This thesis proposes a comprehensive cognitive account of metaphor understanding that combines aspects of Relevance Theory (e.g. Sperber & Wilson 1986/95; Carston 2002) and Cognitive Linguistics, in particular ideas from Conceptual Metaphor Theory (e.g. Lakoff & Johnson 1980; Lakoff 1987; Johnson 1991) and Situated Conceptualization (e.g. Barsalou 1999; 2005). While Relevance Theory accounts for propositional aspects of metaphor understanding, the model proposed here additionally accounts for nonpropositional effects which intuitively make metaphor feel ‗special‘ compared to literal expressions. This is achieved by (a) assuming a further, more basic processing level of imagistic-experiential representations involving mental simulation patterns (Barsalou 1999; 2005) alongside relevance-theoretic inferential processing and (b) assuming processing of the literal meaning of a metaphorical expression at a metarepresentational level, as proposed by Carston (2010). The approach takes Tendahl‘s ‗Hybrid Theory of Metaphor‘ (2006), which also combines cognitive-linguistic with relevance-theoretic ideas, as a starting point. Like Tendahl, it incorporates the notion of conceptual metaphors (Lakoff & Johnson 1980), albeit in a modified form, thus accounting for metaphor in thought. Wilson (2009) suggests that some metaphors originate in language (as previously assumed by Relevance Theory) and others originate in thought (as previously assumed within Cognitive Linguistics). The model proposed here can account for both. Unlike Tendahl, it assumes a modular mental architecture (Sperber 1994), which ensures that the different levels of processing are kept apart. This is because each module handles only its own domain-specific input, here consisting of either propositional or imagistic-experiential representations. The propositional level, which remains the dominant processing route in utterance 3 understanding, as in Relevance Theory, receives some input from the imagistic-experiential level. This is mediated at a metarepresentational level, which turns the imagistic-experiential representations into propositional material to be processed at the inferential level in the understanding of literal expressions. In metaphor understanding, however, the literal meaning is not processed as meaning-constitutive content. As a result, the imagistic-experiential aspects of the literal meaning in question are not processed as propositional input. Rather, they are held at the metarepresentational level and experienced as strong impressions of the kind that only metaphors can communicate.

This qualitative , critical-interpretivist study critically explored the career metaphors produced by a South African sample, by adapting the theoretical, methodological and analytical framework of a study conducted by El-Sawad (2005) on a British sample. The current study used metaphor analysis to explore the way in which a sample of South African's experience and conceptualise their careers within a context that has undergone (and continues to undergo) rapid social, economic and political change. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Metaphor research has become widespread. However, students’ understanding of metaphor in informational text has received little study. With increased use of informational trade books in the classroom, research in this area is needed. Fifty-five grade six students with Canadian English as their first language participated in the study. Their understanding of metaphors in excerpts from three recently published informational trade books was examined by the use of the reading think aloud technique and multiple choice activities. One think aloud was completed by each student in both individual and dyadic conditions. Multiple choice activities were completed individually after reading, but with the text available. The think-aloud protocols were examined using specific-trait analysis, holistic scoring, and miscue analysis. The multiple choice activities were scored against anticipated adult-like understanding and the results were subjected to standard statistical tests. Level of understanding of metaphors varied widely among students, with the overall average being about 65%. Contrary to prediction, understanding was significantly higher in the individual condition compared to the dyadic condition. Although part of this difference could be attributed to differences in passage difficulty, the anticipated scaffolding effect of reading with a partner was not found. The reading think aloud was a rich source of information about both the meaning students constructed and the meaning-construction process. The study suggested that the think aloud could be used in the classroom as an effective learning device, particularly in that it allowed less-capable readers to participate as equal partners in what might otherwise have been a frustrating reading task. Overall, there emerged a picture of students at various points along the path to full adult mastery of metaphor, with some students already demonstrating an adult level of understanding. Level of text understanding was consistent with level of metaphor understanding. The only metaphor-type effect identified was for metaphors with copula-verb syntactic-frame structure. Abstractness of the words in the metaphors did not affect meaning construction; however, conventionality of the metaphorical expressions did influence understanding.

