Linguistic differences in the representation of males and females in Hong Kong English are analyzed using a cognitive linguistics approach to metaphor. The formalist vs. functionalist/cognitive views of language processing and semantics are summarized, and the latter view is determined to be appropriate for these Hong Kong English data. Verb phrases used to describe males and females in a magazine targeting men and one targeting women were compared. Results indicated that men were portrayed as proactive and aggressive, women as passive, emotional, and underdeveloped. It is concluded that this analysis demonstrates the importance of metaphor for revealing semantic categorizations. (LLBA, S. Casey, Accession Number 9700937, (c) CSA [1995]. All rights reserved.)