John Benjamins Publishing Company
Cutting and breaking metaphors of the self and the Motivation & Sedimentation Model
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Abstract
Why are expressions of irreversible separation (e.g. I feel torn apart) used to speak about the self? Are they to be treated as metaphorical? We address these questions by using concepts and methods from cognitive semiotics, and especially the conceptual-empirical loop. We develop identification and classification procedures based on intersubjective intuitions, and apply these to data from a corpus of personal descriptions of traumatic experiences. To provide a principled explanation of these expressions, we employ the Motivation & Sedimentation Model (hereafter, MSM), which distinguishes between three interacting levels of meaning making: the Situated, the Sedimented, and the Embodied. On this basis we provide a definition of metaphor, leading to the conclusion that most instances of expressions in the sample would qualify as metaphorical, while affirming that metaphoricity is a scalar notion.
Abstract
Why are expressions of irreversible separation (e.g. I feel torn apart) used to speak about the self? Are they to be treated as metaphorical? We address these questions by using concepts and methods from cognitive semiotics, and especially the conceptual-empirical loop. We develop identification and classification procedures based on intersubjective intuitions, and apply these to data from a corpus of personal descriptions of traumatic experiences. To provide a principled explanation of these expressions, we employ the Motivation & Sedimentation Model (hereafter, MSM), which distinguishes between three interacting levels of meaning making: the Situated, the Sedimented, and the Embodied. On this basis we provide a definition of metaphor, leading to the conclusion that most instances of expressions in the sample would qualify as metaphorical, while affirming that metaphoricity is a scalar notion.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and acknowledgements vii
- Figurativeness all the way down 1
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Part I. Figurativeness and theory
- Metaphor thoughtfully 13
- Separating (non-)figurative weeds from wheat 45
- A multi-level view of metaphor and some of its advantages 71
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Part II. Figurativeness and constructions
- Intensification via figurative language 91
- Falling to one’s death in multiple landscapes 107
- Metaphorical adjective-noun phrases in German journalese 129
- Metonymy meets coercion 151
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Part III. Figurativeness, pragmaticity and multimodality
- Sources of pragmatic effects in irony and hyperbole 187
- Metaphorical interplay of words and gestures in the Catholic liturgy 209
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Part IV. Typology of figures and cognitive models
- Figures of speech revisited 225
- Cutting and breaking metaphors of the self and the Motivation & Sedimentation Model 253
- The metonymic exploitation of descriptive, attitudinal, and regulatory scenarios in meaning making 283
- Index 309
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and acknowledgements vii
- Figurativeness all the way down 1
-
Part I. Figurativeness and theory
- Metaphor thoughtfully 13
- Separating (non-)figurative weeds from wheat 45
- A multi-level view of metaphor and some of its advantages 71
-
Part II. Figurativeness and constructions
- Intensification via figurative language 91
- Falling to one’s death in multiple landscapes 107
- Metaphorical adjective-noun phrases in German journalese 129
- Metonymy meets coercion 151
-
Part III. Figurativeness, pragmaticity and multimodality
- Sources of pragmatic effects in irony and hyperbole 187
- Metaphorical interplay of words and gestures in the Catholic liturgy 209
-
Part IV. Typology of figures and cognitive models
- Figures of speech revisited 225
- Cutting and breaking metaphors of the self and the Motivation & Sedimentation Model 253
- The metonymic exploitation of descriptive, attitudinal, and regulatory scenarios in meaning making 283
- Index 309
