Metaphor Processing Research Articles

Modalization of Speech Actions as the Basis of the Metaphoric Transfer (on the Example of German Economic Discourse)

The question of the nature of speech modalization has been repeatedly considered in linguistics from various positions, which is partially reflected in the text of the article. The authors of the publication propose to look at the points of intersection of the process of metaphorization of statements within the framework of one type of discourse with the expression of the author's attitude to and/or assessment of its content. To substantiate the validity of this approach, the authors refer to the methodology of logical analysis of language, the theory of intersubjectivity and the theory of evaluativity, linking cognitive methods of analyzing the process of metaphorization with a broad understanding of the category of modality. This formulation of the problem fits into the modern scientific paradigm of interdisciplinarity and the actualization of interdisciplinary relations, which reflects the relevance of the proposed text. The scientific novelty of the topic is an attempt to determine the correlation of the category of modality in its axiological and ideological aspects with metaphorization as a means of actualizing evaluativity in economic discourse. Commonly, denoting phenomena, processes or results is not limited to their nomination, but the producer of the utterance gives them a modal assessment. The empirical material containing fragments of texts of the German-language mass media on economic topics reflects the validity of the proposed interpretation of the issue, shows the potential relationship of phenomena in the intersection of various connotative meanings of a cognitive metaphor, potentially serving to express the attitude to the proposition of an utterance at the level of intersubjective assessments that create a modal frame of the text. The given examples clearly demonstrate that cognitive metaphors in various forms of their implementation could serve to express ideological modality from the standpoint of intersubjectivity, since the producer of the text relies on the reflection of a fragment of reality in the communicative and cognitive activity of subjects of the national-cultural community of people. The article recognizes a certain ambiguity of the proposed interpretation of the category of modality, which is considered in the traditional grammar as an expression of possibility, ought and desirability, or as a confidence, doubt and assertion that the action is carried out at different time levels using phrases with modal verbs, modal words or adverbs, particles, etc. Thus, the article can be considered as an indirect invitation to a discussion on the issue.

Conventional metaphors elicit greater real-time engagement than literal paraphrases or concrete sentences

Conventional metaphors (e.g.,a firm grasp on an idea) are extremely common. A possible explanation for their ubiquity is that they are more engaging, evoking more focused attention, than their literal paraphrases (e.g.,a good understanding of an idea). To evaluate whether, when, and why this may be true, we created a new database of 180 English sentences consisting of conventional metaphors, literal paraphrases, and concrete descriptions (e.g.,a firm grip on a doorknob). Extensive norming matched differencesacross sentence types in complexity, plausibility, emotional valence, intensity, and familiarity of the key phrases. Then, using pupillometry to study the time course of metaphor processing, we predicted that metaphors would elicit greaterevent-evoked pupil dilationcompared to other sentence types. Results confirmed the predicted increase beginning at the onset of the key phrase and lasting seconds beyond the end of the sentence. When metaphorical and literal sentences were compared directly in survey data, participants judged metaphorical sentences to convey “richer meaning,” but not more information. We conclude that conventional metaphors are more engaging than literal paraphrases or concrete sentences in a way that is irreducible to difficulty or ease, amount of information, short-term lexical access, or downstream inferences.

Cognitive Load and Individual Differences in Processing Ideational Grammatical Metaphor: An Eye-Tracking Study

The present study examined the event-related potential (ERP) and time-frequency components correlates with the comprehension process of multimodal metaphors that were represented by the combination of “a vehicle picture + a written word of an animal”. Electroencephalogram data were recorded when participants decided whether the metaphor using an animal word for the vehicle rendered by a picture was appropriate or not. There were two conditions: appropriateness (e.g., sport utility vehicles + tiger) vs. inappropriateness (e.g., sport utility vehicles + cat). The ERP results showed that inappropriate metaphor elicited larger N300 (280–360 ms) and N400 (380–460 ms) amplitude than appropriate one, which were different from previous exclusively verbal metaphor studies that rarely observed the N300 effect. A P600 (550–750 ms) was also observed and larger in appropriate metaphor condition. Besides, the time-frequency principal component analysis revealed that two independent theta activities indexed the separable processes (retrieval of semantic features and semantic integration) underlying the N300 and N400. Delta band was also induced within a later time window and best characterized the integration process underlying P600. These results indicate the specific cognitive mechanism of multimodal metaphor comprehension that is different from verbal metaphor processing, mirrored by several separable processes indexed by ERP components and time-frequency components. The present study extends the metaphor research by uncovering the functional roles of delta and theta as well as their unique contributions to the ERP components during multimodal metaphor comprehension.

