Metaphorization as a way to comprehend reality

Abstract

The object of this research is the metaphorical component of text, which allows understanding more profound meanings of information code and determine attitudes of the addressee. The subject of this research is the conceptual metaphors that manifests as the means of categorization, comprehension of the surrounding world, access to mental processes and mechanisms. Establishing associative links between the phenomena of cognizable world, metaphors represent the understanding of reality by an individual and form new knowledge on the world. The text of the article by M. Kiseleva “Who benefits from the raise of retirement age” served as the material for this research. In description of linguistic material, the author applied semantic-cognitive method of analysis that allow studying the types of mental representations in mentality of native speakers. The scientific novelty consists in determination of the types of metaphors, the language means of which can be considered as metaphorical nominations representing the concepts of “life”, “retirement”, “government”, “person”, etc. It is concluded that the text of mass communication utilizes zoomorphic, phytomorphic, thematic, artefactual and sociomorphic metaphors as the means of linguistic manipulation. Metaphorical nominations, presented by conceptual metaphors, using the mentality of a native speaker, reflect one of the methods of categorization of the surrounding environment. The research results may serve as the materials for linguocognitive studies of the concepts.