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Chapter 5. Mixed metaphor

Its depth, its breadth, and a pretence-based approach
  • John Barnden
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Mixing Metaphor
This chapter is in the book Mixing Metaphor

Abstract

The article sketches how a particular approach to metaphor, the ATT-Meta approach, which has been partially realized in an implemented AI program, copes with various types of mixing. Mixing here is broadly construed as including felicitous compounding, not only infelicitous mixes such as when there are unintended comical effects. The structures of mixing considered included chaining (called here serial mixing), parallel mixing (e.g., when different metaphorical views are brought to bear on the target of the metaphor), and combinations of serial and parallel mixing. ATT-Meta has specific technical advantages as regards mixing. These include (i) a focus on individual mappings as opposed to packages of mappings such as conceptual metaphors, (ii) the use of generic mappings called view-neutral mapping adjuncts, which are not specific to particular metaphorical views and cope with certain core types of information that are commonly manipulated in metaphor, and (iii) the construal of mappings as going from pretence spaces (fictional spaces) to surrounding reasoning spaces as opposed to going from one domain to another.

Abstract

The article sketches how a particular approach to metaphor, the ATT-Meta approach, which has been partially realized in an implemented AI program, copes with various types of mixing. Mixing here is broadly construed as including felicitous compounding, not only infelicitous mixes such as when there are unintended comical effects. The structures of mixing considered included chaining (called here serial mixing), parallel mixing (e.g., when different metaphorical views are brought to bear on the target of the metaphor), and combinations of serial and parallel mixing. ATT-Meta has specific technical advantages as regards mixing. These include (i) a focus on individual mappings as opposed to packages of mappings such as conceptual metaphors, (ii) the use of generic mappings called view-neutral mapping adjuncts, which are not specific to particular metaphorical views and cope with certain core types of information that are commonly manipulated in metaphor, and (iii) the construal of mappings as going from pretence spaces (fictional spaces) to surrounding reasoning spaces as opposed to going from one domain to another.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction
  4. Introduction vii
  5. Part I. Is Mixed Metaphor a Problem?
  6. Chapter 1. A view of “mixed metaphor” within a conceptual metaphor theory framework 3
  7. Chapter 2. Mixed metaphors from a discourse dynamics perspective 17
  8. Chapter 3. Why mixed metaphors make sense 31
  9. Chapter 4. Tackling mixed metaphors in discourse 57
  10. Part II. Reasons for Mixing Metaphor
  11. Chapter 5. Mixed metaphor 75
  12. Chapter 6. Mixed metaphor is a question of deliberateness 113
  13. Chapter 7. When languages and cultures meet 133
  14. Chapter 8. The ‘dull roar’ and the ‘burning barbed wire pantyhose’ 155
  15. Part III. Effects of Mixing Metaphor
  16. Chapter 9. We drink with our eyes first 179
  17. Chapter 10. A corpus-based study of ‘mixed metaphor’ as a metalinguistic comment 203
  18. Chapter 11. Mixing in pictorial and multimodal metaphors? 223
  19. Chapter 12. Extended metaphor in the web of discourse 241
  20. Index 267
https://doi.org/10.1075/milcc.6.05bar

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction
  4. Introduction vii
  5. Part I. Is Mixed Metaphor a Problem?
  6. Chapter 1. A view of “mixed metaphor” within a conceptual metaphor theory framework 3
  7. Chapter 2. Mixed metaphors from a discourse dynamics perspective 17
  8. Chapter 3. Why mixed metaphors make sense 31
  9. Chapter 4. Tackling mixed metaphors in discourse 57
  10. Part II. Reasons for Mixing Metaphor
  11. Chapter 5. Mixed metaphor 75
  12. Chapter 6. Mixed metaphor is a question of deliberateness 113
  13. Chapter 7. When languages and cultures meet 133
  14. Chapter 8. The ‘dull roar’ and the ‘burning barbed wire pantyhose’ 155
  15. Part III. Effects of Mixing Metaphor
  16. Chapter 9. We drink with our eyes first 179
  17. Chapter 10. A corpus-based study of ‘mixed metaphor’ as a metalinguistic comment 203
  18. Chapter 11. Mixing in pictorial and multimodal metaphors? 223
  19. Chapter 12. Extended metaphor in the web of discourse 241
  20. Index 267
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