Definition:
In a conceptual metaphor, the quality or experience described by the source domain. Unlike the source domain, which is concrete and based on sensory experience, the target domain is abstract.
See also:
Examples and Observations:
- "Metaphorical concepts fulfill all their functions . . . through a network of metaphorical expressions. . . . [T]ake the following example:
Conceptual metaphor:
" . . . Metaphors connect two conceptual domains: the target domain and the source domain. In the course of metaphorical processes the source domain corresponds to the target domain; in other words, there is a mapping or a projection between the source domain and the target domain. The target domain X is understood in terms of the source domain Y. For example, in the case of the metaphorical concept mentioned above, LOVE is the target domain whereas JOURNEY is the source domain. Whenever JOURNEY is mapped onto LOVE, the two domains correspond to each other in a way which enables us to interpret LOVE as a JOURNEY."
LOVE IS A JOURNEY
Metaphorical expressions:
this relationship is foundering,
we are going nowhere,
this relationship is a dead-end street,
we are at a crossroads, etc.
(András Kertész, Cognitive Semantics and Scientific Knowledge. John Benjamins, 2004) - "It is possible for two different parts of a sentence to make use of two distinct metaphorical mappings at once. Consider a phrase like, within the coming weeks. Here, within makes use of the metaphor of time as a stationary landscape which has extension and bounded regions, whereas coming makes use of the metaphor of times as moving objects. This is possible because the two metaphors for time pick out different aspects of the target domain."
(George Lakoff, "The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor," Metaphor and Thought, ed. by A. Ortony. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1993)
Also Known As: image recipient, primary donor
