Conventional and novel/creative metaphors: Do differing cultural environments affect parsing in a second language?
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Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
Metaphors can be regarded as systemic interrelations of multiple experiences which map
one relatively stable domain to another. A number of cognitive linguists, such as KOvecses
(2005) and Lakoff (2006), suggest that much metaphorical thinking arises from recurring
patterns of physical experiences and sensori-motor interactions with the physical world. Gibbs
(1999, p. 152) furthermore states that "people clearly a/so learn conceptual metaphors from
their experiences with language." Research findings indicate that the default interpretations
by First Language speakers were octuol/y the idiomCltic understandings, not the literal ones.
The question could be asked whether this would be the case with Second Language speakers
when drawing inferences from metaphorical expressions used by first language speakers, and
specifically in the case of novel/creative metaphorical expressions.I assumed that this process
might pose difficulties for ESl readers from an African environment when reading a business
article in English which contained a fair amount of metaphorical expressions. I looked at both
conventional metaphors and novel(creative metaphors. These were the metaphors with a
source domain that presupposed meta-knowledge of the British English cultural environment.
I also included in the research instrument a few orientational metaphors that were used in
the business artcle. The findings of this study indicate concurrence with Gibbs (1999, cited
in Yu zoog) that "{c]ultura/ models 'in shaping what people believe, how they act, and how
they speak about the world and their own experiences' set up specific perspectives from
which aspects of 'embodied experiences are viewed as particularly salient and meaningful
in people's lives. ... In short, 'social and cultural constructions of experience fundamentaJ/y
shape embodied metaphor."'
Description
Keywords
Conventional, Metaphors, Language, Thinking, Expressions
Citation
Smit, T. 2012. Conventional and novel/creative metaphors. Journal for Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences 1 (1): 93-108.