Metaphors in the Mind
Sources of Variation in Embodied Metaphor
Published on 15. August 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-108-40398-6 (ISBN)
Description
Abstract concepts are often embodied through metaphor. For example, we talk about moving through time in metaphorical terms, as if we were moving through space, allowing us to 'look back' on past events. Much of the work on embodied metaphor to date has assumed a single set of universal, shared bodily experiences that motivate our understanding of abstract concepts. This book explores sources of variation in people's experiences of embodied metaphor, including, for example, the shape and size of one's body, one's age, gender, state of mind, physical or linguistic impairments, personality, ideology, political stance, religious beliefs, and linguistic background. It focuses on the ways in which people's experiences of metaphor fluctuate over time within a single communicative event or across a lifetime. Combining theoretical argument with findings from new studies, Littlemore analyses sources of variation in embodied metaphor and provides a deeper understanding of the nature of embodied metaphor itself.
Reviews / Votes
'Lucidly written and well argued, the monograph successfully shows us why this project is worth pursuing.' Shengxi Jin, Journal of PragmaticsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 22 Halftones, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
484 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-40398-6 (9781108403986)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
08/2019
Cambridge University Press
€127.60
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
08/2019
Cambridge University Press
€25.99
Available for download
Person
Jeannette Littlemore is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Birmingham. She is author of multiple books including Metonymy: Hidden Shortcuts in Language, Thought and Communication (Cambridge, 2015) and Figurative Language, Genre and Register (with Alice Deignan and Elena Semino, Cambridge, 2013).
Content
1. 'I am trying to climb Everest in flip-flops.' What is embodied metaphor and where does it come from?; 2. 'Would you prefer a pencil or an antiseptic wipe?' What evidence is there for embodied metaphor and why is it important to consider this variation?; 3. 'I'm running on this soapy conveyor belt with people throwing wet sponges at me.' Which metaphors are embodied and when? Variation according to type, function and context; 4. 'This one sounds like a bell and this one sounds like when you're dead.' Age, and the developmental nature of embodied metaphor; 5. 'I did not know where I started and where I ended.' Different bodies: different minds? How handedness, body shape and gender affect the way we experience the world through metaphor; 6. 'Those cookies tasted of regret and rotting flesh.' Sensory metaphor and associated impairments and conditions; 7. 'Things come out of my mouth that shouldn't be there.' 'Altered minds': the impact of depression and psychological disorders on the way people experience the world through metaphor; 8. 'This is my body which will be given up for you.' Individual differences in personality, thinking style, political stance and religious beliefs; 9. 'Malodorous blacksmiths and lazy livers.' Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural variation in embodied metaphor; 10. Conclusion.