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Research draft

metaphor

vr.tr.metaphor · INF.KNW

Let an agent recognise and explain metaphors, distinguish metaphor from simile, metonymy, analogy and parable, relay theories of metaphor with attribution, and support interpretation, writing and translation.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent recognise and explain metaphors, distinguish metaphor from simile, metonymy, analogy and parable, relay theories of metaphor with attribution, and support interpretation, writing and translation.

A figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another to suggest a likeness without using like or as, as in time is a thief; metaphor pervades everyday language and thought as well as literature, and is studied in rhetoric, linguistics, cognitive science and philosophy as a way of understanding one domain through another.

What it is for: Understanding and expressing one thing in terms of another.

It can be identify metaphors in text; explain how a metaphor works; distinguish related figures; relay theories with attribution.

Distinguishing features

Transfer of meaning between domains

Implicit comparison

Conventional and creative forms

Cognitive as well as rhetorical

What it looks like

Not visible; words used in a transferred sense.

How it is recognised

Direct identification of one thing with another

Source and target domains

Simile uses like or as; metonymy substitutes an associated thing; parable is a narrative

Related models

is a kind of - a trope

figure of speech

is confused with - an explicit comparison

simile

is related to - a neighbouring trope

metonymy

is studied by - conceptual metaphor theory

cognitive linguistics

In practice

Families and kinds

conventional and dead metaphors

creative and extended metaphors

conceptual metaphors such as argument is war

spatial and orientational metaphors

mixed metaphors

political metaphors such as red line

Standards and regulation

No regulation; style guides advise on use

Failure modes and hazards

Mixed and confusing metaphors

Literal misreading of metaphors

Metaphors that mislead in policy or science

Also called

primary rockparableQuranic parablespatial metaphorcopular metaphorred lineExtended metaphorInternet metaphorsconceptual metaphormitateinterface metaphorelephant in the roomdead metaphorAnimal metaphors in Romanian languagevisual metaphorNew Testament military metaphorssacrificial lambsmoke and mirrorsred lines in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Concept What a metaphor is.

Definition.

Definition

Definition.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is a metaphor, and how do source and target domains relate? definition
  2. Is the figure a metaphor, a simile, a metonymy, an analogy or a parable? boundary

Kinds

Kinds.

Kinds

Kinds.

  1. What kinds of metaphor exist, from dead to creative and conceptual? definition
  2. Which entry fits the related figure? action
Interpret Reading metaphors.

Practice.

Analysis

Analysing a metaphor.

Analysis

Analysis.

  1. How is a metaphor identified and analysed in a text? action
  2. What does the metaphor in question convey? measurement

Effects

Effects.

Effects

Effects.

  1. How do metaphors shape understanding and persuasion, with findings attributed? provenance
  2. Which entry fits rhetoric? action
Theory Theories of metaphor.

Attribution.

Theories

Theories.

Theories

Theories.

  1. What do rhetorical, cognitive and philosophical theories say about metaphor, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Research

Research.

Research

Research.

  1. How is metaphor studied empirically in linguistics and psychology? provenance
  2. Which entry fits cognitive linguistics? action
Use Writing and translation.

Application.

Writing

Writing.

Writing

Writing.

  1. How are metaphors used well in writing, and what do style guides warn against? provenance
  2. Which entry fits style guides? action

Translation

Translation.

Translation

Translation.

  1. How are metaphors handled in translation across languages and cultures? action
  2. Which entry fits translation? action

What the second pass must settle

  • Should conceptual metaphor be a separate entry?
  • How should theories be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases for parables and a geological term; should they be split off?
Draft as JSON