<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The paper argues that metaphorical expressions do more than just instantiate conceptual metaphors. The main aim is to emphasize the role source and target words’ meanings play in construing generic-level metaphors. The latter are taken to act as superordinate categories for other metaphors, occurring at various levels of schematicity. Identification of lower-level metaphors takes into account source words’ metaphorical senses, not the central meanings of the categories they represent. This method brings the issue of source words’ polysemy into play, and hence helps explain why metaphorical expressions relating to the same generic-level metaphor may activate different lower-level metaphors, which carry different metaphorical meanings.</p>
</abstract>

The paper argues that metaphorical expressions do more than just instantiate conceptual metaphors. The main aim is to emphasize the role source and target words’ meanings play in construing generic-level metaphors. The latter are taken to act as superordinate categories for other metaphors, occurring at various levels of schematicity. Identification of lower-level metaphors takes into account source words’ metaphorical senses, not the central meanings of the categories they represent. This method brings the issue of source words’ polysemy into play, and hence helps explain why metaphorical expressions relating to the same generic-level metaphor may activate different lower-level metaphors, which carry different metaphorical meanings.

On the Role of Source and Target Words’ Meanings in Metaphorical Conceptualizations

Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The paper argues that metaphorical expressions do more than just instantiate conceptual metaphors. The main aim is to emphasize the role source and target...

On the Role of Source and Target Words’ Meanings in Metaphorical Conceptualizations

Published Online: Dec 30, 2022

Page range: 73 - 103

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/slgr-2022-0005

Keywords
generic-level metaphor, lower-level metaphor, metaphorical expression, blended metaphor, source words’ polysemy

© 2022 El Mustapha Lemghari, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

On the Role of Source and Target Words’ Meanings in Metaphorical Conceptualizations

Published Online: Dec 30, 2022

Page range: 73 - 103

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/slgr-2022-0005

Keywordsgeneric-level metaphor, lower-level metaphor, metaphorical expression, blended metaphor, source words’ polysemy

© 2022 El Mustapha Lemghari, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
generic-level metaphor, lower-level metaphor, metaphorical expression, blended metaphor, source words’ polysemy