Mixing metaphor : a descriptive and prescriptive analysis

Mixing metaphors in speech, writing, and even gesture, is traditionally viewed as a sign of inconsistency in thought and language. Despite the prominence of mixed metaphors, there have been surprisingly few attempts to comprehensively explain why people mix their metaphors so frequently and in the particular ways they do. This volume brings together a distinguished group of linguists, psychologists and computer scientists, who tackle the issue of how and why mixed metaphors arise and what communicative purposes they may serve. These scholars, almost unanimously, argue that mixing metaphors is a natural consequence of common metaphorical thought processes, highlighting important complexities of the metaphorical mind.__Mixing Metaphor__, for the first time, offers new, critical empirical and theoretical insights on a topic that has long been ignored within interdisciplinary metaphor studies. MILCC 6 Mixing Metaphor 2 Editorial page 3 Title page 4 LCC data 5 Table of contents 6 Introduction 8 1. Mixing metaphor in perspective 8 2. Summary of the chapters 10 1. A view of “mixed metaphor” within a conceptual metaphor theory framework 18 1.1 Introduction 18 1.2 Some questions about mixed metaphors 20 1.2.1 Why are imagistically incongruent metaphors selected at a particular point in discourse? 20 1.2.2 Why are mixed metaphors so common? 21 1.2.3 Why do we have cases of metaphorically entirely homogeneous discourse? 22 1.2.4 Why are often widely divergent source domains inserted into discourse? 24 1.2.5 How do we comprehend mixed metaphors? 26 1.3 Mixed metaphors and the issue of deliberateness 28 1.4 Conclusions 29 Reference 30 2. Mixed metaphors from a discourse dynamics perspective 32 2.1 Introduction 32 2.2 Multiple metaphors in talk 34 2.2.1 The production of multiple metaphors 34 2.2.2 Multiple metaphors arising from shifting discourse topics 36 2.2.3 Multiple metaphors arising from anaphoric reference and lexico‐conceptual pacts 37 2.2.4 Multiple metaphors combining in a metaphorical scenario 38 2.2.5 Layered metaphors 39 2.2.6 Multiple metaphors in metaphor clusters: Summary 40 2.3 Multiple metaphors in theory-building 40 2.4 Conclusions 43 References 44 3. Why mixed metaphors make sense 46 3.1 Introduction 46 3.2 Why should mixing metaphors be problematic? 48 3.3 Mixed metaphors foreground uncommon aspects of meaning 55 3.4 Conclusion – A dynamic view on metaphors in language use 64 References 67 4. Tackling mixed metaphors in discourse 72 4.1 Introduction 72 4.2 Study 1 76 4.2.1 Method 76 4.2.2 Results 77 4.3 Study 2 79 4.3.1 Method 80 4.3.1.1 Participants 80 4.3.1.2 Materials and Procedure 80 4.3.2 Results 80 4.4 Conclusion 83 References 85 Appendix A 85 5. Mixed metaphor 90 5.1 Introduction 90 5.2 The ATT-Meta approach 93 5.2.1 ATT-Meta’s orientation and a quick example 93 5.2.2 Fictionalist/pretence-based approach 98 5.2.3 Metaphorical views and mappings in ATT-Meta 99 5.2.4 The pretence-based nature of mappings 101 5.2.5 Detail in a sub-persons example 102 5.2.6 Ancillary assumptions 104 5.2.7 View-neutral mapping adjuncts 105 5.2.8 Goal-directed reasoning 109 5.2.9 ATT-Meta and blending 110 5.3 ATT-Meta and mixed metaphor 110 5.3.1 The marigold example: Mixed form 111 5.3.2 Deployment of pretence spaces, VNMAs and inference 112 5.3.3 More on parallel mixing 115 5.3.4 Combining different types of mixing 118 5.3.5 Advantages that ATT-Meta brings to mixed metaphor 119 5.4 Further discussion: Variability of analysis 123 5.5 Conclusions 124 Acknowledgments 124 References 124 6. Mixed metaphor is a question of deliberateness 128 6.1 Introduction 128 6.2 Mixed metaphor and deliberateness 129 6.3 Deliberate versus non-deliberate metaphor 132 6.4 From deliberate to mixed metaphor 140 6.5 Epilogue 146 References 147 7. When languages and cultures meet 148 7.1 Introduction 148 7.2 Metaphor and the learner of English 151 7.3 Mixed, extended, and