By Jason Pickett
Metaphor has a great deal of significance to us, not only in the way a poet or an author writes, but in the way we speak everyday to each other. We also have found that not only is it a way of speaking and conveying thoughts between us, but even more, a way of thinking and cogitating for we as people. Often times people call metaphors ‘analogies’, perhaps to keep the “all to scary” thought of actual metaphors at bay, which school children cringe at the very thought of. This has relevance because, when being discussed in everyday conversation people tend to shy away from metaphor or say that it has nothing to do with them daily. However you wish to call it, it all really means the same thing, and it is all equally useful for our thoughts and for our expression.
In this report we have seen how rules apply to metaphors. Not only do they belong to phrases and such, but also to individual words with etymology, they tend to carry the same rules, but they are perhaps more instilled into the words themselves. The rules apply to grammar, and demonstrate a somewhat strict set of guidelines in order for a metaphor to be successful. Without the rules of grammar, it would be much more difficult to express ourselves in metaphor in a very meaningful manner. The rules of content are also as important and to some degree more abundant than are the rules of grammar. Content rules represent how metaphors perhaps should be, what they should draw from and what the should aim at. These rules of content tend to be a bit more flexible, depending perhaps on the audience and the speaker or author. All of the rules have importance to understanding basic principles of metaphor, and can generally be applied to all metaphors, and metaphorical related language about equally. Here we have the importance of rules of metaphor, and thus can understand the world better as a whole (aren’t you ecstatic?!).
One point that should have been touched on more, is if we are capable of thinking in terms of abstractions alone, or if we absolutely need metaphor and analogy to do it. It could be thought that we need metaphor to do it, since no actual term etymologically actually has a root fully composed of anything that is abstract. We see perhaps some evidence or insight, by the people ignorant as to the history and etymology of words. Although this is not at all conclusive, or even really checked into as far as this text is aware of. Overall, it can nearly be assumed that we as humans pretty much don’t think of many things in pure abstraction at all. This is not to say with absolute certainty that humans (or any species as far as we know) can not think abstractly whatsoever, but as far as we know, we can not. Of course it really depends on semantics and the definition of the word ‘abstract’. The way it (abstraction) has been described in this text (indirectly) is by something that is either not tangible, or something that is not observable to the senses. In this sense we almost certainly think of most abstractions in metaphorical terms. Often times we can even think of the words themselves as some sort of physical object, perhaps even just by thinking of the word in print. If you define abstraction differently, perhaps we are capable of thinking in abstraction, but even there, we still think of most abstract ideas and concepts in terms of metaphor.
The two base fields for source domains are ontological and orientation, as we well know. These two fields form the basis for what we use as the source for nearly every metaphor. It may be interesting to note that ontological metaphors can still offer confusion between societies or even groups. This would occur because it is somewhat rare that all groups or societies come into contact with the same objects all of the time. Some objects are more likely than others to be universally known and recognized. These objects would include things like the ground, dirt, heavenly bodies (the sun, the moon and the stars), some vegetation, water, clouds and some animals, to be universal known and recognized by all peoples. There is one group of physical objects that everyone also has experience with, and coincidentally happens to be one of the larger banks of source domains: body parts, because everyone has them, and if they don’t, they probably can’t use metaphor anyway.
Etymology plays a very important role for us in language, not only in metaphor but in all other aspects of it as well. In metaphor, however; etymology could scarcely survive without its presents. We see different source domains being covered by the concepts of classical words. The metaphors we see in classical languages, present in our own language of today, give us a great insight to the past and to the cultures from whence ours came. We may even get an insight as to how important metaphor was for the people who spoke the other languages ancestral to ours. The Greeks are renowned for their philosophy and profound thoughts, this could be represented in the language we acquire from them with just how many profound metaphorical expressions they have given to us. This summarizes the contribution etymology has given to this paper. This also summarizes the contributions etymology has given to metaphor, and to language as a whole, and then really to humanity.
In conclusion metaphor presents its importance to everyday life for everyone everywhere, without which perhaps, we would not be able to function. Hopefully you the reader will leave this text with a more powerful view of how important it is to you in your life, and to those you know. Pay attention in the future, and see if you can find any source of language, written or spoken, which does not contain a great deal of metaphor, and you may be surprised, or after this text, perhaps not. Metaphor is present in many facets, and perhaps forgotten in this text for what it is most renowned for, that being poetry and literature, and flowery language of that nature. It is also present in that, and generally created with commonly flowing metaphors that already exist. The only difference is, it is more elaborated upon, and dressed to seem better. With this we conclude the paper, with any fortune, it was as good for you to read and (hopefully better) as it was for the author to write.