Category: Blog 1

  • Conceptual Metaphors

    The English language is filled with conceptual metaphors. From time to love to language itself, anything and everything can be put in a different context. Here are some that English speakers may not realize they use every day: Political Personification- Uncle Sam, the embodiment of American nationalism, is a perfect example of how we personify…

  • Metaphors in Ecuadorian Spanish

    As a first generation American in my family, my first language was not English. In my household Spanish was the official language and English was an annoyance rarely dealt with. I never had a formal Spanish class until high school but for many years it was the language I knew best. Now, with a good hold of…

  • Exploring traditional Chinese culture through metaphors

    It’s very eye-opening to learn about conceptual metaphors that shape not only our languages but also our thoughts and actions. I find three very popular sayings in Chinese that reveal very traditional ideas of my home country. 1)  “Marriage is the grave of love”. Marriage was anything but an individual choice in the old society. Men and…

  • A Glimpse into an English Speaker’s World

    Some examples of conceptual metaphors in the English language are “sadness is blue”, “an awkward or controversial topic is an elephant in a room”, and “life is a game”. All three of these metaphors, according to Professor Lakoff, reflect how we view the world. The first metaphor could potentially reveal that the emotional reaction to…

  • Metaphors and Values

    After speaking English all of my life, not once have I thought about the fact that my first language has a heavy usage of metaphor until I read excerpts from George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s book Metaphors We Live By. I realized that I use metaphorical concepts everyday without even realizing it because the metaphorical language I…

  • Conceptual Metaphors

    Metaphors are such effective methods of conveying ideas and emotions that they are major components of the ways that people communicate. Metaphors have the power to permeate cultural and linguistic barriers as they often employ basic aspects of the human experience. Many common metaphors’ roots can be traced back to simple experiences that we experiences…

  • Caleb Darkes-Burkey says: August 29, 2014 at 10:39 pm (Edit) Life is a Roller Coaster-A roller coaster represents the ups and downs of life. Just as a roller coaster can be fast, slow, smooth, or bumpy, just can life. Roller coasters can leave you feeling amazing or sick. This is also true to life. Theories…

  • Conceptual Metaphors in Nepali

    Being a ठुलो मान्छे (big person) means to be a successful person. The concept of bigger is better is very much prevalent. Having a big house and big land is always a good thing. It reflects most of the cultures present in the world, but in a way, it is a selfish notion in Nepal.…

  • Conceptual Metaphors in Chinese

    Personalities are temperature. In Chinese, many phrases that describe a person’s personality contain words like 热, 冷, 温暖 which means hot, cold, and warm respectively. Those phrases may mean passionate, accommodating, indifferent or cold-blooded. The hotter the temperature, the more enthusiastic the person is, and vice versa. It is very similar to that in English…

  • Metaphors

    Metaphors are ubiquitous in the English language. Conceptual metaphors are present in the words, comments, and expressions we use everyday. The metaphors we use have a lot to say about our culture. This can be seen when examining the metaphorical implication that gold is good. This is evident with the expressions “heart of gold”, “Golden Age”, and…