Metaphors are complicated. A metaphorical concept can keep us from focusing on other aspects of the concept that are inconsistent with that metaphor. One concept can defer our attention from another part of that concept. The speaker verbalizes and transfers the message to the hearer. Conduit metaphors meanings are right there in the words. Metaphorical concepts go beyond being literal. These examples in the book were very easy to understand.
Chapter 4- Orientational Metaphors
I don't really understand the structural metaphors. But orientational metaphors are all about space. Up and down, in and out, front and back. There are a bunch of physical meanings for the examples in the book. Positive things are UP and negative things are DOWN. Society is a person. A lot of our fundamental concepts are metaphors. These metaphors are based on culture, physical, and social. In real life we feel that we don't understand metaphors. Unknown is UP.. and known is DOWN.
Chapter 5- Metaphor and Cultural Coherence
All things aren't equal, that's why there are conflicts with metaphors. Values are our priority in the culture that we live in. Americans buy without thinking. We impulse buy. We don't think of the future.. the energy crisis. We have our big cars; Hummers, Range Rovers, Escalades. Our gas guzzlers. We don't think about the future.. well most of us don't. I impulse buy all the time so I know that this is true. But something like a car is a big purchase. The future is important. Individuals have different priorities. Some are good or virtuous.
Chapter 6- Ontological Metaphors
This chapter is all about identifying things, setting goals, etc. Our experience with physical objects goes beyond orientation. Ontological metaphors are natural. Everyone is a container. We are a bounded area. Visual field- I am a visual person. I didn't even realize that we use these metaphors at events or activities. The mind is a machine.. but minds are brittle. This is ironic because machines are usually strong, and made of metal.
Chapter 7- Personification
Physical objects can be specified as being a person. How can inflation be all of these things? A person, an adversary. What is an adversary? Personification is a very general category. Personification shows objects with human characteristics. I really understood this section well. It was something that I had a previous knowledge of.
Chapter 8- Metonymy
The ham sandwich is waiting for his check. Ham sandwiches can't wait for checks. Apparantely hand sandwich is equal to an actual person. We relate one thing to another and refer to it. Synecdoche is part that stands for a whole. Metaphor and metonymy are different kinds of processes. Metonymy helps with understanding. And this doesn't make sense because I don't even understand metonymy. Metonymy is similar to metaphors. These functions are actively found in our culture. They aren't random, but they seem like it to me.
Chapter 9- Challenges in Metaphorical Coherence
In the beginning of this paragraph it seems to be repeating itself and talking about things it did in Chapter 8. It seems to make things more confusing, and i feel like I am just reading the same line over and over again. There is an apparant metaphorical contradiction. Time is used as a moving object. It is a front back metaphor, like those mentioned in chapter 4. There is also coherence vs consistency. I love how they mentioned that love is a journey. Because it really is. Love and relationships are a journey that you take with another person. But at some time all journeys end, and so do relationships.
Chapter 10- Some Further Examples
My favorite examples are about love. Love is a war, its patient and mad. Speech formulas or fixed form expressions function in many ways. The way that you talk is metaphorically structured.
Chapter 11- The Partial Nature of Metaphorical Structuring
Concepts are built in metaphorical ways. "Construct" and "foundation" are words that are instances used in this metaphorical concept. Time is money, Control is up, ideas are food are examples of things that are not literal. This chapter talks a lot about metaphorical expressions and concepts. It seems to just be repeating itself.
Chapter 12- How is Our Conceptual System Grounded ?
This is experiential and cultural. Literature seeks to throw a larger part of our conceptural systems into reconstruction.
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