Chapter 1 Concepts We Live By

芋圆

My Summary of Chapter 1
1.        Most people think they can get along perfectly well without metaphors and don’t realize the important role metaphors play in our lives.
2.        Our ordinary conceptual system is fundamentally metaphorical in nature. The conceptual system plays a significant role in our perception, survival, and interpersonal relationships.
3.        Our conceptual system is not something we are normally aware of. This system requires further research, and language is an important source of evidence for what that system is like.
4.        Based on linguistic evidence, the authors have drawn a conclusion that most of our ordinary conceptual system is metaphorical in nature. Through the explanation of the concept ARGUMENT and the conceptual metaphor ARGUMENT IS WAR, they introduce a new term, “metaphorical concepts,” and underline that metaphorical concepts do have a great effect on how we think, how we act, and the content and way we speak.
5.        Metaphors as linguistic expressions are possible precisely because there are metaphors in a person’s conceptual system.
My Reflection
After reading this chapter, I first knew the traditional thoughts about metaphors, and then I learned about the actual role metaphors played in our daily lives, and then I knew the great significance of the conceptual system. From the example the authors provide, I learned that we are all unconsciously influenced by metaphors in the way we understand a thing and our actions, etc.
All in all, I realize the close relationships among our conceptual systems, metaphors, and language. I will pay special attention to the language we use in our daily lives and try to find out the metaphors we use, which were usually ignored by us. I found that learning metaphors is an interesting thing, and I really want to learn more about it!