Metaphorical Usage Research Articles

A CRITICAL METAPHOR ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISCOURSES IN THE PHILIPPINE SETTING

This research employed Critical Metaphor Analysis to examine the inaccuracies embedded in metaphors within the environmental discourses in the Philippines from a corpus of 30 documentary films. The study involved interviews with 5 science teachers and 5 senior high school students in the metaphor analyses. The pre-metaphor analysis level encompassed the discussions on pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, and nature conservation. During the metaphor identification level, 35 conceptual metaphors containing inaccuracies were identified such as paradise, festival, treasure, refuge, landscape, society, patient, lungs, psychological disorder, sinking ship, waterworld, victims, battle, karma, last forest, symbols of freedom, burning, and simple solution domains. These are grouped into 12 conceptual keys such as ideal place, home, threat, interconnected system, living organism, monster, war, cause and effect, unrestricted movement, combustion, and simple solution source domains. At the metaphor interpretation phase, topics comprised conservation, preservation, and natural value; resource value and commodification of nature; waste and pollution; climate change and environmental degradation; and human influence and environmental ethics. The identified metaphors were characterized by orientational (5), ontological (17), and structural (13) mappings, with 23 metaphors conveying alarmist tones and 12 relational and hopeful tones. Purposes were found as ideological (9), empathetic (10), heuristic (7), and aesthetic (9). At the metaphor explanation level, ideologies such as human dominance, commodification, environmental ethics, sanctity of nature, and overwhelming burden were revealed reflecting modify (2), adapt (1), and depend (2) power dynamics. This study highlighted the cultural, ideological, and motivational underpinnings of metaphor usage in public media that can significantly shape public perception and environmental action. KEYWORDS: environmental discourses; documentary films; critical metaphor analysis; applied linguistics; Philippines

Multimodal Metaphors in Snack Food Advertisements in English and in Vietnamese: A Comparative Study

In the modern advertising landscape, creating messages that resonate emotionally and culturally with audiences is essential for engagement. Multimodal metaphors are increasingly utilized to convey complex cultural meanings. This study investigated the use of multimodal metaphors in snack food advertisements in both English and Vietnamese, focusing on how verbal, visual, and auditory elements interacted to create persuasive and culturally resonant messages. A total of 24 advertisements—12 in English and 12 in Vietnamese—were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach that incorporated both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative findings revealed distinct differences in metaphor frequency between the two languages, while the qualitative analysis explored the cultural nuances that shaped metaphor usage. English advertisements predominantly emphasized themes of individual success, personal indulgence, and self-empowerment, reflecting the values of individualism commonly found in Western cultures. In contrast, Vietnamese advertisements focused on family unity, community, and shared experiences, which aligned with collectivist cultural values deeply rooted in Vietnamese society. These differences underscored the importance of cultural context in shaping advertising strategies. This study also provided critical insights for advertisers, emphasizing how culturally tailored messages that adapted metaphor usage to the values of the target audience could enhance both engagement and message effectiveness. Ultimately, the research highlighted the essential role of cultural and linguistic factors in constructing multimodal metaphors, offering practical implications for the development of more effective and culturally aligned advertisements.

Metaphorical Idioms in Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory

Abstract In Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Kövecses, 2020), I offered a comprehensive overhaul of “standard” conceptual metaphor theory. The present paper attempts to demonstrate how the new view of CMT can handle metaphorical idioms. To this end, I analyze four metaphorical idioms from the thematic area of money (throw money about, money slips through someone’s fingers, be a cash cow, money keeps someone/something afloat). The analysis assumes and starts out from the observation that money-related metaphors are based on two generic-level conceptual metaphors: money is a moving entity and money is a force. Extended CMT adds to CMT the notion of “mental space-level metaphors” that were largely ignored in “standard” CMT, but are given an important role in extended CMT. These are the metaphors that represent actual, contextual meanings in a metaphorical usage event. Traditional CMT-type analysis cannot account for the emergence of such idiomatic meanings because the mappings, or correspondences, of standard CMT work on a single, generic level (frame-, domain-, or even image schema level). However, the contextual meanings of naturally used metaphors (including those of metaphorical idioms) are much more information-rich and specific. The conceptual metaphors on the image schema, domain, and frame levels are offline structures in long-term memory, whereas the conceptual metaphors on the mental space level occur only online in working memory. In online communication, speakers mobilize the static image schema-, domain-, and frame-level metaphors at the mental space level, where they create highly specific mental space-level metaphors. Given this framework, it becomes possible to explain how and why the four metaphorical idioms have different contextual meanings (as represented by different mental space-level metaphors), but, at the same time, why they also share certain conceptual metaphors on the frame-, domain-, or image schema-level. Additionally, we gain new insight into how the emergence of novel metaphorical idioms occurs with the help of and constrained by a previously existing large system of hierarchically arranged conceptual metaphors.