The Metaphorical Interpretation of English and Chinese Body-part Idioms Based on Relevance Theory

As a special language coding way and language phenomenon, metaphor is an important form when humans use language in communication. However, metaphorical mappings are not arbitrary. They are based on our physical experience of the world around us. Idioms are the crystallization of human language and culture and play an important role in human communication. The idiomatic meaning is not simply the sum of the lexical meanings, but often the metaphorical meaning extended from the literal meaning. The paper is based on the relevance theory proposed by Sperber and Wilson (1995), adopts the methods of comparative analysis and text analysis, and takes the idioms of “body metaphor” contained in English and Chinese as the main research object to explore the following questions: 1. What is the interpretation model of the “body-part metaphors” in idioms? 2. In English and Chinese idioms, what are the similarities and differences in the use and interpretation of body-part metaphors? Firstly, the idioms of body-part metaphor are classified based on their projection types, then analyzing the projection methods of each type. Finally, through the new reasoning model guided by relevance theory to analyze the reasoning process of body-part metaphor in English and Chinese idioms, exploring the importance of cognitive context in the interpretation of body-part idioms.

Conceptual expansion via novel metaphor processing: An ERP replication and extension study examining individual differences in creativity

The aims of the present ERP study were twofold. First, to determine whether a previous study on creative cognition could be replicated, and second, to extend these findings by examining individual differences in creativity. Conceptual expansion, a capacity that is central to creativity, was induced via the processing of novel metaphors. Brain activity patterns in relation to these were compared to the processing of literal and nonsense phrases. The previous findings were replicated in that the N400, known for its sensitivity to semantic anomalies, indexed the originality of the phrases, while a post-N400 late component (LC), which is linked to semantic integration processes, indexed the appropriateness of the phrases. Moreover, only the LC was significantly sensitive to individual differences in creativity in the processing of these phrases. Differences at the level of semantic integration processes as well as the structure of knowledge organization are thereby implicated in individual differences in creativity.

National-Cultural Features of the Verbalizers of the Concept "Beauty / Ugliness" in English and Uzbek Languages

This article deals with the national-cultural features of the verbalizers of the concept Beauty/ugliness in English and Uzbek. In this article the author tried to analyze the process of metaphorization, which gives to identify the national and cultural peculiarities of concept Beauty / ugliness in non-related languages. While the similarities in the zlanguages show that these peoples have a single logic in their linguistic perception of material things, the differences in them reflect the differences in the worldview and mentality of these peoples, as well as the uniqueness of these peoples.

Electrophysiological insights into the role of proficiency in bilingual novel and conventional metaphor processing

Abstract While novel and conventional metaphor comprehension has received much attention in the monolingual context, thus far little electrophysiological research has been conducted with a view to examining how bilingual speakers process metaphors in their non-native language (L2) as well as how L2 proficiency level might modulate such processes. The present study aims to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of novel and conventional metaphor comprehension in intermediate and advanced Chinese-English bilingual speakers. The participants performed a semantic decision task to English (L2) novel metaphoric, conventional metaphoric, literal, and anomalous word pairs. The results showed a graded N400 effect from literal utterances, to conventional metaphors, novel metaphors, and finally to anomalous utterances in both groups of participants, indicating that both types of metaphors were more cognitively taxing than literal utterances, irrespectively of L2 proficiency level. Additionally, between-group differences that were irrespective of utterance type were found in the N400 time frame, indicating more extended lexico-semantic access in the intermediate relative to the advanced group. Finally, in both groups of participants, an anterior sustained negativity was found in response to anomalous, novel metaphoric, and conventional metaphoric word pairs, thus suggesting a continuing difficulty of meaning integration.

A simile is (like) a metaphor: Comparing metaphor and simile processing across the familiarity spectrum.

