The production of time-related metaphors by people who have
experienced pregnancy loss
In this chapter we focus on the ways in
which people who have experienced pregnancy loss use metaphor to
describe the experience, with a particular focus on time-related
metaphor. The data come from an ESRC-funded study that investigates the ways in which
people who have experienced bereavement following pregnancy loss
communicate their experiences. We use these data to explore the ways
in which the bereaved (and those who support them) use time-related
metaphors to talk about their experiences and suggest ways in which
such an analysis can be used to provide insight into the experiences
of the bereaved. We conclude by discussing the implications of our
findings for friends, colleagues and relatives.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Metaphors of time
- 3.Methodology
- 3.1Data collection
- 3.2Data analysis
- 3.2.1A Wmatrix analysis of the key semantic fields
- 3.2.2An analysis of uses of the word “time”
- 3.2.3A qualitative analysis of the metaphors used to talk
about people’s experiences of time
- 4.
Findings
- 4.1Identification of the key semantic fields in Wmatrix
- 4.2Analysis of the uses of the word “time”
- 4.3Qualitative analysis of the metaphors used to talk about
time
- 4.3.1The reification of time and its entailments
- 4.3.2Time displacement, expansion of time, and altered levels
of awareness of time
- 4.3.2.1Time displacement
- 4.3.2.2The expansion of time
- 4.3.2.3Increased and reduced levels of awareness of
time
- 4.3.3Personal relationships with time, with respect to the
moving time versus moving ego perspective
- 4.3.4Mixed metaphors
- 5.Conclusion
-
Acknowledgements
-
Notes
-
References
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