A LINGUA-PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF STYLISTIC DEVICES ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE TRANSLATION OF HAROLD LAMB'S "BABUR- THE TIGER"

This article mainly deals with linguo-pragmatic analysis of metaphor in the original text and its translation. Harold Lemb’s “Babur- the tiger” is an autobiographic English noval and its Uzbek translation was done by Gofurjon Sotimov. After having read and analyzed them, I wanted to have this mini research on the analysis of the usage of metaphors and their appearance on Uzbek translation.

Use of Offensive Animal Metaphor as an Interactional Activity in Online Forum Discussions

ABSTRACT This paper investigates offensive animal metaphors in blog comments about the management of donations of money and medical relief during the coronavirus pandemic in China. Rather than understanding the metaphorical usage of language as a cognitive process, we consider its situational usage as a social action and invoke insights from Conversation Analysis. Based on data retrieved from Sina Weibo, we show how discussants use animal metaphors to accomplish varying actions and construct intelligibility between themselves and others about the relationship between actions, moral accountability, and description of social events. We therefore argue that CA with its focus on topicality, action and societal membership can complement the cognitive understanding of the proximity between the source and the target domains.

Medical Metaphors That May Reinforce Misconceptions Are Associated With Increased Trust in the Clinician.

This study measured patient reactions to medical metaphors used in musculoskeletal specialty offices and asked: (1) Are there any factors associated with patient thoughts and emotions in response to common metaphors? (2) Is there a difference between patient ratings of metaphors rated as potentially reinforcing misconceptions and those that are more neutral? In a cross-sectional study, 228 patients presenting to multiple musculoskeletal specialty offices rated reactions to 4 metaphors presented randomly from a set of 14. Two were categorized as potentially reinforcing common misconceptions and 2 as relatively neutral. Bivariate tests and multivariable regression identified factors associated with patient ratings of levels of emotion (using the standard assessment manikins) and aspects of experience (communication effectiveness, trust, and feeling comfortable rated on 11-point ordinal scales) in response to each metaphor. Levels of patient unhelpful thinking or distress regarding symptoms were not associated with patient ratings of patient emotion and experience in response to metaphors. Metaphors that reinforce misconceptions were associated with higher ratings of communication effectiveness, trust, and comfort (P < .05). The observation that metaphors that validate a person's understanding of his or her illness may elicit trust even if those metaphors have the potential to reinforce misconceptions may account for the common usage of such metaphors. Clinicians can work to incorporate methods for building trust without reinforcing misconceptions.

Bataille and Wittgenstein: on mysticism, silence, and inner experience

ABSTRACT Despite differences, Georges Bataille, theorist of non-knowledge and atheology, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, the Austrian logician, share specific parallels regarding their understandings of language and mystical experience. For both, mystical experience pushes beyond conventional discourse. Using analogous elements of critical and mystical discourse, each express rather antiphilosophical, spiritual visions. Still, Wittgenstein’s deeply private and agnostic Christianity sharply contrasts Bataille’s own atheological experience of the death of God. Where Bataille’s mysticism challenges rationality, Wittgenstein’s instead expresses the numinous world as such, shedding light on the dark night of Bataille and the specific character of ‘inner experience’. Where Wittgenstein advocates either clarity of expression or silence, however, the transgressive and poetic syntax of Bataille, alongside his evocative and erotic usage of imagery and metaphor, instead presses precisely against the impossibility for words that Wittgenstein’s thinking forecloses. Silence, like evil and poetry for Bataille, is active and imperative to communication, opening itself against the closure of reason. Relative to Wittgenstein and Christianity’s ascent to knowledge and awareness then, Bataille instead dives down deep into the body and night of nonknowledge. In this way, paradoxically, Bataille’s atheological writings approach a new summit of communication only attainable in the absence of God.

