Context and connection in metaphor / L. David Ritchie.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ritchie, L. David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Metaphor.

Context (Linguistics).

Social interaction.

Physical Description:

xiv, 248 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Summary:

How do people understand metaphorical language? How do metaphors affect the way people experience their social interactions? Do people always interpret metaphors? Does a metaphor necessarily have the same meaning for different people? Can a commonplace metaphor affect the way people think even if they don't interpret it? Why does it matter how people interpret methaphors? David Ritchie proposes an original communication-based theory of metaphor that answers these and other questions about metaphors and metaphorical language.

The Author provides a detailed critique and analysis of prior theories of metaphor, many of which are implicitly circular. He shows how the theory he proposes incorporates the principal insights of prior theories while avoiding the problem of circularity, and illustrates his points with detailed analyses of examples from previous studies of metaphor as well as new and fresh examples drawn from contemporary culture.

Contents:

Existing theories of metaphor - and objectives of this book 3

Meta-metaphors: mind as 'machine', communication as 'conduit' 6

"What is metaphor? 9

2 Attributional and Relational Models of Metaphor 14

Comparison or attribute transference models 15

Analogical models: structure-mapping theory 22

The problem of circularity 25

Varieties of meaning 29

3 Conceptual Metaphor Theory 31

Overview of conceptual metaphor theory 32

Conceptual metaphor theory: extending the insights 36

Some crucial criticisms of conceptual metaphor theory 40

Overall assessment of conceptual metaphors 55

4 Conceptual Integration 58

Conceptual blending: the model 58

Criticisms of conceptual blending theory and responses to criticisms 62

Metametaphors of cognitive processes 66

The illustrative examples 71

Use of conceptual blending theory in other research programmes 75

5 Context 77

Relevance theory 77

Relevance 78

6 Context-Limited Simulation and Metaphor 96

Perception-based cognition 98

Language 108

Context and perceptual simulators 114

7 Context-Limited Simulators Theory (CLST) 125

Transferring attributes 128

Conceptual metaphors 131

Fields of meaning 139

How conceptual fields are organized 148

Extending the argument: other familiar examples 150

Figurative language as a conceptual field 155

CLS theory and conceptual blending 156

Poetic metaphors - perceptual 'blending' 163

Defining metaphor in terms of context-limited simulation 169

Creating and using metaphors 170

8 Conversation, Context and Social Structure 174

Conversation 174

Figurative language and social structure 180

Cultural fields of meaning 188

Factors that influence the power of metaphors 192

Generative metaphors 199

9 Implications of CLS Theory 203

Classifying metaphors 205

Questions for further investigation 215

Implications for metaphor analysis 216.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 218-225) and indexes.

ISBN:

1403997667

OCLC:

67840276

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description