Metaphor: The intertwinement of thought and language
Koers (Online) vol.76 n.1 Pretoria 2011
Metafoor: Die verstrengeling van gedagtes en taal
Department Of Philosophy, University Of The Free State, Bloemfontein. E-mail: dfms@cknet.co.za
The analysis of this article aims at reflecting on the nature of metaphoricity within the context of thought and language -inspired by the contributions of Elaine Botha in this regard commencing about three decades ago. This paved the way for those who were working within the tradition of reformational philosophy to take a new look at the nature of metaphor.
Since thinking and talking are concrete activities in principle functioning in all aspects of reality, they cannot as such provide criteria to decide on the order relationship between the logical-analytical and lingual aspects of reality. It turns out that, without a proper view of the differences between concept and word, an account of the nature of metaphor remains inconsistent. Universal traits, logical objectification, and the conceptual unknow-ability of what is individual, surfaces in the article. The founda-tional role of spatial relationships appears to be linked to imaging and imagining, informing the proposal to differentiate between modally and entitary directed knowing.
The linguistic turn in particular inspired a renewed interest in language and the central place of metaphorical language use. After considering the connections between analogy and metaphor a new approach to the distinction between modal analogies and metaphors is proposed - one that is geared towards the interconnections between the different dimensions of our experiential world. The last part is dedicated to Lakoff and Johnson (1999) who have developed a peculiar view of the "embodied mind", "conceptual metaphor", and "cross-domain mappings", while the article concludes with an argument about the limits of substitution and take into account expanded conditions.
Key concepts: analogies, concept, conceptual metaphor, language, metaphor, thought
Die ontleding van hierdie artikel is gerig op die aard van meta-fore binne die konteks van taal en denke - geïnspireer deur die bydraes van Elaine Botha oor hierdie problematiek wat sowat dertig jaar gelede begin het. Dit het die weg gebaan vir diegene wat binne die reformatories-wysgerige tradisie werk om met nuwe oë na metafore te kyk.
Aangesien denke en taalgebruik konkrete aktiwiteite is wat in beginsel in alle werklikheidsaspekte funksioneer, kan dit as sodanig nie maatstawwe bied met behulp waarvan die orde-relasie tussen die logies-analitiese en die linguale aspekte van die werklikheid bepaal kan word nie. Dit blyk dat rekenskap van die aard van 'n metafoor nie op 'n konsistente wyse gegee kan word, sonder 'n verantwoorde siening van die verskille tussen 'n begrip en 'n woord nie. Universele trekke, logiese objektivering, begripskennis, en die begripsmatige onkenbaarheid van wat individueel is, verskyn ook in die artikel. Die funderende rol van ruimteverhoudings skyn verbind te wees aan beeldvorming en verbeelding, wat die voorstel ondersteun om tussen modaal- en entiteitsgerigte kennis te differensieer.
Dit was egter die sogenaamde linguistieke ommeswaai wat her-nude belangstelling in taal en in die sentrale plek van meta-foriese taalgebruik geïnspireer het. Deur te let op die verband tussen analogie en metafoor word 'n nuwe benadering tot die onderskeid tussen modale analogieë en metafore voorgestel -een wat gerig is op die verbindingslyne tussen die verskillende dimensies van die werklikheid. Die laaste gedeelte word gewy aan Lakoff en Johnson (1999) wat 'n besondere siening van die "embodied mind", "conceptual metaphor", en "cross-domain mappings" ontwikkel het, terwyl afgesluit word met 'n argument insake die grense van substitusie en die verdiskontering van meer uitgebreide kondisies.
Kernbegrippe: analogieë, begrip, begripsmetafoor, denke, metafoor, taal
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