Metaphors on Protein Synthesis in Swedish Upper Secondary Chemistry and Biology Textbooks – A Double-Edged Sword

AbstractThis study provides insights into the use of metaphors in protein synthesis descriptions in upper secondary chemistry and biology textbooks. Data were collected from seven Swedish textbooks and analyzed with the Metaphor Identification Protocol and categorized within the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The results reveal two main parallel metaphor systems of construction-based metaphors and information-based metaphors. Five sub-systems with different emphasis on the usage of construction and information related metaphors emerged in the analysis: the location, translocation, transportation, cryptography and publishing sub-metaphor systems. These metaphors can function as double-edged swords for students’ learning. On the positive side, the construction-based metaphors (location, translocation and transportation) meet the educational need to describe where the processes of the protein synthesis occur and how these take place, while the information-based metaphors (cryptography and publishing) describe how the different sub-processes of the protein synthesis are linked via the interflow of information between them. On the negative side, the identified metaphors are presented implicitly without explanations, thus making it difficult for the students to identify them. Also, textbook sentences often contain metaphors drawn from several of the five sub-systems, requiring students not only to differentiate between them, but also to connect the source and target domain of the different metaphors correctly. The results highlight the important role of the teacher in supporting students’ learning by explaining what metaphors are and how they are used in textbooks. To further this end, authors of biology and chemistry textbooks are recommended to introduce metaphors early and explicitly.

Conceptual Metaphors and Image Schemas in the conceptualization of Neoliberalism and Socialism in Presidential Inauguration Speeches. An infometric approach

Introduction: This study explores how neoliberalism and socialism are conceptualized through image schemas in political discourse. These conceptual frameworks are best analyzed using the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, specifically its analytical tool of image schemas. The metaphorical structures identified in the analyzed texts reflect a polarized stance, particularly opposing right-wing ideologies. Neoliberalism is metaphorically framed as something negative, associated with darkness, evil, and positioned downward. Objective: To analyze how neoliberalism and socialism are conceptualized in political discourse using image schemas. Methods: The study employed a bibliographic review to collect and analyze political texts, focusing on metaphorical language. Articles were selected based on relevance and discarded if they lacked clear metaphorical usage or did not align with the research focus. The analysis utilized the Conceptual Metaphor Theory to identify image schemas in the discourse. Development: The study highlights that the conceptual metaphors present in political discourse shape public perception by framing neoliberalism as inherently negative, using metaphors of darkness and downward movement. Conversely, socialism is portrayed through positive metaphors, symbolizing light and upward movement. This metaphorical polarization reflects broader societal and political divisions, where language reinforces ideological opposition. Conclusions: The study concludes that political discourse consistently uses conceptual metaphors to portray neoliberalism negatively and socialism positively. These metaphors contribute to reinforcing ideological divisions, emphasizing the role of language in shaping political perspectives. The objective of understanding these conceptualizations was met through the identification of recurring metaphorical patterns

The work of fluid metaphors in migration research: Geographical imaginations and the politics of writing

Fluid metaphors describing “floods of migrants” or an “influx of migrant workers” are often used by journalists, politicians, and scholars to describe migration processes. While scholars have critiqued these metaphors as part of popular discourse, the roles fluid metaphors play in migration scholarship itself have received less attention. Through analysis of five academic journals, this article analyzes scholarly usage of fluid metaphors in contemporary migration research. We argue that fluid metaphors foster specific geographic imaginaries, which often run counter to otherwise complex theorizations of migration and mobility. In response, we call for practices of writing that center precision and care.

