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Part of
Producing Figurative Expression: Theoretical, experimental and practical perspectives
Edited by John Barnden and Andrew Gargett
[Figurative Thought and Language 10] 2020
► pp. 105–126

On the role of perceptual similarity in producing visual metaphors

| Indian Institute of Technology Jammu
| Jagiellonian University
We explore here the role of perceptual similarity in producing visual metaphors. In the first part of the study, we characterize visual metaphors and show how perceptual similarity is used in various kinds of visual metaphors appearing in advertisements. In the second part, we present two studies that show that perceptual similarity is intuitively recognized, and shape-based perceptual similarity is preferred for pictorial metaphors. Finally, in the third part, we propose a system to generate visual metaphors based on algorithmic perceptual similarity.
Keywords: perceptual similarity, visual metaphors, conceptual metaphor, production of metaphor
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Part 1: Visual metaphors and perceptual similarity
    • 2.1Introducing visual metaphors
    • 2.2 Production of visual metaphors
    • 2.3Introducing perceptual similarity
    • 2.4Perceptual similarity in visual metaphors
      • 2.4.1Perceptual similarity in juxtaposed visual metaphors
      • 2.4.2Perceptual similarity in homospatial visual metaphors
    • 2.5 Visual metaphors vs. verbal metaphors
  • 3.Part 2: Two empirical studies on the role of perceptual similarity
    • 3.1Study 1: Judgement of perceptual similarity
      • 3.1.1Procedure and task
      • 3.1.2Results
      • 3.1.3 Discussion
    • 3.2Study 2: Shape-based perceptual similarity in the production of visual metaphors
      • 3.2.1Preparation of stimulus material
      • 3.2.2Condition 1
        • 3.2.2.1Participants
        • 3.2.2.2Procedure and task
      • 3.2.3Condition 2
        • 3.2.3.1Participants
        • 3.2.3.2 Procedure and task
      • 3.2.4Results
      • 3.2.5Discussion
  • 4.Part 3: A system to generate perceptually similar images for an intended metaphor
    • 4.1Design approach
    • 4.2System architecture
    • 4.3Perceptual similarity module
    • 4.4Conceptual similarity module
    • 4.5Aptness module, context suggestion and integration tool
    • 4.6Status and evaluation of the system
    • 4.7Discussion
  • 5.Conclusions
  • References
Published online: 17 December 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ftl.10.05ojh
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