Magistro darbo tyrinėjimų objektas – sinestetinės metaforos iš anglų ir lietuvių kalbų žodynų bei anglų romantikų ir lietuvių žemininkų poezijos. Ilgą laiką metafora buvo laikoma tik literatūros vaizdingumo priemone. Tačiau XX a. tapo aišku, kad ji ne tik suteikia papildomą informaciją apie daiktą ar reiškinį, bet perteikia metaforos kūrėjų bei vartotojų pasaulėvaizdį, apskritai tos kalbos tradiciją. Sinestetinėje metaforoje atsispindi skirtingas pasaulio suvokimas, būdingas skirtingoms kultūroms ar atskiriems individams. Sinestetinė metafora sudaroma sujungus skirtingus pojūčius (regos, klausos, skonio, kvapo ar lytėjimo) ar priskiriant vieną iš pojūčių abstrakčiai sąvokai. Žodynuose pateikiamos jau mirusios metaforos. Darbo tyrimas parodo, kad dauguma sinestetinių metaforų, paimtų iš anglų (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary) ir lietuvių (Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas) kalbų žodynų, jau yra tapusios universaliomis. Tai reiškia, kad galima rasti atitikmenis lietuvių bei anglų kalbose, tačiau skiriasi metaforiškas kai kurių būdvardžių dominavimas anglų ir lietuvių kalbose. Pavyzdžiui, sweet victory, soft pink, sharp practice, sound sleeper anglų kalboje, o sunkios mintys ‘heavy thoughts’, siaura tema ‘narrow subject’, žemi motyvai ‘low motives’ lietuvių kalboje (pavyzdžiai pateikiami su daiktavardžiais, kad atsispindėtų šių būdvardžių sinestetinis vartojimas). Magistro darbe metaforos pateikiamos ir aptariamos pagal pojūčių išsidėstymo eilę. Lyginant lietuvių ir anglų... [to full text]

In language revitalisation movements the main impetus and passion is often provided by adults who, as second language speakers, have gained fluency in their heritage language. As parents and teachers these adults often have vital roles in the ongoing transmission of the heritage language. This study is based on interviews with thirty-two Māori adults who have each made a strong commitment to becoming a fluent speaker of Māori. The study posited that the informants would have a strongly-held worldview which enabled them to engage with and maintain a relationship with the Māori language. This worldview is expressed through a range of metaphors, the four most frequent being: LANGUAGE IS A PATH, LANGUAGE IS A CANOE, LANGUAGE IS FOOD, LANGUAGE LEARNER IS A PLANT. The worldview articulated by these metaphors has a quasi-religious nature and draws on elements of New Age humanism, a connection with Māori culture and ancestors as well as kaupapa Māori (Māori-orientated and controlled initiatives). The source domains for these metaphors are traced through a study of various Māori sources from the 19th century through to the present day. This study shows how exploitation of these metaphors has changed throughout this time period leading to their current exploitation by the newly-fluent informants. The metaphors preferred by the informants were contrasted with the prominent metaphor LANGUAGE IS A TREASURE, the entailments of which were found to be more relevant to the experience of native speakers. The informants' experience also contrasts with the focus of language planners in that the informants are more focussed on how the Māori language is important for them personally than how they contribute to the revitalisation of the Māori language. These findings have implications for the revitalisation of the Māori language and have relevance for other endangered languages.

In this study the role played by metaphor in psychotherapy is investigated. Issues discussed, included the formulation of a definition of metaphor as well as an adequate theory of metaphor. The place metaphor holds in thought and learning; as well as how it has found its expression within some psychotherapeutic traditions are also discussed. The primary aim of the dissertation is to illustrate the versatility of metaphor, enabling it to be a significant and powerful tool in the hand of the psychotherapist. The application of various forms of metaphor is illustrated through case studies which offer a discussion of how the specific type of metaphor had been applied in psychotherapy. In conclusion, some recommendations are made with regard to further research within the fields of psychotherapy and neuropsychology. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The aim of this paper is to describe how functions of metaphors relate to translation strategiesin a translation of a popular scientific article from English to Swedish. The investigation isbased on a close reading of the source and target texts which identifies metaphors of fourdifferent functions: pedagogical, theory-constitutive, decorative and narrative. The methodfor metaphor identification is adapted from Merakchi and Rogers (2013) while the translationstrategies discussed have been borrowed from Toury (2012). These strategies reflect realtranslator behaviour and take into account source and target texts equally. The investigation starts with a quantitative summary of translation strategies which showsthat in the vast majority of cases metaphors exist simultaneously in the source and targettexts, whether it is as ―the same‖ or a ―different‖ metaphor. The qualitative analysis bringsforward that metaphors in general have a narrative function, sometimes in addition to adifferent function. It goes on to show that narrative themes are important to create links i)within the text, ii) to the scientific community and iii) within a wider cultural context, andthat this works for both source and target text independently.

