Our Metaphorical Bodies

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'Richly illustrating how metaphors help us understand our bodies, and in turn, our bodies to understand the world, the volume highlights the integral role of contiguity (and thus metonymy). Valuable reading for lovers of metaphor and metonymy, professionals engaged in therapeutic work or cultural studies, and individuals wanting to understand themselves better.' Alan Cienki, Professor of Language Use & Cognition and English Linguistics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2025 'This book is an amazing journey around the landscape of the human body that is deeply imbued with metaphorical thought. But the metaphors Raymond Gibbs unearths are not just add-ons to the body; they emerge directly from the body without any conscious intervention. The theoretical consequences are remarkable.' Zoltan Koevecses, Professor Emeritus, Eoetvoes Lorand University, Hungary 'In this original and groundbreaking book, Gibbs presents a compelling account of how and why the human body shapes cognition. He takes the reader on an exciting and compelling journey through the diverse range of (metaphorical) ways in which humans find meaning in the natural and the man-made world. He uses this journey to show how people routinely experience their bodies in metaphorical ways, experiencing metaphorical meanings through even the most mundane actions. In so doing he provides a head-on challenge to the traditional approach to embodied cognition that assumes an implicit dualism between the metaphorical mind and the non-metaphorical body. In showing how the body itself is implicitly metaphorical, the arguments presented in this text constitute a step change in our understanding embodied cognition. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in how humans derive meaning from their environment and for those seeking to understand the experiential nature of the human meaning making process.' Jeannette Littlemore, Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Birmingham, UK 'I write this endorsement on a key-board, with the aid of a mouse, observing the out-come on a screen. Words, whose roots, I can sense. Close proof that even in stealthy polysemy, lies metaphoricity, derived from bodily experience. Ray Gibbs shows in Our Metaphorical Bodies: Why Metaphor May be Everywhere, that such metaphorical conceptualization indeed doesn't stop at 'the' source domain, and that the part of 'cognition' that crafts meta-experience, is assembled via metaphor from the ground up-nested metaphorical polysemy all the way down to our bones. Metaphor, seems to be for cognition, what molecules are to chemistry - basic building blocks. The understanding of metaphor has traversed a long jerky distance. If you've been following this plot, then you should read this latest installment.' Herbert L. Colston, Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Alberta, Canada 'This is a truly 'embodied' extension of metaphor theory and analysis. Gibbs' new book presents a wealth of studies ranging from metaphors in language to metaphoric gestures and cinematic metaphor, all of which substantiate the view that metaphors are rooted in bodily experience and how - at the same time - they inform the ways humans experience their bodies.' Cornelia Mueller, Professor of Language Use and Multimodal Communication, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germany 'This book demonstrates, explains and celebrates the centrality of metaphor in our relationship with our bodies - how we talk about them, understand them, use them and, potentially, experience them. Gibbs considers metaphors for parts of the body, bodily functions, illness and ritual performances, from eating to defecation, cancer to COVID-19, Japanese tea ceremonies to Catholic pilgrimages. For researchers, the book turns the tables on our usual view of embodiment in metaphor and cognition by focusing on the body as a topic or target domain. It proposes new hypotheses within a 4E view of human experience, and problematises established views about relationship between source and target domains. But this is a book that wears its scholarship lightly. Therefore, for any reader, it is a passionate and accessible account of how metaphors and bodies are intertwined in rich, complex and fascinating ways.' Elena Semino, Professor of Linguistics and Verbal Art, Lancaster University, UK 'Gibbs' book offers an innovative approach to, and points to a new direction of, metaphor research, putting forth the Metaphorical Embodiment Hypothesis and the Body-Metaphor Contiguity Hypothesis supported by comprehensive and systematic analysis. In doing so, the book carves out a new path for the advancement of conceptual metaphor theory.' Ning Yu, Professor of Applied Linguistics and Asian Studies at The Pennsylvania State University, USA