repeated metaphors in language learner discourse 158 7.4 Discussion and conclusion 164 References 167 8. The ‘dull roar’ and the ‘burning barbed wire pantyhose’ 170 8.1 Introduction 170 8.2 Complex metaphor 173 8.3 Mixed metaphor 173 8.4 Extended and elaborated metaphor 177 8.5 Embodied simulation, pain and systematic metaphor 178 8.6 The interviews 180 8.7 Analysis of complex use of metaphor 182 8.7 Conclusion 190 References 190 9. We drink with our eyes first 194 9.1 Introduction 194 9.2 Describing and evaluating sensory experience 197 9.3 Sensory descriptors 199 9.4 Sensory and kinesthetic imagery 202 9.5 The discursive role of imagery 206 9.6 Summary 212 References 213 10. A corpus-based study of ‘mixed metaphor’ as a metalinguistic comment 218 10.1 Introduction: Mixed metaphor as a ‘folk’ concept and a technical term 218 10.2 Data 222 10.3 Patterns in the use of ‘mixed metaphor’ in the data 223 10.3.1 Clashes between different uses of metaphor involving the same source domain 226 10.3.2 Grammatical boundaries and ‘mixed metaphor’ 230 10.3.3 ‘Mixed metaphor’ and relationships between source domain and topic 232 10.4 Concluding remarks 233 References 236 11. Mixing in pictorial and multimodal metaphors? 238 11.1 Introduction 238 11.2 Characteristics of mixed verbal metaphors 239 11.3 Mixed metaphor in pictures and multimodal discourse: Candidates 241 11.4 Mixed metaphors and Blending Theory 249 11.5 Concluding remarks and further research 251 Acknowledgments 252 References 252 12. Extended metaphor in the web of discourse 256 12.1 Introduction: A cognitive perspective 256 12.2 Stylistic pattern of extended metaphor as a structure of thought 258 12.3 Types of extended metaphor 261 12.4 A diachronic approach to the stylistic use of extended metaphor 264 12.5 Sustainability of figurative thought: A discourse dimension 267 12.6 Extended metaphor in multimodal discourse: A case study 271 12.7 “Mixed” metaphors 274 12.8 Conclusion 279 References 279 Index 282 Mixing Metaphor......Page 2 Editorial page......Page 3 Title page......Page 4 LCC data......Page 5 Table of contents......Page 6 1. Mixing metaphor in perspective......Page 8 2. Summary of the chapters......Page 10 1.1 Introduction......Page 18 1.2.1 Why are imagistically incongruent metaphors selected at a particular point in discourse?......Page 20 1.2.2 Why are mixed metaphors so common?......Page 21 1.2.3 Why do we have cases of metaphorically entirely homogeneous discourse?......Page 22 1.2.4 Why are often widely divergent source domains inserted into discourse?......Page 24 1.2.5 How do we comprehend mixed metaphors?......Page 26 1.3 Mixed metaphors and the issue of deliberateness......Page 28 1.4 Conclusions......Page 29 Reference......Page 30 2.1 Introduction......Page 32 2.2.1 The production of multiple metaphors......Page 34 2.2.2 Multiple metaphors arising from shifting discourse topics......Page 36 2.2.3 Multiple metaphors arising from anaphoric reference and lexico‐conceptual pacts......Page 37 2.2.4 Multiple metaphors combining in a metaphorical scenario......Page 38 2.2.5 Layered metaphors......Page 39 2.3 Multiple metaphors in theory-building......Page 40 2.4 Conclusions......Page 43 References......Page 44 3.1 Introduction......Page 46 3.2 Why should mixing metaphors be problematic?......Page 48 3.3 Mixed metaphors foreground uncommon aspects of meaning......Page 55 3.4 Conclusion – A dynamic view on metaphors in language use......Page 64 References......Page 67 4.1 Introduction......Page 72 4.2.1 Method......Page 76 4.2.2 Results......Page 77 4.3 Study 2......Page 79 4.3.2 Results......Page 80 4.4 Conclusion......Page 83 Appendix A......Page 85 5.1 Introduction......Page 90 5.2.1 ATT-Meta’s orientation and a quick example......Page 93 5.2.2 Fictionalist/pretence-based approach......Page 98 5.2.3 Metaphorical views and mappings in ATT-Meta......Page 99 5.2.4 The pretence-based nature of mappings......Page 101 