Conceptual metaphor

Conceptual Metaphor

Conceptual metaphor theory is a framework developed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in their 1980 book, "Metaphors We Live By". The theory posits that metaphors are not merely linguistic expressions or extraordinary words but fundamental mechanisms of human thought, influencing how we perceive, think, and act (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). Conceptual metaphors are pervasive patterns of thought where one idea or conceptual domain (the target) is understood in terms of another domain (the source).

For instance, the metaphor "ARGUMENT IS WAR" shapes the way we talk and think about arguments:

• He attacked my point.

• I defended my position.

• She won the argument."

In the examples above, the domain of war (source) provides the framework for understanding arguments (target). Lakoff and Johnson (1980) proposed that many of the things we do in arguing are partially structured by the concept of "war". Even though there aren't any physical battle but there is a verbal battle and the structure of an argument (attack, defense, counterattack, etc) reflects this.

Lakoff and Johnson (1980), then categorized conceptual metaphors into three distinct types of metaphors which include structural metaphor, orientational metaphor, and ontological metaphor.

Structural Metaphor

Structural metaphor is a type of metaphor that conceptualizes a more abstract thing into a more concrete concept. Structural metaphors are based on two domains, the source domain and the target domain. It assumes that the target domain is based on systemic correlations in our daily life. An example of a structural metaphor according to Lakoff and Johnson on their book "Metaphors We Live By" in the concept of "TIME IS MONEY, TIME IS A LIMITED RESOURCE, TIME IS A PRECIOUS OBJECT" are:

• You're wasting my time.
• I don't have the time to give you.
• You are running out of time.

In the examples above, "time" is conceptualized with an object that is our daily experience. Time is considered a precious thing and has a value, like money. It is also based on the role of culture that supports "time" to be conceptualized as "money" so that the sentence can be successfully understood. There are cultures that do not use these things to conceptualize time (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980).

Orientational Metaphor

Orientational metaphor are metaphors that reflects spatial concepts, such as on-off, left-right, up-down, etc. This is because orientational metaphors are related to the physical experience of humans in managing directional orientation in their daily lives (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). The examples of orientational metaphor according to Lakoff and Johnson on their book "Metaphors We Live By" in the concept of "HIGH STATUS IS UP; LOW STATUS IS DOWN" are:

• She'll rise to the top.
• He's climbing the ladder.
• She's at the peak of her career.

In the examples above, the sentences are considered orientational metaphor because the object represents everyday experiences in human life (social status) that are shaped into correlated spatial concepts.

Ontological Metaphor

Ontological metaphor are metaphors that sees something that has a non-physical trait (abstract) into something that have physical a physical trait (concrete object). The difference between ontological metaphor and structural metaphor is that ontological metaphor is associated with our daily experience towards human body itself that experience how we see an event, feel emotions, thoughts, etc., which are analogized as an entity and substantial (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). The examples of ontological metaphor according to Lakoff & Johnson on their book "Metaphors We Live By" in the concept of " THE MIND IS A MACHINE" are:

• I'm a little rusty today.
• My mind just isn't operating today.
• We've been working on this problem all day and now we're running out of steam.

In the examples above, the sentences are considered ontological metaphor because those sentences correlates a non-physical object of the human body or experience (mind) as a physical object (machine).

Reference

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. The University of Chicago.