, due to their high frequency and manipulative use, have lost their metaphoricality over time and undergone significant semantic changes. The problem of manipulative nature of some metaphors, the issues of morality and political correctness of their use are discussed. Theoretical considerations are illustrated by actual linguistic material, which is a cross-section of a particular stage of language functioning and allows us to study its dynamic and creative essence.

The Laozi’s Ideal State: Nostalgia, Utopia, State of Nature

Among the various statements related to the political philosophy of the Laozi《老子》, Chapter 80 is distinguished by its particular depiction of what may be dubbed an ideal state. By examining the viewpoints of various authors in both English and Chinese works, the chapter will be analyzed and compared with three concepts independently discussed in political philosophy: (1) the call for returning to the past, also referred to as nostalgia; (2) utopianism; and (3) the state of nature. It is probably more than evident that the ideal state is at least reminiscent of these theories. Despite the possible and hypothetical similarities, however, this article will attempt to show that it is acceptable to claim that there is neither sufficient evidence nor support for the argument that the Laozi advocates returning to the past, proposes utopia, or describes a state of nature, and, moreover, that some of its statements are not completely adequate for such interpretations. The thesis that this article will support is that the ideal state is only a metaphorical description of a better world.

Profane Pregnant Bodies Versus Sacred Organizational Systems: Exploring Pregnancy Discrimination at Work (R2)

This paper explores how pregnancy discrimination at work is perceived by both employers and pregnant employees. Using a public, qualitative dataset collected by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission that offers perspectives from both employers and pregnant employees, we explore the unfair and unethical treatment of pregnant employees at work. Our findings show how pregnant workers are expected to conform with workplace systems that are treated as sacred. We suggest that employer valorization of the mythical figure of ‘ideal worker’ disadvantages pregnant workers. We observe how, even if this contravenes maternity protection laws, some employers self-justify discrimination against pregnant employees who they perceive to have transgressed ‘appropriate’ workplace behaviors as ethical and reasonable. To illuminate and conceptualize the notion of transgression, our analysis has led us to the ideas of philosopher Georges Bataille, specifically his reflections on how individuals who ‘transgress’ social norms are treated as taboo, as well as his metaphorical descriptions of people and practices as either sacred or profane. We theorize that pregnant workers who are treated as profane should be reclassified as sacred, opening up this idea for debate so as to disrupt long-standing patterns of discrimination.

Mentoring in the Development of Science Teaching Self-Efficacy Among Primary School Teachers in Thailand: A Mixed Methods Study

ABSTRACT This study employed a sequential mixed methods explanatory research design to explore the influence of mentoring in the self-efficacy-forming experiences of primary school teachers who participated in a variety of professional development projects on science teaching. In the quantitative phase, survey data drawn from primary school teachers (n = 834) showed that collaborative mentee-mentor activities and metaphorical descriptions of interpersonal relationship were the best predictors of personal science teaching self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and instructional change. In the qualitative phase, interviews with individual teachers identified their perceptions of how mentoring experiences influenced their development of science teaching self-efficacy and changes they made in their science classrooms. The findings are interpreted through the theoretical lens of the roles of culture and emotions in teacher learning.

Метафора как модель выводного знания: композитные метафоры в немецком научном тексте

The article is devoted to the description of metaphor as a model of inferential knowledge. The specifics of understanding composite metaphors, which describe the elements of the sphere of non-material world, is studied on the material of scientific and popular science texts in German. The problem is important today because of the existing linguistic interest to the processes of generation and understanding of speech. On the base of four-dimensional integration theory developed by J. Fauconnier and M. Turner the paper describes an algorithm for the interaction of mental spaces that provide understanding of complex words (composites). In the article is used the method of modeling that involves the definitional analysis, as well as methods of generalization of concepts, comparison and synthesis. The theoretical significance of the article is determined by its contribution to the solution of methodological problems of the study of inferential knowledge in the field of scientific communication; of practical value are the results concerning the principles of schematization of the process of understanding, which can be used in the disciplines of the cognitive orientation. The specificity of understanding of complex words in a scientific text is the combination in the integrated mental space (blend) of two initial spaces: the first is the basis of metaphorical transfer; it correlates with knowledge about material objects familiar to a person; the second creates the perspective of understanding these objects. The total generic mental space is a link connecting the initial spaces; it is characterized by the inclusion of knowledge about a material object within a certain subject / professional area. The result of metaphorical rethinking and modification of the total generic space is a blend – the new knowledge adapted to the conditions of professional communication. The analysis of the material made it possible to conclude that the understanding of composite metaphors is the result of the formation of integrative conceptual units in the human mind, which allows to realize the metaphor as a model of inferential knowledge that is significant for thinking.

“There’s still something positive about the Niger Delta ecology”: Metaphor and ideology in the Niger Delta poetic discourse

Studies on Niger Delta (ND) poetry have applied stylistic and discourse analyses in exploring the metaphorical elements of the deplorable ecological condition of the region, but how these elements have been used in creating an alternative positive image of the ecology, especially in Otobotekere’s poetry, has not attracted enough scholarly attention. This study examines metaphors in selected poems from Otobotekere’s My River. The poems were subjected to critical analysis, with insight from conceptual metaphor theory, phenomenonalistic construal, and aspects of ideology discourse. Three conceptual metaphors were observed with their respective phenomenalistic interpretations: the Niger River is a parent (sourced from the construal of ancestry, seasons and source), Niger River flow is entertainment (from the construal of theatrical display, music making and journey) and contacting Niger River is therapy (from the construal of relaxation and care giving). The mappings are associated with three natural traits imaginarily projected by the river, namely, identity, recreation, and comfort. Identity relates to the parental posture of the river, recreation deals with enjoyable nature of it, while comfort has to do with the care derived from coming in contact with the river. Through these metaphorical descriptions, Otobotekere is able to inscribe the ND ecology with an admirable landscape, which seems like an attempt by a former oil worker at greenwashing or changing the predominant ideological outlook of the environment. Thus, conceptual metaphors in Otobotekere’s poetry, with their phenomenalistic interpretation, demonstrate that there is still something positive about the ND ecology.

