Conceptual Metaphor

elective courses

The course is meant for students of the 1st level (BA).

Classroom
Self-reading

The course is meant for students of the 1st level (BA)

An introduction to the classical theory of conceptual metaphor by Lakoff and Johnson (1980), which assumes that metaphors are means of understanding and experiencing the world, and thus they are regarded as "figures of thought", rather than "figures of speech". According to this theory, a conceptual metaphor is a matter of understanding of one, typically more abstract experiential domain (so-called "metaphorical target domain") in terms of another, typically more concrete, physical experiential domain (so-called "metaphorical source domain").

Descriptive issues taken up during the course cover, first of all, three basic experiential domains: life, emotions, and time, which – in terms of conceptual metaphor theory – constitute three different target domains of numerous conventional conceptual metaphors, such as: LIFE IS A JOURNEY, LIFE IS A GAMBLING GAME, EMOTIONS ARE FORCES, DESIRE IS HUNGER, TIME IS MOTION, TIME IS MONEY.

Many examples of linguistic realizations of conceptual metaphors are analysed; they are referred to as linguistic metaphorical expressions, or verbal/linguistic metaphors. Even though realizations of conceptual metaphors in everyday language constitute the main aim of analyses, their manifestations in poetry and fiction, as well as their non-linguistic (non-verbal) expression in gestures, print advertisements, paintings, sculpture, architecture are also considered.

The chief source of data: English.

Key terms and issues:

• the nature of metaphorical mappings.

• common source domains and target domains.

• image schemas as metaphorical source domains.

• kinds of metaphor (orientational, structural, image ("one-shot") metaphors.

• metaphorical entailments.

• coherence of metaphor.

• metaphor systems (The Great Chain of Being System; The Event Structure System).

• universality of conceptual metaphors.

• metaphor in language acquisition: primary metaphors (universal).

• cultural variation of metaphors.

Basic readings (textbook):

Kövecses, Zoltán. 2002. Metaphor. A Practical Introduction. New York: Oxford UP.

Further readings:

Benczes, Réka, and Bence Ságvári. 2018. “Where metaphors really come from: Social factors as contextual influence in Hungarian teenagers’ metaphorical conceptualizations of life”. Cognitive Linguistics 29 (1): 121–154.

Górska, Elżbieta. 2008. "Four arguments for patterns of metaphorical thought". Acta Philologica 35: 15-31.

Górska, Elżbieta. 2009. "On the diversity of linguistic evidence for conceptual metaphor". Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 45(2): 81-106.

Górska, Elżbieta. 2010. "LIFE IS MUSIC: A case study of a novel metaphor and its use in discourse". English Text Construction 3/2, 275-293.

Górska, Elżbieta. 2017. "The PATH schema in verbo-pictorial aphorisms on LIFE". In Route 66: From Deep Structures to Surface Meanings. A Festschrift for Henryk Kardela on his 66th Birthday, edited by Przemysław Łozowski, and Adam Głaz, 219–235. Lublin: Maria Curie-Skłodowska University Press.

Górska, Elżbieta. 2020. Understanding Abstract Concepts across Modes in Multimodal Discourse. A Cognitive Linguistic Approach. London and New York: Routledge.

Górska, Elżbieta. 2021. "Analysing language and multimodal discourse by means of the NEAR-FAR image schema". Prace Filologiczne 76: 129–150. https://doi.org/10.32798/pf.849

Kövecses, Zoltán. 2000. Metaphor and Emotion: Language, Culture and Body in Human Feeling. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kövecses, Zoltán. 2005. Metaphor and Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kövecses, Zoltán. 2020. "An extended view of conceptual metaphor theory". Review of Cognitive Linguistics 18 (1): 112–130.

Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. 1980. Metaphors we Live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Lee, David. 2001. Cognitive Linguistics: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pérez-Sobrino, Paula, Elena Semino, Iraide Ibarretxe-Antuñano, Veronika Koller and Inés Olza. 2022. "Acting like a hedgehog in times of pandemic: Metaphorical creativity in the #reframecovid collection". Metaphor and Symbol 37(2): 127–139.

Stockwell, Peter. 2019. Cognitive Poetics. An Introduction. 2nd Edition. London: Routledge.

Learning outcomes for students admitted before the academic year 2022/2023

Upon completing the course students will have:

Knowledge about:

• Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) theory of conceptual metaphor.

• metaphor in language and thought.

• non-linguistic (non-verbal) expression of conceptual metaphor.

Skills that will allow them to:

• analyse metaphorical expressions in language (i.e. verbal metaphors) as well as non-linguistic realizations of conceptual metaphors in, e.g.: print advertisements, paintings, architecture.

Competence that will allow them to:

• critically read the literature on Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) conceptual metaphor theory.

• further develop their interest in other cognitive approaches to metaphor, as well as cognitive linguistics in general.

• establish cooperation with specialists in natural language processing (NLP) technologies that would reside in development of systems for automatic recognition, production, and generation of metaphorical speech/metaphorical text.

• establish cooperation with specialists in natural language processing (NLP) technologies that would reside in improving machine translation systems.

Education at language level B2+

Learning outcomes for students admitted after the academic year 2022/2023

KNOWLEDGE

Students know and understand:

• foundations of the conceptual metaphor theory by Lakoff and Johnson (1980).

• distinction of metaphors in language and in thought.

•non-linguistic (non-verbal) expression of conceptual metaphor.

SKILLS

Students will be able to:

•apply theoretical tools of the theory of conceptual metaphor by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) to describe metaphorical expressions in language (i.e. verbal metaphors) as well as non-linguistic realizations of conceptual metaphors in, e.g.: print advertisements, paintings, architecture.

• critically read the literature on the description of metaphors in language and thought.

• recognize differences between diverse methodological approaches to research of verbal and on-verbal realizations of conceptual metaphor.

• present their knowledge in a coherent, precise and linguistically correct manner in English on level C2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, using appropriate register and form.

• communicate with diverse groups of participants, and in particular about metaphorical expressions in language (i.e. verbal metaphors) as well as non-linguistic realizations of conceptual metaphors in, e.g.: print advertisements, paintings, architecture.

• further develop their interest in other cognitive approaches to metaphor and to cognitive linguistics in general.

• establish cooperation with specialists in natural language processing (NLP) technologies that would reside in development of systems for automatic recognition, production, and generation of metaphorical speech/metaphorical text.

• establish cooperation with specialists in natural language processing (NLP) technologies that would reside in improving machine translation systems.

SOCIAL COMPETENCE

Students will be ready to:

• critically assess their own linguistic knowledge and skills related to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of metaphorical expressions in language (i.e. verbal metaphors) as well as non-linguistic realizations of conceptual metaphors in, e.g.: print advertisements, paintings, architecture.

• venture on lifelong learning and personal and professional development, applying knowledge and skills obtained during the course, and in particular their abilities to critically study academic literature.

• take responsibility for performing their professional duties, with due respect for the work of others.

• strive at formulating their views in a precise and trustworthy manner.

• care about the application of ethical norms in professional and academic conduct, as well as about development of professional ethos and ethical principles and norms in academia.

• Form: Discussions and analytical tasks to be done individually and in small groups.

• The basis for the final grade is the result of the written mid-term (40%) and the final test (60%); types of test questions: multiple choice, filling-in blanks, one short open question.

• 10% extra can be gained from an optional written assignment; active participation in the discussions may also raise the final grade.

• Up to three absences are allowed.