Bidirectionality of Metaphor in Fiction: A Study of English Novels

Applied Linguistics Research Journal

Mohammad Zohrabi¹  Nasim Layegh¹ 

[1] Department Of English Language And Literature, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran;

关键词: metaphor;    target domain;    source domain;    directionality;    literature.;   

DOI  :  10.14744/alrj.2020.74936

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

One of the fundamental pillars of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) is that in any metaphorical mapping, the target domain constitutes a rather abstract concept while the source domain is more concrete. This argument entails that metaphors are unidirectional. In line with Kövecses (2010), the principle of unidirectionality of metaphor simply defines the idea that in most everyday metaphors the source and target domains cannot be reversed. In this spirit, the present study investigated aforementioned arguments in two important works of fiction. The materials for the study consisted of Jane Austen's Persuasion and John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, and the identification of the metaphorical source and target domains was conducted following the principles of MIPVU. The findings showed a few cases of bidirectional metaphors in the samples. Moreover, some concepts were also identified which had been employed as both target and source domain by the authors. This study might provide some insights into the understanding and analysis of metaphorical language. It can also offer some implications for teaching literature as well as advanced reading and writing to students.

【 授权许可】

Unknown