One of Katz's significant contributions to the study of figurative language is his work highlighting the importance of familiarity in metaphor processing. In this study, we examined how metaphor and simile comprehension change as a function of familiarity. The Categorization model (Glucksberg, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2003, 7, 92) proposes that metaphor comprehension relies on an automatic process (categorization) regardless of familiarity. By contrast, the Career of Metaphor model (Bowdle & Gentner, Psychological Review, 2005, 112, 193) proposes that as conventionality or familiarity declines, comprehension shifts from categorization to comparison, a controlled, effortful process. Both models assume that similes, regardless of familiarity, are understood through controlled, comparison processes. The present study used a resource depletion manipulation to investigate the processes recruited in metaphor and simile comprehension. Because resource depletion negatively impacts controlled, effortful processes but does not affect automatic processes (Schmeichel et al., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003, 85, 33), comparing the effects of resource depletion on comprehension of familiar and unfamiliar metaphors and similes may shed light on the comprehension processes (controlled or automatic) being used. Across two experiments, we induced resource depletion using a Stroop task and tested the impact of depletion on metaphor and simile comprehension. Metaphor stimuli were drawn from Katz et al. (Metaphor and Symbolic Activity, 1988, 3, 191) normed database; similes were constructed by adding the word like to each metaphor (e.g., love is (like) a flower). For both tropes, resource depletion slowed comprehension of unfamiliar expressions but had no little-or-no impact on highly familiar expressions. Our results suggest that comprehension of both similes and metaphors shifts from automatic to controlled processing as familiarity decreases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

DICTIONARY DEFINITION AS A WAY OF OBJECTIVATION OF ETHNOS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT TOOLS

This article analyzes the peculiarities of objectification of ethnos knowledge about tools on the material of definitions of lexicographical works of different years. It has been proved that there is a seal of their creation time on dictionary interpretations. The main tools in their constructions remain as they were many years ago, but their once important details for the consciousness of a native speaker have lost their significance, so in modern definitions they are absent, because there is no need for a more detailed interpretation of these historicisms nowadays. A comparison of interpretations of tools gives grounds to talk about how their perceptions have changed during the historical development of society.
 The analysis of practical material proves that there is an inversely proportional relationship between the structure of knowledge presentation and its lexicographic definition. Comparison of dictionary articles presented in lexicographical works of the middle of the 19th – early 20th enturies and late 20th – early 21st centuries proves «tool» progress of the society, where the usual for Ukrainians of the previous time period tool was interpreted in one word, because everything was clear without further explanation, while lexicographic works representing the second time period testify presentation of a detailed description of a tool in the definition, because they are actually used today by representatives of mostly older (sometimes) middle generation of Ukrainians.
 The research proves that metaphorical processes are seldom recorded in lexicographical works as objectification of steps up in the semantic structure of the lexical item caused by people’s knowledge about tools and their functioning. This requires of lexicographers to create electronic versions of dictionaries to respond quickly to new meanings.

On the Role of Bilateral Brain Hypofunction and Abnormal Lateralization of Cortical Information Flow as Neural Underpinnings of Conventional Metaphor Processing Impairment in Schizophrenia: An fMRI and EEG Study

Figurative language processing (e.g. metaphors) is commonly impaired in schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the neural activity and propagation of information within neural circuits related to the figurative speech, as a neural substrate of impaired conventional metaphor processing in schizophrenia. The study included 30 schizophrenia outpatients and 30 healthy controls, all of whom were assessed with a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) punchline-based metaphor comprehension task including literal (neutral), figurative (metaphorical) and nonsense (absurd) endings. The blood oxygenation level-dependent signal was recorded with 3T MRI scanner and direction and strength of cortical information flow in the time course of task processing was estimated with a 64-channel EEG input for directed transfer function. The presented results revealed that the behavioral manifestation of impaired figurative language in schizophrenia is related to the hypofunction in the bilateral fronto-temporo-parietal brain regions (fMRI) and various differences in effective connectivity in the fronto-temporo-parietal circuit (EEG). Schizophrenia outpatients showed an abnormal pattern of connectivity during metaphor processing which was related to bilateral (but more pronounced at the left hemisphere) hypoactivation of the brain. Moreover, we found reversed lateralization patterns, i.e. a rightward-shifted pattern during metaphor processing in schizophrenia compared to the control group. In conclusion, the presented findings revealed that the impairment of the conventional metaphor processing in schizophrenia is related to the bilateral brain hypofunction, which supports the evidence on reversed lateralization of the language neural network and the existence of compensatory recruitment of alternative neural circuits in schizophrenia.

Figurative language: advances and new research perspectives (Lenguaje figurado: avances y nuevas perspectivas investigativas)

ABSTRACT This introduction presents the studies that make up volume 42, issue 2, of the journal Studies in Psychology. The first part comprises studies from the fields of psycholinguistics and cognitive neuropsychology of language. They address the processing of highly creative metaphors, comprehension of idioms in English–Spanish bilinguals, impairments in the processing of metaphors and idioms in people with aphasia and dementia, and, finally, a critical look at various accounts of the ‘literalist bias’ in the Autism Spectrum Disorder. The second part contains articles dealing with the main assumptions of the so-called conventional figurative language theory, the linguistic expression of aesthetic emotions, the use of subversive humour to vindicate the role of women in present-day society and, to conclude, an ontogenetic perspective on the emergence of humour in school-aged children.

