《我们赖以生存的隐喻》chapter3-4读书笔记

wenyikk

Reader:文心怡
Reading Time:8-9week
Reading Task:《我们赖以生存的隐喻》chapter3-6
Summary of the Content：
Chapter 3. Metaphorical Systematicity: Highlighting and Hiding
The systematicity of metaphors allows us to understand one aspect of a concept in terms of another, but it also conceals other parts of that concept. For example, in the "ARGUMENT IS WAR" metaphor, we focus on the confrontational aspects of an argument while overlooking its cooperative aspects. The "conduit metaphor," centered around "IDEAS ARE OBJECTS; LINGUISTIC EXPRESSIONS ARE CONTAINERS; COMMUNICATION IS SENDING," is applicable in some situations. However, it cannot explain sentences like "Please sit in the apple juice seat," which rely on context for meaning. This is because it wrongly implies that meaning exists in words independently of context and speakers. Metaphors structure concepts partially, not wholly. For instance, "time isn't really money"; time cannot be fully equated with the concept of money. Nevertheless, metaphorical concepts can extend into non-literal imaginative realms, enriching our thinking and language.
Chapter 4. Orientational Metaphors
Orientational metaphors mainly organize conceptual systems and are mostly related to spatial orientations such as "up-down" and "in-out." They are based on our physical and cultural experiences and are not arbitrarily formed. Examples of Common Orientational Metaphors: Many common orientational metaphors are listed, such as "HAPPY IS UP; SAD IS DOWN" (related expressions include "I'm feeling up." "I'm depressed."); "CONSCIOUS IS UP; UNCONSCIOUS IS DOWN" (e.g., "Get up. Wake up." "He fell asleep."), etc. These metaphors are widespread in language and thought, reflecting the spatialization of concepts. Most basic concepts are organized by spatialization metaphors. Each metaphor is systematic internally and shows overall external systematicity with others. Spatialization metaphors originate from experience, and different cultures may vary in their choices and emphases. Some concepts are closely associated with specific spatialization metaphors and are hard to replace. Moreover, purely intellectual concepts often rely on metaphors with physical or cultural bases.
Chapter 5. Metaphor and Cultural Coherence
The Relationship between Cultural Values and Metaphors: The most fundamental values in a culture are closely related to the metaphorical structure. In a culture dominated by the "UP - DOWN" spatialization metaphor, values like "More is better," "Bigger is better," and "The future will be better" are consistent with it, while opposing views are not.
Value Conflicts and Metaphorical Priorities: Conflicts often exist between different values and their related metaphors, depending on the value priorities of subcultures and individuals. For example, when choosing a car, "BIGGER IS BETTER" may conflict with "THERE WILL BE MORE IN THE FUTURE," and different subcultures will have different priorities.
Metaphorical Differences in Different Cultures: Not all cultures attach importance to the "up - down" orientation. Some cultures may emphasize balance or centrality instead. Regarding the "active - passive" orientation, different cultures also have different value judgments. Although some basic orientation concepts are universal, their specific applications and importance vary across cultures.
Chapter 6. Ontological Metaphors
Our experiences with physical objects and substances provide a basis for understanding concepts, giving rise to ontological metaphors that view events, activities, emotions, etc., as entities and substances. For example, "INFLATION IS AN ENTITY" allows us to refer to, quantify, analyze inflation, etc., which helps us deal with related experiences rationally.
Based on our experience of ourselves as containers, we project this concept onto other things, forming container metaphors. Not only physical entities like rooms and land can be seen as containers, but also the visual field, events, activities, states, etc. For example, "The ship is coming into view." views the visual field as a container; "Are you in the race on Sunday?" regards the race as a container object. Ontological metaphors are natural and pervasive in our thinking. Metaphors like "THE MIND IS A MACHINE" and "THE MIND IS A BRITTLE OBJECT," though unnoticed by most people, profoundly influence our understanding and description of psychological phenomena.
Evaluation:
The chapters analyze metaphors from multiple perspectives, covering their systematicity, orientational metaphors, relationship with culture, and ontological metaphors. They reveal the significant role of metaphors in thinking and language. For example, the "ARGUMENT IS WAR" metaphor's impact on our understanding of the concept of argument is explored.
Reflection：
Orientational metaphors are pervasive in everyday language. For instance, the conceptual metaphors "HAPPY IS UP; SAD IS DOWN" manifest in expressions like "I'm feeling up today" to convey positive emotions and "I'm feeling down" or "I'm depressed" to express negative states. These spatial orientations ("up" and "down") create vivid conceptual mappings between emotional experiences and physical dimensions, enriching linguistic expressiveness through embodied cognition.