The constructivist thesis of cognitive linguistics, i.e., the notion that the metaphor does not just serve as a rhetorical ornament, but rather represents an important instrument for dealing with reality (not only in everyday life but also within the framework of scientific concepts), is defended, further developed, and concretized for the technical language of educational science. A detailed analysis of different central texts shows that, even where metaphors do not serve the mediation of a theory but merely make the text more attractive, this approach allows for interesting statements as to which aspects of didactic mediation are of special significance in a text. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that consideration of the metaphorical language of a discipline also contributes to the discipline's self-reflection and to the definition of its position. (LLBA 1999, vol. 33, n. 5)