What are cultural metaphors?

Publication Name: Magyar Nyelvor

Publication Date: 2017-01-01

Volume: 141

Issue: 4

Page Range: 404-425

Description:

One of the central issues in metaphor research is the interrelation of metaphors and cultural experience (Gibbs 2017; Kövecses 2005a, 2015; Sharifian 2011). As part of that research agenda, the notion of cultural metaphor has become one of the major categories of cultural linguistics (Sharifian 2011, to appear). The multidisciplinary theoretical framework interprets cultural metaphors within the set of cultural conceptualisations whose common trait is that they are rooted in a system of values and principles characteristic of a community. The aim of this paper is to outline the notion of cultural metaphor, and present its most important characteristics and dimensions of study in a cultural linguistic framework. First, its close connection is introduced with cultural schemas (including emotional schemas and event schemas) and cultural categories, and then it is argued that individual cultural metaphors cannot be taken to be elaborations of a more generic conceptual metaphor (Kövecses 2005ab). Next, it is discussed how source domains and target domains can be brought to bear on cultural cognition. Finally, metaphor preference (Benczes & Ságvári to appear) is discussed as an instance, broadly construed, of cultural metaphors. It is argued that, albeit cultural metaphors are of a conceptual nature, their conceptual structure is largely determined by cultural experience, hence their analysis primarily targets experiences and suppositions that make them culturally decisive. The theoretical claims of the paper are illustrated by cultural metaphors taken from Hungarian folk songs, along with examples borrowed from the relevant literature (Yu 2017; Yu-Jia 2016).

Open Access: Yes

DOI: DOI not available

Authors - 1