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Part of
How Metaphors Guide, Teach and Popularize Science
Edited by Anke Beger and Thomas H. Smith
[Figurative Thought and Language 6] 2020
► pp. 1–37

Chapter 1
Introduction

| Europa-Universität Flensburg
| Independent

In this introduction, we start by providing an overview of how metaphor makes science accessible (§ 1). The first part describes the intended readership of this book and introduces them to studies of metaphor in science. We then provide the theoretical foundation for the study of metaphor in science that all of the contributions in this volume are based on: Conceptual Metaphor Theory (§ 2). The third part (§ 3) introduces the three interrelated functions or levels of metaphor that are vital for making science accessible: language, thought, and communication. An overview of contributions to this volume concludes this chapter (§ 4).

Article outline
  • 1.How metaphor makes science accessible
    • 1.1Accessible to whom? Intended readership of this book
    • 1.2An overview of the study of metaphor in science
  • 2.Theoretical foundations for the study of metaphor in science
    • 2.1Main tenets of Conceptual Metaphor Theory
      • 2.1.1Conceptual Metaphor Theory: Main tenets and assumptions
      • 2.1.2Criticism of CMT and alternative approaches
  • 3.Interrelated levels of metaphor in making science accessible: Linguistic, conceptual, and discourse functions
    • 3.1Metaphor in language – the language function
      • 3.1.1Conventionality and novelty
      • 3.1.2Metaphor in a wider sense: Similes and analogies
    • 3.2Metaphor in thought – the conceptual function
      • 3.2.1Embodied metaphors
      • 3.2.2Socio-cultural metaphors
      • 3.2.3Source domain context or background knowledge
      • 3.2.4Target domain context or background knowledge
      • 3.2.5Abstract source domains
      • 3.2.6Metaphors in combination
    • 3.3Metaphor in communication – the discourse function
      • 3.3.1Review of metaphor in communication as implied in theoretical discussions above
      • 3.3.2The concept of ‘deliberate metaphor’
      • 3.3.3Problems with ‘deliberate metaphor’ and alternative concepts
  • 4.Organization of this volume
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 22 April 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ftl.6.01beg
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