Metaphor and emotion, again Zoltán Kövecses Institute of English and American Studies Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest What is emotion language? • A set of literal words? – anger, fear, joy, sad, proud, friendship? • Linguistic metaphors? • filled with emotion, burn with emotion, be overwhelmed by an emotion, be struck by an emotion, be governed/ruled by an emotion, be overcome by an emotion, let go of an emotion, be beside oneself with an emotion, be weighed down by an emotion • Linguistic metonymies? • being a hothead, getting cold feet, puffing one’s chest out with pride, fleeing the scene, looking at someone amorously, having a sad face Expression and description • Expressing emotions • Describing emotions • Speech acts • Expression and description in one Basic emotion terms • Basicness: in a “vertical” and a “horizontal” sense • Vertical: superordinate – middle (basic) level – subordinate • Horizontal: prototypical – nonprototypical Metaphor and metonymy • Figurative expressions denote various aspects of emotion concepts: cause, control, intensity, etc. • Metaphors: two domains + a set of mappings: ANGER IS FIRE. • Metonymy: one domain + a single mapping: PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES FOR THE EMOTION. • Related concepts as metonymies: A PART OF AN EMOTION CONCEPT FOR THE WHOLE CONCEPT. Kinds of metaphors Conceptual metaphors • EMOTION IS A FLUID IN A CONTAINER (filled with emotion) • EMOTION IS HEAT/FIRE (burn with emotion) • EMOTION IS A NATURAL FORCE (be overwhelmed by an emotion) • EMOTION IS A PHYSICAL FORCE (be struck by an emotion) • EMOTION IS A SOCIAL SUPERIOR (be governed/ruled by an emotion) • EMOTION IS AN OPPONENT (be overcome by an emotion) • EMOTION IS A CAPTIVE ANIMAL (let go of an emotion) • EMOTION IS A FORCE DISLOCATING THE SELF (be beside oneself with an emotion) • EMOTION IS BURDEN (be weighed down by an emotion) Force dynamics (Talmy, 2000). Kinds of metonymies Conceptual metonymies • BODY HEAT FOR ANGER (being a hothead) • DROP IN BODY TEMPERATURE FOR FEAR (getting cold feet) • CHEST OUT FOR PRIDE (puffing one’s chest out with pride) • RUNNING AWAY FOR FEAR (fleeing the scene) • WAYS OF LOOKING FOR LOVE (looking at someone amorously) • FACIAL EXPRESSION FOR SADNESS (having a sad face) • EFFECT FOR CAUSE • CAUSE FOR EFFECT Related concepts • Love: CARING, LIKING, SEXUAL ATTRACTION, FRIENDSHIP, RESPECT The conceptual structure of the emotion domain • Old view: • • CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS (HOT FLUID, FIRE, OPPONENT, INSANITY,…) • CONCEPTUAL METONYMIES (BODY HEAT, AGITATION, CRYING,…) • COGNITIVE-CULTURAL MODELS (FRAMES) Emotion Frame Conceptual metaphor 1 Conceptual metaphor 2 Conceptual metaphor 3 Conceptual metaphor 4 The conceptual structure of abstract domains and their online use • New view: • • IMAGE SCHEMA • DOMAIN COLLECTIVE SEMANTIC MEMORY • FRAME ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------• MENTAL SPACE ONLINE INDIVIDUAL REPRESENTATION OF DISCOURSE The conceptual structure of the emotion domain and its online use • IMAGE SCHEMAS: • FORCE, CONTAINER, SUBSTANCE, OBJECT, HEAT, VERTICALITY E1 E2 EEE Emotion domain Generic emotion domain: EMOTIONS ARE FORCEFUL INTERACTIONS • Entity1 exerts force on Entity2: Entity2 yields or Entity2 does not yield • Cause of emotion (E1) causes the Person (E2) to have Emotion. • Person (E1) tries to control Emotion (E2): Emotion takes control over Person. • Cause of emotion Emotion Attempt at control Loss of control Action Emotion frames • ANGER IS A HOT FLUID IN A CONTAINER • FEAR IS AN OPPONENT IN A STRUGGLE • JOY IS A WAVE • LOVE IS MAGNETIC FORCE • HATRED IS FIRE These source domains have somewhat different metaphorical entailments or logic; have different ”meaning foci.” Mental spaces Online individual use of static schemas, domains, and frames What is happening at this level of metaphor use? 1. Contextual priming: Discourse context Situational context Conceptual-cognitive context Bodily context Mental spaces 1. Contextual priming: • Discourse context: introducing new metaphors Ryuuji couldn't help but shout at Taiga to ease his anger. Even though he was almost freezing, his anger was like a hot stove inside him. Looking at Taiga, Ryuuji breathed out large clouds of white mist as he rubbed his numb hands against his cheeks, slowly easing some blood into his hands. https://www.bakatsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Toradora!:Volume10_Chapter1 IMAGE SCHEMAS ………………………………………………………………………… DOMAINS long-term memory FRAMES -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------MENTAL SPACES working memory CONTEXT Mental spaces 2. Blending • He was so mad, smoke was coming out of his ears… (Fauconnier and Turner, 2002) Mental spaces 3. Narrative uses of emotion metaphors (as opposed to their expression of conceptual content) „1 Jimmy: Uh: I was (.) boiling at this stage and 2 I was real angry with Connie ( ). And 3 uh went up to bed ‘n (.) I lay on the bed.” (Edwards, 1999: 274) „boiling”: establishes accountability, justification, for one’s actions; presents one as being passive (provoked by or) in relation to events; etc. Mental spaces 4. Elaboration for rhetorical purpose: Adrienne Rich: Phenomenology of Anger “white acetylene / ripples from my body / effortlessly released / perfectly trained / on the true enemy // raking his body down to the thread / of existence.” A COMPARISON WITH PERCEPTION • Prototypical emotions: • CAUSE (OF EMOTION) – CAUSES – EMOTION – CONTROL – ACTION • | • EFFECT OF EMOTION A COMPARISON WITH PERCEPTION • Non-prototypical emotions: • CAUSE (OF SURPRISE) – CAUSES – SURPRISE – LOSS OF CONTROL • | • EFFECTS OF SURPRISE A COMPARISON WITH PERCEPTION • Perception is like non-prototypical emotions: • CAUSE (OF PERCEPTION ) – CAUSES – SENSATION – LOSS OF CONTROL • | • EFFECTS OF PERCEPTION Conclusions 1. We need to distinguish different levels in the use of emotion metaphors. 2. Emotion frames are probably too general and static to account for all meaning in the use of emotion metaphors. 3. We need to view the levels as working together, one being just as significant as the other. 4. It is likely that this view has methodological consequences for the study of emotion metaphors. 5. It is likely that this view of metaphor can be generalized beyond the domain of emotions and has serious theoretical consequences for conceptual metaphor theory.