Educational technology, higher education discourses and the lived experience of lecturers as users

Abstract Technological innovations, under the aegis of ‘technology-enhanced learning’ (TEL), are high on policy agenda in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK and elsewhere. These developments have a direct impact on the conditions of teaching and learning. The socio-cultural dimension – the impact of change on working communities and their practices and beliefs on the ground – appears under-researched in empirical work (Selwyn, 2022). This paper reports on a qualitative study incorporating an analysis of linguistic metaphors that attempted to investigate that gap in one institutional context. It begins with a critical review of metaphors associated with policy and educational technology innovation in education discourses more broadly. Teaching staff were interviewed from across the institution’s main faculties. The interview transcripts formed a databank of naturally occurring language. Respondents used a range of metaphors, both conventional and novel, revealing insights into the affective and sociocultural dimensions of experience and understanding as well as perceptions of changing professional roles. For triangulation, linguistic analyses of relevant documentary sources, where available, were made and an example is included here. Overall, a more nuanced understanding of lecturers’ lived experience and engagement with educational technology was achieved by focusing on their metaphor usage.

"Ibn Al-Jazari and his Verbal Opinions on Meaning."

The research explores the notion that as long as an adjective remains noticeable without the addition of the letter "taa", if the phonetics dominate to the extent that the meaning becomes unnoticed due to its description, the "taa" is introduced. When this term becomes a noun for the referred object, such that the confirmation or negation of its existence is not noticeable, they considered it to be true. The study addresses that the words introduced by religious law are few, and their inclusion in the Qur'an does not disqualify it from being labeled as Arabic, just as someone who composes a poem in Persian containing a few Arabic words, the poem is still considered Persian despite the inclusion of those few Arabic words. The significance of the research lies in demonstrating that the Qur'an contains no non-Arabic words, as evidenced by words found in the Qur'an that are not Arabic, such as "al-Mashka" which is Abyssinian, "al-Qistas" which is Roman, and "al-Istibraq" and "al-Sajeel" which are Persian. The research emphasizes the validation of the four truths, including their legitimacy. It is known that, aside from linguistic truth from the perspective of transmission, deviation from the original is a point of contention. If the wording fluctuates between being transmitted or remaining consistent with linguistic truth, the originality is to remain because what was fixed in the past remains the default. It is a continuation, and it is an assumption of the current situation, which is evidence indicating the continuation of what was before. The study concludes that if metaphorical usage is established, it indicates deviation from the original because it relies on many prerequisites, leading to its improbability. It requires the original context, alignment between the topic with its wording, and the metaphorical meaning, as well as the transfer of the word to that meaning. Its indication is contingent upon circumstantial or conditional evidence, and the implication of such evidence is obscure, possibly causing misunderstanding due to its ambiguity.

Manipualtive Use of Metaphors in Economic Media Articles

As the theory of cognitive linguistics claims, metaphors shape not just our communication, but also the way we think and act in our everyday life. On the other hand, economic theory is based on the use of metaphors and figurative thinking. The aim of this article is to describe the usage of some cognitive metaphors in economic texts in Bulgarian online media. The object of cognitive and discourse analysis are economic media articles published 2020-2023 on the Internet. Media often use metaphors and figurative language not only to amuse their audiences but also to influence the unconscious mind of the people.

Abstract algebra students’ conceptual metaphors for isomorphism and homomorphism

Group isomorphism and homomorphism are core concepts in abstract algebra, and student understanding of isomorphism has received extensive attention in line with the centrality of this topic. However, limited work has directly examined student conceptions of homomorphism or what metaphors students use to express their thought processes while problem solving. Based on interviews with four students, we contrast two students who used predominantly formal definition and mapping-centered metaphors for homomorphism with two who additionally used sameness-centered metaphors and note that the usage or non-usage of sameness-centered metaphors was not indicative of successful problem solving. Implications include the alignment between students’ metaphors and those used in instruction, indicating the importance of attending to metaphors when teaching, and the importance of discussing what is intended by some sameness-based metaphors, such as operation-preservation.

