Proverbial Metaphor & Primary Conceptual Metaphor
By "proverbial" I
mean the kinds metaphors that mediators and others frequently use – such as
gardening, games, war, sports, etc.
Linguists might refer to these seemingly classic forms as lexical
metaphors because they are identified using a certain established choice of
words.
Such “proverbial” metaphors
can be powerful in the quantity and intricacy of the intelligence they
convey. However, they most certainly do
not convey the same thing to everyone because of their derivation from social
and cultural experience with certain source domains, and this experience varies
widely even within relatively homogeneous populations (for example, consider
the population differences in men’s and women’s experience with football when
used metaphorically).
By Primary Conceptual
Metaphor I mean those metaphors that derive from experience almost all humans
have in common – that of being in our bodies, sensing, moving, surviving and
developing in the terrestrial environment.
Included are metaphors of bodily movement, object manipulation, and
spatial relations. These metaphors are
simple, elementary and more detailed, and as such they may lack the scope of
"proverbial" metaphors.
Variation in the experience different people have with the source domain
also occurs in this type of metaphor, but we may be more likely to find useful
examples with universal or nearly universal features.
[ See more on definitions
and characteristics of metaphor.]
Some Primary Conceptual Metaphors That May Underlie Certain “Proverbial” Ones
Genetics Metaphor: Human
qualities & behavior come from birth:
Entailments |
|
|
Entailments
of Genetics Metaphor Per Se |
Entailments of Primary Conceptual Metaphors
|
|
Predetermined, can’t be
changed |
contained, can't move |
|
Evolved from need to
survive |
came from special place |
|
Genetic survival more
important… |
contained, protected, only
certain forces, has own point of view |
|
than survival of the individual |
in front (or more deep),
higher |
|
Imprinted at the most
basic cellular level |
carved, shaped |
|
The heart of the matter |
at the center |
|
Nature over nurture |
outside force |
|
Trumps learning,
experience, free will |
higher, stronger |
Gardening Metaphor: To grow
something by:
Entailments |
|
|
Entailments
of Gardening Metaphor Per Se |
Entailments of Primary Conceptual Metaphor
|
|
Preparing the ground |
go under |
|
Planting seeds |
creation |
|
Caring |
touch, give to... |
|
Weeding |
remove obstacles, deflect
outside forces |
|
Fertilizing |
give essentials, stimulate |
|
Watering |
cool, refresh, give
essentials |
|
Pruning |
handling, shaping |
|
Thinning |
sort pieces, remove
obstacles |
|
Seasonal dormancy |
travel through time, oscillation |
|
Sprouting back |
get up after sleep |
|
Thriving, flowering,
fruitful vs. drooping |
standing up, visible, full
vs. lying down, unseen, empty |
The "proverbial" metaphor
may work best when it successfully organizes Primary Conceptual parts into a
whole, fitting them together; the knowledge that holds the proverbial metaphor
together exceeds the sum of parts.
"Proverbial" metaphors may be seen to refer more to the
epistemological and methodological levels – expressing principals and
strategies that organize and connect the parts.
For example, in the
"proverbial" gardening metaphor, the thrust seems to be to allude to
a set of activities that enable plants to germinate, grow and thrive. However, the activities, themselves, are not
detailed. For the metaphor to have
effect, the listener must know how gardening is done, and extensive personal
experience in gardening will improve the effectiveness of this metaphor.
Another example would be
that of "hitting the target".
Here again, extensive personal experience may enhance this metaphor, but
minimal experience is probably all that is needed to invoke the entailments of
keeping the target in one's sights, aiming, directing the missile, etc. In this example the desired overall concept,
principal, strategy, as well as the execution of an action are all likely to be
conveyed to a larger audience.
Primary Conceptual metaphor
parts are needed to ground the "proverbial" metaphor in actual
experience. For people with common
experience in the source domain of the "proverbial" metaphor being
used, the parts need not be detailed.
Otherwise, parts are essential to build up complex meaning.
One way to organize the complex
meaning of a metaphor is in terms of the “Source-Path-Goal” Schema as discussed
by Forceville ("The Source-Path-Goal Schema in First-Person
Documentaries", paper given at RAAM V, Université de Paris 13, 2003),
citing Johnson's description of the STORY is A JOURNEY metaphor (beginning,
middle, end), LIFE IS A JOURNEY (birth, maturing, death), and JOURNEY, itself
(start, travel, destination), as sharing the same underlying schema of
"Source-Path-Goal." Per
Lakoff and Johnson (1999), this schema is central; it is the body's
prototypical trajectory from one point to another – a most important source
domain for abstract concepts. This
schema may provide overall coherence to Primary Conceptual metaphor parts.
Another way to organize the
levels of understanding and complex meaning that a metaphor may or may not
address is in terms of:
(1) Principals, ideals, values, direction (WHY),
(2) Methods (including policies, strategies and HOW
things are done), and
(3) Performance (details of action or WHAT procedures;
structures and functions are involved).
(McWhirter renders these
levels in terms of what he calls a Self-Management
Model.)
Take a problem or conflict; apply any metaphor (you can
find one by clicking on "
”Metaphors Package Names and Entailments
Together” on Introduction page).
Generate questions or statements based on the chosen
metaphor that apply to the problem or conflict (for guidance, use the example
at the bottom of the above reference).
Note the degree to which each of the statements or
questions falls into the three levels described above, i.e.,
(1)
Principals, ideals, values, direction (why),
(2) Methods (including policies, strategies and how
things are done), and
(3) Performance (details of action or what
procedures; structures and functions are involved.
See if you can generate additional statements or
questions in the categories not very well represented. To the extent that this is difficult, see if
you can identify what it is about the metaphor you choose that limits
application in all categories.
Pick another metaphor and repeat. See if another metaphor draws attention to
different levels than the earlier one you chose.