STUDENT: PROFESSOR:

DENITSA DECHEVA ELENAANDONOV

A

THE METAPHORICAL
STRUCTURE OF THE HUMAN
CONCEPTUAL SYSTEM
ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016
OUTLINE OF
PRESENTATION
1.Introduction – Metaphorical concepts
2.Definitions
3.Base of metaphorical concepts in experience
4.Metaphorical concepts as experiental gestals
5.Experiential gestalts and representations of them
6.Conclusions.
1. INTRODUCTION
Human conceptual system is central to cognitive science,
and it is fundamentally metaphorical in character (it
contains also nonmethaphorical concepts).

Nonmetaphorica
l part
Conceptul
system
Metaphorical
part
1. METAPHORICAL
CONCEPTS
Orientational
Metaphors
Metaphorical
part Ontological
metaphors

Structural
metaphors
2. METAPHORICAL
DEFINITIONS
Our concepts are mostly abstract (Time, Ideas, Emotions)
but metaphorically speaking they are defined on concepts
that are more concrete (Space, Motion, Food, Objects).
However, no single, concrete, nonmetaphorical concept is
ever structured in exactly the right way to completely
define any single abstract concept => abstract
concepts are defined in terms of more than one
concrete concept.
 3. BASE OF
METAPHORICAL
CONCEPTS IN
EXPERIENCE
All metaphorical concepts arise from physical and cultural
experience.

MORE IS UP

versus

IDEAS ARE FASHIONS

4.1. METAPHORICAL CONCEPTS
AS EXPERIENTAL GESTALS
Metaphorical concepts are based on complex experiential
gestalts. Such a gestalt is a multidimensional structured
whole arising naturally within experience.
Gestalt structure for conversation
- has 6 dimensions: participants (people), parts (talking
turns), stages (beginning, central part and end), linear
sequence (turns at speaking are linear), causation (A
finishes talking results in the beginning of B), and
purpose.
Gestalt structure for war
- same 6 dimensions but different content. For example,
Linear Sequence can be: RETREAT after ATTACK,
DEFENSE after ATTACK and so on.
4.2 THE EXPERENTIAL BASIS
FOR METAPHORS
A metaphor in the shape A is B has the following problem:
-misses the fact that no metaphor can be represented independently of its experiential basis

More is Up versus Control is Up

Different kind of
experiential basis
 5. EXPERIENTIAL
GESTALTS AND
REPRESENTATIONS OF
THEM
Key point: there is a distinction between concept (or
experiential gestalt) and its representation.

Concepts
• Exist within the experience of people
• Structures through which we
categorize personal experiences
Representation of concepts
• Mathematical objects which we
contruct as models for concepts
 6. CONCLUSIONS
Metaphors are grounded in experience and metaphorical concepts
are understood only in relation to their experiential bases.
Metaphors are necessary for understanding most of what goes on
in our world.
REFERENCES
Lakoff,G., Johnson, M., (1980) The Metaphorical stricture of the
human conceptual system.
Cognitive Science 4,195 – 208
Lakoff,G, & Johnson,M. (1975) The Metaphors we live by. University
of Chicago press, 1980
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