Protecting National Sovereignty: The ‘Australian Model’ and the Exclusion of Asylum Seekers

Increasingly, the ‘Australian model’ of offshore detention is promoted to restrict asylum seeker migration and preserve national sovereignty. This article analyses metaphor usage within press coverage of immigration to examine the origins of this discourse. Focusing on two high points of asylum seeker arrivals (2001–2002, 2012–2013), I demonstrate how negative metaphor use constructed asylum seekers as racialized, illegitimate, illegal Others, who breached Australian sovereignty. I argue that this was a response to a crisis of settler-colonial legitimacy, exacerbated by calls for Indigenous sovereignty, with anti-asylum discourse utilized as a tool to negate and neutralize Indigenous sovereignty claims and legitimate settler-colonial state power. I further argue that sovereignty claims were employed to reinforce Australia’s positioning within regional hierarchies of power, through the enactment of offshore processing agreements with less powerful, ostensibly ‘sovereign’ nations, thereby reaffirming and legitimating a racialized, neo-colonial ordering of the world.

Approaches to Metaphor: Cognitive-linguistic and Philosophical Perspectives

Metaphor has been a significant topic of discussion in several academic fields besides being extensively used in daily life. This article explores the interdisciplinary study of metaphor, a complex and connotative concept that has been the primary concern across various disciplines, including linguistics, philosophy, literature, and other humanities. The article presents multiperspective theories and metaphor analysis from the said disciplines to provide a more holistic understanding of metaphor. This includes analyzing metaphors in analytic philosophy and cognitive science, primarily focusing on the conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) developed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, complemented by analysis of the relevance theory, the blending theory, etc. While there are criticisms of CMT, it remains an influential theory in studying metaphor. The article also discusses the relevance theory, which suggests that using metaphors in speech can help achieve optimal relevancy, and the blending theory, which proposes that metaphors involve mapping elements from one mental space onto another to create a blended mental space that combines elements of both. This paper also addresses continental philosophers' usage or account of metaphor, from Kant to Derrida, in establishing their arguments. The essay then discusses and integrates ideas in metaphor studies from the perspectives of semantics and pragmatics. Finally, the article emphasizes the importance of bridging the gap between abstract conceptualizations and concrete linguistic expressions to gain a holistic understanding of metaphor.

Study on Orientation Metaphors of Up in Shakespeare’s Plays from a Cognitive Perspective

The large number of ups in Shakespeare's plays has not only conventional usage but also metaphorical usage, especially orientation metaphors. From the aspect of syntactic structure, V+up phrasal verbs combined with verbs are usually metaphorical usages. The types of these verbs include noun-transformed verbs, transitive verbs, and special usages. Based on the metaphorical usage of up, this paper explores the underlying cognitive mechanism behind it, and finds that verbs affect the mapping direction of up, which makes it highlight different metaphorical meanings, and energy transfer between verb phrases. Studying the cognitive mechanism of V+up orientation metaphor helps to further understand the emotions and thoughts of the characters in Shakespeare's plays.

Figurativeness and Humour in Covid-19-Related Internet Memes

Figurativeness and Humour in Covid-19-Related Internet Memes

Metaphorical translation strategies of the white paper "China's Green Development in the New Era"

In recent years, the use of metaphor in white papers has proliferated as it plays a significant role in cognitive processing. In order to shed light on the intricate relationship between humans and the natural environment, this study focuses on the analysis of metaphor usage in a particular white paper titled "China's Green Development in the New Era" within the field of ecopolitics. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, namely the utilization of a self-built corpus and case studies, is employed to categorize the translation strategies of metaphors. The findings of this study demonstrate that the metaphors utilized in the white paper effectively capture elements of social cognition and ideology. Moreover, with the assistance of part-of-speech tagging tools, it is observed that most translated metaphors strive to maintain the salient features of the source text, aiming to achieve equivalence in both form and meaning.

Animal metaphors in oral pathology-A review.

Oral pathology is a challenging yet intriguing subject. By comparing pathological traits to things we typically encounter, it is possible to reduce the difficulty of memorising these qualities. Hence, the usage of various analogical methods, like the usage of metaphors, conveys likeliness or similarities between two items and can help the students. A lot of pathological features have a resemblance to animals we see on a frequent basis. Students might find comparing, examining and comprehending oral pathology easier when the information is compared with familiar animals. This article is an attempt to compile animal metaphors related to oral pathology.