Metals as Living Bodies. Founts of Mercury, Amalgams, and Chrysocolla

Ancient and medieval alchemical works include several comparisons between the generation and development of metals and those of plants, animals, and living beings. These comparisons could refer to adopt physiological models in the explanation of the natural formation of metals and their artificial transformation, to justify the place occupied by alchemy within the broader study of the natural world, and to stand as metaphorical descriptions of specific alchemical procedures. This article analyses these features by focusing on the relationship between mercury and gold, the latter being the “perfect” metal that constituted both an ambitious goal of alchemical practice and one of its key ingredients. The interrelationship between gold and mercury emerges in complex myths about metallic rivers, in the use of gold-mercury amalgams in ancient technology, and in the discussion that alchemists developed around the enigmatic chrysocolla (literally “gold solder”). These three foci are discussed in relation to a variety of ancient sources – from Aristotle and the Stoics to late antique, Byzantine, and Syriac alchemical texts – to explore the different forms of conceptualising metals as living bodies and the interactions of these models with ancient theories on the formation of metals and the alchemical practices aimed at their transformation.

Putovanje kroz srednje godine - lični i kolektivni aspekti

This paper deals with the changes and challenges inflicted upon an individual entering midlife period. This developmental stage is often recognized as a crisis. It requires engaging in a process of introspection and confrontation with certain limitations that, if accepted, could lead to a more complete and meaningful life. We observe midlife through the process of individuation as the core point of Jung's psychology. We deal with not only personal but also collective i.e. cultural aspects of midlife transition. We take into consideration three phases through which this process could be described and understood: the phase of separation, liminality and reintegration. Throughout this paper, we also follow the archetypal i.e. universal, transcultural aspect of these manifestations by analysing of two myths: the myth of Hermes and Apollo and the myth of Persephone and Demeter. The symbolism and the narrative of these myths could be understood as a metaphorical description of midlife transition. We observe them as liminal, creative and transformational processes leading us to a connection with deeper, transpersonal and collective layers of psyche. The resolution of the midlife crisis can lead to not only more complete psychological but also spiritual development.

КОНЦЕПТ ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОГО ТЕЛА ВО ФРАНЦУЗСКОМ ПОЛИТИКО-ФИЛОСОФСКОМ ДИСКУРСЕ XIV В.

Throughout the 14th – 15th centuries, French intellectuals actively used the concept of body politic in their works – in mirrors for princes, sermons, ballads and first political treatises. In this vein, both ancient examples of the construction of such models and medieval works were subjected to rethinking. The metaphor of the body politic became a constant leitmotif of the 14th century mirrors for princes, who with the help of that trope tried to explain the complex social structure and reflect on the abstract nature of the state. While in them the political body often served as an ideal, a model of correct state structure, the antipode became the image of a sick or monstrous body. Eustache Deschamps refers to such an image in his ballads, using it to demonstrate the deplorable state of the French kingdom, mired in feuds and the hardships of war with England. The metaphor of the political body was interpreted in a variety of ways: it was a concept designed to consolidate opposing social groups and political factions around the figure of the monarch, but at the same time it could be used to criticize the corruption of the ruler’s close associates. Such different strategies of interpretation of that concept compel to further analyze the genesis and development of metaphorical descriptions of the state.

Metaphorization of Emotions in German Football Fans’ Discourse

The article considers peculiarities of verbalization of emotions in German football fans’ discourse. Social, psychological, biological relevance of emotions in a person’s world view provides vivid interest of specialists, including linguists, in studying language means to objectify emotional concepts. Despite the fact that
 the range of the studied aspects is urgent and is thoroughly examined, certain communicative domains organized by sports fans remain insufficiently explored, although according to some scientists, it is their subculture that is characterized by distinctive emotional background, «emotionally tense» attitude to events, phenomena, facts, people being under their magnifying glass.
 The article provides cases of verbalization of emotions through metaphoric descriptions. The most active source domains are determined that represent emotional concepts (war, colour, nature, equipment, space, etc.), their direc-
 tion vectors are identified, as well s objects and situations inducing emotions in a fans’ community. It can be considered productive for the futher study to analyze
 linguistic (metaphoric) conceptualization of emotions in football fans’ discourse in different ethnic and language cultures to elicit national character in building metaphoric patterns of people’s emotional sphere. The article makes use of discourse, component and conceptual analysis, building metaphoric patterns, clas-
 sification, lexicographical and comparative methods.

Openness in Situations of Joint Attention

Openness is a distinctive feature in the episodes of joint attention. In such an episode, everything is in the open, nothing is hidden (PEACOCKE, 2005, p. 298). But what is this metaphorical description supposed to grasp? On the common knowledge approach, openness is characterized by an infinite list of iterated perceptual knowledge attributions. This approach overloads the cognitive costs of joint attention. On the relational approach, openness is a primitive notion; the phenomenon results from the fusion of perceptions between the agents, a singular experience of co-percipience that explains joint attention for free. This paper aims to argue for an intermediate approach to explain openness. We offer here an account of openness in terms of non-wellfounded situations. We shall argue that it not only fully characterizes mutual awareness in a finite adequate way but that it also preserves the low cognitive burden of the co-presence situation.