Definition:
A metaphor (or figurative comparison) in which one idea (or conceptual domain) is understood in terms of another. In cognitive linguistics, the conceptual domain from which we draw metaphorical expressions to understand another conceptual domain is known as the source domain. The conceptual domain that is understood in this way is the target domain. Thus the source domain of the journey is commonly used to explain the target domain of life. See also:
Etymology:
A term introduced by G. Lakoff and M. Johnson in Metaphors We Live By (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1980)Examples and Observations:
- "Basic conceptual metaphors are part of the common conceptual apparatus shared by members of a culture. They are systematic in that there is a fixed correspondence between the structure of the domain to be understood (e.g., death) and the structure of the domain in terms of which we are understanding it (e.g., departure). We usually understand them in terms of common experiences. They are largely unconscious, though attention may be drawn to them. Their operation in cognition is almost automatic. And they are widely conventionalized in language, that is, there are a great number of words and idiomatic expressions in our language whose meanings depend upon those conceptual metaphors."
(George Lakoff and Mark Turner, More Than Cool Reason. Univ. of Chicago Press, 1989) - In Metaphors We Live By, Lakoff and Johnson mention these variations on the conceptual metaphor TIME IS MONEY:
- You're wasting my time.
- This gadget will save you hours.
- I don't have the time to give you.
- How do you spend your time these days?
- That flat tire cost me an hour.
- I've invested a lot of time in her.
- You're running out of time.
- Is that worth your while?
- He's living on borrowed time.
Also Known As: generative metaphor