5.2.5 Detail in a sub-persons example......Page 102 5.2.6 Ancillary assumptions......Page 104 5.2.7 View-neutral mapping adjuncts......Page 105 5.2.8 Goal-directed reasoning......Page 109 5.3 ATT-Meta and mixed metaphor......Page 110 5.3.1 The marigold example: Mixed form......Page 111 5.3.2 Deployment of pretence spaces, VNMAs and inference......Page 112 5.3.3 More on parallel mixing......Page 115 5.3.4 Combining different types of mixing......Page 118 5.3.5 Advantages that ATT-Meta brings to mixed metaphor......Page 119 5.4 Further discussion: Variability of analysis......Page 123 References......Page 124 6.1 Introduction......Page 128 6.2 Mixed metaphor and deliberateness......Page 129 6.3 Deliberate versus non-deliberate metaphor......Page 132 6.4 From deliberate to mixed metaphor......Page 140 6.5 Epilogue......Page 146 References......Page 147 7.1 Introduction......Page 148 7.2 Metaphor and the learner of English......Page 151 7.3 Mixed, extended, and repeated metaphors in language learner discourse......Page 158 7.4 Discussion and conclusion......Page 164 References......Page 167 8.1 Introduction......Page 170 8.3 Mixed metaphor......Page 173 8.4 Extended and elaborated metaphor......Page 177 8.5 Embodied simulation, pain and systematic metaphor......Page 178 8.6 The interviews......Page 180 8.7 Analysis of complex use of metaphor......Page 182 References......Page 190 9.1 Introduction......Page 194 9.2 Describing and evaluating sensory experience......Page 197 9.3 Sensory descriptors......Page 199 9.4 Sensory and kinesthetic imagery......Page 202 9.5 The discursive role of imagery......Page 206 9.6 Summary......Page 212 References......Page 213 10.1 Introduction: Mixed metaphor as a ‘folk’ concept and a technical term......Page 218 10.2 Data......Page 222 10.3 Patterns in the use of ‘mixed metaphor’ in the data......Page 223 10.3.1 Clashes between different uses of metaphor involving the same source domain......Page 226 10.3.2 Grammatical boundaries and ‘mixed metaphor’......Page 230 10.3.3 ‘Mixed metaphor’ and relationships between source domain and topic......Page 232 10.4 Concluding remarks......Page 233 References......Page 236 11.1 Introduction......Page 238 11.2 Characteristics of mixed verbal metaphors......Page 239 11.3 Mixed metaphor in pictures and multimodal discourse: Candidates......Page 241 11.4 Mixed metaphors and Blending Theory......Page 249 11.5 Concluding remarks and further research......Page 251 References......Page 252 12.1 Introduction: A cognitive perspective......Page 256 12.2 Stylistic pattern of extended metaphor as a structure of thought......Page 258 12.3 Types of extended metaphor......Page 261 12.4 A diachronic approach to the stylistic use of extended metaphor......Page 264 12.5 Sustainability of figurative thought: A discourse dimension......Page 267 12.6 Extended metaphor in multimodal discourse: A case study......Page 271 12.7 “Mixed” metaphors......Page 274 References......Page 279 Index......Page 282 Mixing Metaphors In Speech, Writing, And Even Gesture, Is Traditionally Viewed As A Sign Of Inconsistency In Thought And Language. Despite The Prominence Of Mixed Metaphors, There Have Been Surprisingly Few Attempts To Comprehensively Explain Why People Mix Their Metaphors So Frequently And In The Particular Ways They Do. This Volume Brings Together A Distinguished Group Of Linguists, Psychologists And Computer Scientists, Who Tackle The Issue Of How And Why Mixed Metaphors Arise And What Communicative Purposes They May Serve. These Scholars, Almost Unanimously, Argue That Mixing Metaphors Is A Natural Consequence Of Common Metaphorical Thought Processes, Highlighting Important Complexities Of The Metaphorical Mind. 'mixing Metaphor', For The First Time, Offers New, Critical Empirical And Theoretical Insights On A Topic That Has Long Been Ignored Within Interdisciplinary Metaphor Studies. Edited By Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.