THE STUDY OF THE MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF WORDS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF COGNITIVE MORPHOLOGY

The article considers the basics of the cognitive approach to the analysis of language units. The purposeof the article is to establish the basic principles of cognitive morphology, which are based on the principles ofcognitive grammar and which can be used for the analysis of the morphological structure of any word. Theyare the following: morphological units should be investigated in the light of human experience, cognitiveprocesses of man and his/her vision; morphological units have prototype structures; the morphological structureof a word from a certain language depends on the peculiarities of this language; grammatical rules dependpartially on semantic properties of lexical units; semantic structures should be characterized with the referenceto the ways of interiorisation of reality; conventional links among morphological structures are identifiedthrough metaphoric and metonymic processes; cognitive morphology is of imaginary character. It is proposedto use the technique of frame patterning to analyze the morphological structure of the word. The choice of themorphological structure of a word depends on the type of a frame pattern. This study will be useful for thosewho are in line with a new approach to the analysis of language units - cognitive morphology.

The Effect of Verbal Anchoring on the Processing of Advertising Pictorial Metaphors

AbstractAlthough investigating metaphors in advertising is gaining in popularity, there are still certain unresolved arguments, such as the interaction between elements of different modalities. This study, composed of three behavioral experiments, aims to identify how verbal anchoring (literal anchoring, metaphor anchoring and unrelated anchoring) influences the processing of pictorial metaphors in advertising, by observing the cognitive and affective indicators, advertising comprehension and advertising likeability. The results showed 1) that metaphors in pictorial modality were recognized more quickly than those in verbal modality, 2) that verbal anchoring facilitated participants ’ comprehending and appreciating of pictorial metaphors and 3) that literally-anchored metaphors with a moderate level of novelty yielded the most favorable cognitive responses. The study not only enriches the existing theoretical framework of multimodal metaphors in advertising, but also proposes an optimal match between pictorial metaphors and verbal elements, for advertisers and manufacturers to design effective multimodal advertisements.

Two dialogical theorisations of children’s encounters in more-than-human worlds involving metaphor

This article generates two dialogical theorisations of young children’s encounters in more-than-human worlds involving metaphor. The first theorisation devises metaphor as an entry point into the dialogues of more-than-humans and includes rare attention to metaphors as multimodal intra-action. The second theorisation provides an alternative to Linell’s view that relation with non-humans would be merely a metaphorical extension of dialogue, ‘as if’ they were human. Instead, a new model recognises the potential for dialogue as a relational engagement with otherness in a more-than-human-centric approach. The theorisations underpin interpretations of a range of early childhood play episodes with protagonists: sand, paper, tissue and plastic. The materials are beyond any assumed instrumental interaction waiting to be acted upon by humans; rather, they can be in social and material worlds, meeting places, of more-than-humans intra-acting. Penny Lawrence has proposed attending to the quality of relation in dialogues. The significance of these theorisations is for more-than-human study of any encounter to take account of the potential for dialogue, and for studies of dialogue to take account of the more-than-human. In particular, the processes of blending in multimodal metaphorical co-constitutive processes offer notable insights into intra-actions within more-than-human dialogues.

Stance-taking in Longxi Qiang: Metaphor of the third person possessive pronoun ʦeǐ

This paper focuses on the metaphor of the third person possessive pronoun ʦeǐ in Longxi Qiang, a Tibeto-Burman language. The discourse uses of ʦeǐ suggest that conceptual distance goes together with distance in surface realization. Speakers use ʦeǐ as a possessive pronoun to signal possession and definiteness. In addition to the referential meaning, speakers use ʦeǐ to express stance-taking, including the evaluation of spatio-temporal and relational distances, affective stance and discourse organization. In an utterance, ʦeǐ co-occurring with the filler làmò implicates that the speaker cannot think about how to say something about the third party. The polysemy of ʦeǐ is driven by the metaphorical transfer from possession to stance-taking. Possession can account for this metaphoric process.