The main goal of this study is to identify conceptual metaphors in two genetically distinct languages, namely Iranian Persian and British English, analyze their domains and attempt to detect possible cultural impacts on their construction. Although there are a good number of studies on the relationship between metaphor and culture in some languages, there appears to be a limited number of comparative studies on different languages with culturally distinct contexts and their metaphors. In an attempt to investigate the cultural imprints on metaphor, this thesis has a special focus on metaphors applied in two Persian and English short stories. ‘Roast Goose’ by M.A. Jamalzadeh and ‘The Luncheon’ by W.S. Maugham are two well-known near contemporary short stories, which are subject to our study. The two emotions of anxiety and greed, as the most dominant subjects of metaphorical expressions in these stories, are identified following MIP (Metaphor Identification Procedure) and the concepts involved in the construction of their underlying conceptual metaphors will be analyzed based on Kövecses’s (2010a) method. The thesis presents a conceptual approach within a cognitive linguistic perspective to pinpoint metaphors and the stories behind them in these two literal texts.

This essay deals with the translation of certain metaphors in a journalistic political essay. It focuses on metaphor as a conceptual and rhetorical device, and on the translation of metaphors that make use of the source domains NATURAL FORCE and ILLNESS. The aim of the essay is to investigate to what extent the two source domains are transferred to the target text in translation, and to show how the fact that metaphors are both conceptual and rhetorical is reason for why they should be transferred when possible. The study is quantitative in that it looks at frequency of source domain transfer into the target text and at the frequency of a few metaphor translation methods, and it is qualitative in that it explains how the metaphors are both conceptual and rhetorical choices on behalf of the author, and in that it explains and analyses the processes leading to certain metaphor translation strategies. The study finds that four different methods are used when translating the metaphors in questions and that it is by far most common to directly translate them. The second most common strategy allows for the source domain to be transferred to the target text but for the actual lexemes or phrases belonging to it to be exchanged for other lexemes or phrases within the same source domain.

Metaphor research has become widespread. However, students’ understanding of metaphor in informational text has received little study. With increased use of informational trade books in the classroom, research in this area is needed. Fifty-five grade six students with Canadian English as their first language participated in the study. Their understanding of metaphors in excerpts from three recently published informational trade books was examined by the use of the reading think aloud technique and multiple choice activities. One think aloud was completed by each student in both individual and dyadic conditions. Multiple choice activities were completed individually after reading, but with the text available. The think-aloud protocols were examined using specific-trait analysis, holistic scoring, and miscue analysis. The multiple choice activities were scored against anticipated adult-like understanding and the results were subjected to standard statistical tests. Level of understanding of metaphors varied widely among students, with the overall average being about 65%. Contrary to prediction, understanding was significantly higher in the individual condition compared to the dyadic condition. Although part of this difference could be attributed to differences in passage difficulty, the anticipated scaffolding effect of reading with a partner was not found. The reading think aloud was a rich source of information about both the meaning students constructed and the meaning-construction process. The study suggested that the think aloud could be used in the classroom as an effective learning device, particularly in that it allowed less-capable readers to participate as equal partners in what might otherwise have been a frustrating reading task. Overall, there emerged a picture of students at various points along the path to full adult mastery of metaphor, with some students already demonstrating an adult level of understanding. Level of text understanding was consistent with level of metaphor understanding. The only metaphor-type effect identified was for metaphors with copula-verb syntactic-frame structure. Abstractness of the words in the metaphors did not affect meaning construction; however, conventionality of the metaphorical expressions did influence understanding. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate