What Are Structural Metaphors?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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A structural metaphor is

a metaphorical system in which one complex concept (typically abstract) is presented in terms of some other

(usually more concrete) concept. It can be differentiated from the organizational metaphor.

What is a conventional metaphor?

A conventional metaphor is a

metaphor that is commonly used in everyday language in a culture to give structure to some portion of that culture’s conceptual system

.

What is a systematic metaphor?

Metaphors are one possible avenue for exploring people’s ‘ideas, attitudes and beliefs’ (Cameron, 2010), and feelings, even when they are not directly expressed; Systematic Metaphor is

an applied linguistic approach to analysing metaphors in discourse

.

What makes a metaphor an ontological metaphor?

An ontological metaphor is a metaphor in which an abstraction, such as an activity,

emotion, or idea, is represented as something concrete, such as an object, substance, container, or person

.

What is the difference between structural and ontological metaphors?


Ontological metaphors

involve ways of viewing intangible concepts, such as feelings, activities, and ideas as entities. … For Lakoff and Johnson,

structural metaphors

are the most complex of the three types of

comparison

, requiring us to transfer one basic domain of experience to another basic domain (117).

What are two examples of a metaphor?

  • His words cut deeper than a knife. Words don’t materialize into sharp objects. …
  • I feel the stench of failure coming on. Failure isn’t fun but it doesn’t smell. …
  • I’m drowning in a sea of grief. …
  • I’m feeling blue. …
  • She’s going through a rollercoaster of emotions.

What is a orientational metaphor?

Orientational metaphors, which are in the focus of this chapter, are

metaphorical concepts that involve spatial relationships that are binary-structured

(such as up–down, in–out, on–off, front–back, deep–shallow, or central–peripheral).

What are 5 examples of metaphor?

  • The classroom was a zoo.
  • The alligator’s teeth are white daggers.
  • She is a peacock.
  • My teacher is a dragon.
  • Mary’s eyes were fireflies.
  • The computers at school are old dinosaurs.
  • He is a night owl.
  • Maria is a chicken.

What are some good metaphors?

  • Life is a race and we never realise that we are running towards nothing!
  • He is the light of my life.
  • For this whole year, this room has become my prison.
  • Love is a fine wine!
  • My heart’s a stereo and it beats for you!
  • She is happy as a clam.

What is the types metaphor?


Absolute

: A metaphor in which one of the terms (the tenor) can’t be readily distinguished from the other (the vehicle). Complex: A metaphor in which the literal meaning is expressed through more than one figurative term (a combination of primary metaphors).

What is metaphor theory?

A primary tenet of this theory is that

metaphors are matter of thought and not merely of language

: hence, the term conceptual metaphor. … Conceptual metaphors typically employ a more abstract concept as target and a more concrete or physical concept as their source.

Is metaphor an abstract?

Metaphors are

physical and abstract

: ERPs to metaphorically modified nouns resemble ERPs to abstract language.

How do you do a metaphor analysis?

  1. Ask yourself if the sentence or phrase compares two things.
  2. See if the sentence uses a word such as “as” or “like” as a preposition. …
  3. See what the metaphor is comparing. …
  4. Ask yourself, “how does this develop meaning in the text?” …
  5. Discuss your insights using a T.E.E.L structure.

What is orientational metaphor with examples?

An orientational metaphor is a metaphor (or figurative comparison) that

involves spatial relationships (such as UP-DOWN, IN-OUT, ON-OFF, and FRONT-BACK)

.

What is a container metaphor?

the container metaphor is

a pervasive type of ontological metaphor

. (in which an abstraction is presented as something concrete), where a. concept is conceptualised as having an inside and an outside, or being. capable of holding something else.

What is a tenor and vehicle?

Whenever we use figurative language, we’re describing one thing by relating it to another thing. The two most common words to describe those two things being compared are vehicles and tenors.

The tenor is the thing being described

. The vehicle is the figurative language you use to describe it.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.