A corpus-based study of metaphor signaling variations in three genres

Abstract

This study examines the use of words and phrases that signal metaphors in three genres in order to further examine the corpus-based evidence for signaling variation mentioned in previous research. While previous studies have focused on pragmatic functions, discourse functions, and the level of conventionalization, this study demonstrates that the communicative goals within each genre underlie the reasons for the metaphor signaling. Three corpora of approximately 600,000 words were created for this research, and they were made up of US presidential addresses, popular science articles, and business periodical articles. The corpora were electronically queried for the use of sixteen previously identified metaphor signals in order to obtain comparable quantitative data. The study was complemented by a qualitative analysis of the identified instances of signaled metaphors. We found that three metaphor signal categories -copular similes, verbal processes, and modals/conditionals -accounted for the large majority of the signals analyzed in the genres. Furthermore, we found that while copular similes and verbal processes signals were used for different rhetorical purposes, depending on the communicative goals of each genre, the conditional signal was always used to foreshadow metaphorically expressed possibilities, regardless of the genre in which it was used.

Radio Sensors and Electric Storms: Scientific Metaphors in Media Talks

“…However, scientific metaphors are typically used to convey topics that are ideationally troublesome to communicate (Cameron, 2003). Discursive studies of metaphor have identified their careful crafting for particular audiences especially when the topics or concepts are considered difficult to grasp (Pramling, 2010;Semino, 2008;Skorczynska & Ahrens, 2015). The lack of concern identified in the current study for an accurate relationship between target and source can be assumed to reflect the experts' understanding of their rights and obligations in the news interview settings.…”

“…These were examined for the pattern of their occasioning by experts or their response to metaphors that their interviewers introduced. Their marking was examined for signals (e.g., 'a kind of', or 'really') indicating that the vehicle term was presented to be interpreted more or less metaphorically (Goatly, 1997, Skorczynska & Ahrens, 2015. Vehicle terms were also examined for their clustering, replacing or modifying (Cameron & Stelma, 2004, Cameron, 2008 as well as extended confirmations and other responses that indicated a search for or negotiation of the meaning of the metaphors.…”

“…Accordingly, the study of discursive environment is examined for how metaphors are marked as such. While CMT examines implicit mappings between concepts (Semino, 2008), scientists and teachers often use analogies and similes in which the domains for comparison are stated explicitly (Gentner et al, 2001, Cameron, 2003, Skorczynska & Ahrens, 2015, Pramling, 2010. The discursive approach as applied here searches for signals such as "a kind of", or "really", where speakers mark the terms they want to be interpreted more or less metaphorically (Goatly, 1997, Cameron & Deignan, 2003, Skorczynska & Ahrens, 2015.…”

Corpus-based Studies of Metaphor: An Overview

“…Meanwhile, Jaworska (2017) and Stampoulidis and Bolognesi (2019) identified metaphors using Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP) guidelines without using any theoretical lens. The same goes with Skorczynska and Ahrens (2015), who used metaphor signaling and MIP guidelines to examine words and phrases metaphors in different genres.…”

“…Across the 23 studies, 13 studies concentrated mainly on analyzing the word(s) or phrase(s) that could be the source domains of metaphor in a discourse Arab World English Journal www.awej.org ISSN: 2229-9327 521 or examining types of metaphors. For example, Skorczynska and Ahrens (2015) studied words and phrases which signal metaphors in the discourse of three different genres, i.e., U.S. presidential addresses, popular science articles, and business periodical articles. They found three metaphor signal categories through the analysis, i.e., copular similes, verbal processes, and modals/conditionals.…”