Related Experiment Videos
Defining popular iconic metaphor.
Peter J Columbus1, Michael A Boerger
1Department of Psychology, Assumption College, Worcester, MA 01609, USA. pcolumbus92@hotmail.com
Psychological Reports
|June 14, 2002
Summary
Popular Iconic Metaphors use celebrities as figurative language sources. Elvis Presley exemplifies this, showing how cultural icons influence everyday meaning-making and communication.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Linguistics
- Figurative Language Studies
Background:
- Figurative language is central to human cognition.
- Existing research lacks a framework for metaphors based on popular culture icons.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce and define Popular Iconic Metaphor.
- Analyze the cognitive and cultural functions of these metaphors.
- Establish a prototype for popular iconic source domains.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of figurative language.
- Case study utilizing Elvis Presley as a prototype.
- Examination of cultural ubiquity and heuristic decision-making.
Main Results:
- Popular Iconic Metaphor is a distinct category within cognitive linguistics.
- Celebrities like Elvis Presley serve as effective source domains due to cultural saturation.
- These metaphors align with everyday decision heuristics.
Conclusions:
- Popular Iconic Metaphors enrich the understanding of figurative language.
- Further research can explore their role in shaping cultural and personal meanings.
- Iconic figures provide accessible and potent bases for metaphorical expression.