Electrophysiological correlates of conventional metaphor, irony, and literal language processing – An event-related potentials and eLORETA study

Conventional metaphor, irony, and literal language processing were compared. Thirty right-handed participants (21–34 years) performed a sequential-statement ERP-paradigm. A left-frontal Late Anterior Negative Slow Wave (LANSW, 450–1000 ms) was significantly greater for metaphors and by visual tendency greater for irony, compared to literal statements. A centroparietal N400 (300–450 ms) and a centroparietal right-dominant “Late N400” (450–600 ms) were by statistical and visual tendency greater for metaphors. Left PCC and left lingual gyrus activity was significantly higher in metaphors compared to literal statements (eLORETA; 450–1000 ms). A statistical trend indicated higher parahippocampal gyrus activity in metaphors and ironies. N400 results are discussed considering changing processing techniques and a renewed semantic conflict. The Late N400 was associated with the construct of “associativeness”. The LANSW was related to metaphorical mapping, frame-shifting processes, integration of meanings, and memory processes. eLORETA results were discussed considering metaphorical mapping, creation of mental images, conventionality, valence, memory processes, and divergent thinking.

Eugène Ionesco’nun Gergedanlar Oyununda Gergedanlaşma

Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco (1959) presents the gradual literal and metaphorical transformation process of characters into rhinoceroses under the strong influence of the dominant ideology throughout the play. Ionesco’s play discusses and highlights the significance of maintaining one’s own individuality instead of mere adherence to a manipulative ideology through the struggle of the main character, Berenger. Berenger is in this respect different than other characters who adopt the represented ideology that does not tolerate plurality and diversity of opinions. The more characters turn into rhinoceroses, the stronger Berenger’s feeling of solitude and loneliness gets, which increases his alienation from his society. This study will in this regard give brief relevant information about the Theatre of the Absurd; then briefly introduce Eugène Ionesco as a playwright; and finally discuss the literal and metaphorical transformation process of the characters into rhinoceroses, which stands for the gradual loss of their individuality with specific references from the primary source and relevant secondary sources.

Metaphors, We Li(v)e By: Metáfora, verdade e mentira nas línguas naturais

Desde o célebre Metaphors We Live By, as propostas de base cognitiva vêm mostrando que o processo metafórico não é apenas um processo linguístico, mas um aspeto fundamental do funcionamento da cognição humana que as línguas também espelham. Neste funcionamento, comprova-se ser grande a influência que as especificidades sócio-cognitivas têm na sistematização, construção e interpretação da globalidade do fenómeno metafórico.A partir da análise de metáforas retiradas da imprensa económica, este texto procurará discutir até que ponto o processo metafórico, assentando em conhecimentos do mundo partilhados e usualmente inquestionados, é um processo orientado, fornecedor de interpretações manipuláveis.

The Metaphor Processing and Translation Skills of Computer Technology in English Language Translation

From the study of language grammar in our country, the metaphor we can understand refers to a form of written expression that is rich in linguistic narrative skills. Going back to the history of ancient literature, we will find that the ancient people’s understanding of metaphor is not just a simple way of language description, it is a language form of human active thinking and flexible thinking. I have to say that the use of language grammar can add a lot of color to the article. In the process of English translation, many authors also like to use the grammatical form of metaphor to express the meaning of the article[1]. For the translation of English articles, the form of computer literal translation is relatively simple. However, for English writing similar to metaphorical techniques, whether computer-assisted translation skills can use metaphorical Chinese techniques for translation in time is also a point that researchers should emphasize and pay attention. This article explains some related problems of English-based computer-assisted Chinese metaphor translation from the cultural differences between Chinese and foreign cultures and customs. It is hoped that researchers on English translation can learn from or put forward different opinions.

The Role of Literal Features During Processing of Novel Verbal Metaphors.

When a word is used metaphorically (for example “walrus” in the sentence “The president is a walrus”), some features of that word's meaning (“very fat,” “slow-moving”) are carried across to the metaphoric interpretation while other features (“has large tusks,” “lives near the north pole”) are not. What happens to these features that relate only to the literal meaning during processing of novel metaphors? In four experiments, the present study examined the role of the feature of physical containment during processing of verbs of physical containment. That feature is used metaphorically to signify difficulty, such as “fenced in” in the sentence “the journalist's opinion was fenced in after the change in regime.” Results of a lexical decision task showed that video clips displaying a ball being trapped by a box facilitated comprehension of verbs of physical containment when the words were presented in isolation. However, when the verbs were embedded in sentences that rendered their interpretation metaphorical in a novel way, no such facilitation was found, as evidenced by two eye-tracking reading studies. We interpret this as suggesting that features that are critical for understanding the encoded meaning of verbs but are not part of the novel metaphoric interpretation are ignored during the construction of metaphorical meaning. Results and limitations of the paradigm are discussed in relation to previous findings in the literature both on metaphor comprehension and on the interaction between language comprehension and the visual world.