WHat is Metaphor

7/31/2019 WHat is Metaphor

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What is metaphor and why doesit matter?

Lynne Cameron

The

Metaphor

Network

MetNet


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What is metaphor?

A device for seeing something in terms ofsomething else (Burke, 1945, p.503)


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Metaphor is

linguistic

cognitiveaffective

socio-cultural


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Metaphor is linguistic

Linguistic metaphor is the use of a wordor phrase that brings (or could bring) someother meaning to the contextual meaning.

potential, not necessarily active

conventionalised as well as novel or deliberate

weak as well as strong

The word or phrase that brings the othermeaning is the metaphor Vehicle.


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Language

+ gesture

spoken discourse the production andinterpretation of metaphors in thedynamics of talk

written discourse the use of metaphors bythe writer and interpretation by readers


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Metaphor is cognitive

Conceptual metaphor is a cross-domainmapping in the conceptual system

(Lakoff, 1993, p.203)

Everyday language reveals systems of

metaphorical mappings.


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Metaphor is affective

The Vehicle terms of linguistic metaphorsoften carry evaluations, attitudes, values,beliefs, perspectives.

Im going to give you a little bit ofinformation.

Were going to look at


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Metaphor is socio-cultural

as well as individual

group metaphors: porridge, screws

speech communities: I hear what you say

I see what you mean


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Metaphor offers a tool for

understanding people Metaphor connects language and thinking.

Linguistic metaphors in dialogue indicatesocio-cultural conventions and speakersattitudes and values.

As text and talk proceed, metaphors areselected, adapted, shifted.


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An example of metaphor analysis

The Discourse Dynamics of Metaphor inConciliation Talk

Research funded by the Arts andHumanities Research Board


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The Grand Hotel, Brighton, 1984

Pat Magee & Jo Berry,2000


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The discourse dynamics of

metaphora search for patterns of metaphor useacross discourse events

is combined withclose investigation of the negotiation ofmetaphors between speakers at the

moment of use


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Procedure (i)

Identification of linguisticmetaphors analysis of

discourse action,discourse topics

and themesaggregation intosemantically-

connected groups

systematicmetaphors


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Procedure (ii)

Identification of linguisticmetaphors analysis of

discourse action,discourse topics

and themesanalysis ofdistribution of

metaphors acrosstalk or text

metaphor clusters


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StartingPoints:

at the beginningas a republican I felt obliged

as a republicanto sit down and talk about thatand against the backdrop of the political reasonsgiven a platformfor a republican message

that had been censored for decadessowhen offered an opportunityto sit downand talk about

what motivated youthen you shouldavail of thatso thats the way I walked into it

Pat


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StartingPoints:

but as I said

when you meet somebody

whos so open

to understanding your perspective

then youre obliged to somehow reciprocate


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StartingPoints:

in er,

the first few days after the bomb

just thinking

if only I could bring something positive

out of thisand feeling very strongly

that my father was killed

because he was part of a conflictand it was a conflict which I wassuddenly emotionally involved in

Jo


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StartingPoints

and I realised

I wanted to hear Pats story

because I believe that

if anyone opens up and shares their story

ehm

its very hard to hate

and my idea of Patwas of someone

without much humanity

and I wanted to meet him

and hear his story

and discover his humanity

later on also came the idea that I wanted him

to hear my story


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Research question

How does metaphor contribute to theprocess of reconciliation?

Data and evidence Global metaphor use

systematic use of metaphors

metaphor clusters and absences Local metaphor use

how speakers use and negotiate metaphors


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Metaphors Alterity Discourse topics

time

To A


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Identifying

clustersof metaphors

Using statistical analysisand visual display(reported in Cameron &Stelma, 2004, Journal ofApplied Linguistics).

time Cluster


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Identifying clusters


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Example clusterPat ...(1.0) got a distorted picture of me.

perhaps,I don't know... I don't know.

Jo .. I think maybe they were just thinking,they wouldn't see a need to meet any of their victims.

Pat yeah

yeahJo .. and so they ... therefore couldn't see why you would.Pat [hmh]Jo [and] I think it was more like that.Pat ... hmh

Jo and they could see,... how from my healing journey,if I could build a bridge with you,that would ...(1.0) help me.but they couldn't see --

... perhaps there was even a need for a journey.


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When clusters occur

doing intensive interactional workoften difficult interpersonally:

explaining ones point of view to the Other

expressing emotional pain;

explaining something the Other would findpainful e.g. why Jos father was a target

discourse management getting the talk started

finding a new topic


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Using clusters in analysis

Metaphor clusters offer a way to slice thedata.

Find clusters and look inside them.

Important things may be happening there.

Absences of metaphor occur with

talk about concrete things

very significant moments, e.g. expression ofraw emotion.


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Metaphor Vehicles and TopicsLinguistic metaphors were grouped by Vehicle domains:

Inside these Vehicle groupings, metaphors were connected

by shared Topics.


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Systematic Metaphors

Systematic metaphors are connected sets of linguisticmetaphors used around a single Topic across a

discourse event.

.

.. there's been a long long .. 16 years of [getting to this point].

the first conciliation meeting is a stage on ajourney

.. the end of that journey,would be,

.. sitting down and,

... talking to the people who did it.

More examples


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something I have to go through.

... and how you ... come to terms with that,

More examples

it's such a painful thing to carry.

it pains me to say that to you.

coming to terms with responsibility is a journey

coming to terms with responsibility is physical injury


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Top 10 systematic metaphors


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Major systematic metaphors used

to frame reconciliation

JOURNEYS bring something positive out of this

CONNECTION I was crying in a desert

SEEING MORE CLEARLY its never the whole picture

LISTENING TO A STORY I wanted to hear his story


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Understanding the Otherrequires connection

building bridges

breaking down barriers being open


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building bridges

Pat ... (1.0) in the er --

the journey,

...(1.0) coming ... to a bridge,/

... you [know].

Jo [hmh]

Pat ... with two ends,

Pat all those bridges are there to be built


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connection and separation

Jo .. and it felt like my heart was broken,

... through the conflict.

...(1.0) and,

... the suffering was .. my suffering.

I couldn't separate it.

I couldn't be detached anymore.Pat hmh

Jo .. and that --

...(1.0) that um,

.. that pain,

that loss,... was shared by,

.. by everyone.


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The removal of barriers allowsconnection

Jo victims of all sides have been meeting,.. and --er,... (1.0) that is just about,... er,

.. br- breaking down barriers,sharing stories,and --

Pat hmhJo ... and through .. experiencing each other's stories,

Pat hmhJo ... there's a real feeling of, ...closeness and humanity of everyone,


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(re)conciliation happens through

listening to the Others story

Pat but you are also,

and I find you very open.

... to my story.

where I --.. er,

... I feel there is more to me than just aperpetrator.

...(1.0) and er,

...(1.0) I suppose,

...(1.0) what we're doing here.

... is,

.. exchanging our stories.


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The figurative range of story

Pat six killed --people killed in one night.

...and there are so many other stories like

that.

Pat be open to the other persons story

Jo you offer me the storypain of your war


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The flexibility of story

Jo .. as a daughter of a conservative MP,

I .. can sort of take responsibility for the --

...(1.0) what the government .. didn't do.

and,

.. the not listening,

not hearing [their story].


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Local patterns of metaphor use

Challenge the others metaphor.

a bridge with two ends

Appropriate the others metaphor Vehicle for

own topic. my healing

Adapt the others metaphor.

the strugglea struggle

Use contrast metaphor to explore alternatives.

if my heart was closed


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metaphor scenario construction

After the bombing, Jo Berry and Pat Mageecomplete separate journeys, long and on foot,until they meet face-to-face and try to connectacross the gap between their experiences. Josjourney has the aim of understanding the roots

of violence and is a long, uphill journey on foot,sometimes following the path of journeys madeby the bombers, sometimes stopping to meetother victims. The journey out of grief becomesa healing process. Pat does not talk much

about his life up between the bombing and themeeting, but speaks of an earlier journey when,as a young man, he joined the IRA and agreedto use violence

How does metaphor contribute to


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the process of reconciliation?

Metaphor density, compared with othertypes of talk.

number per 1000 words

Distribution of clusters and absences.

Use of systematic metaphors by the twospeakers.

Changes over time in use of systematicmetaphors.



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the process of reconciliation?

It offers ways to explore alternatives to violenceand revenge.

It allows victim and perpetrator to explain theirfeelings to the Other, and to feel empathy for theOther.

It allows speakers to control and adjust theaffective climate of the talk.

Small acts of reconciliation e.g. allowingappropriation of metaphor, contribute to thelarge process.


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ReferencesBurke, K. (1945). A Grammar of Motives. New York: Prentice Hall.Cameron, L. (1999). Identifying and describing metaphor in spoken discourse

data. In L. Cameron & G. Low (Eds.), Researching and Applying Metaphor(pp. 105-132). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Cameron, L. (1999). Operationalising metaphor for applied linguistic research.In L. Cameron & G. Low (Eds.), Researching and Applying Metaphor(pp. 3-28). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Cameron, L. (2003). Metaphor in Educational Discourse. London: Continuum.Cameron, L. (in press). Patterns of metaphor use in reconciliation talk.

Discourse and Society.Cameron, L., & Stelma, J. (2004). Metaphor clusters in discourse. Journal of

Applied Linguistics, 1(2), 7-36.Lakoff, G. (1993). The contemporary theory of metaphor. In A. Ortony (Ed.),

Metaphor and Thought(2nd ed., pp. 202-251). New York: CambridgeUniversity Press.

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