Turning metaphor on its head: a “target-to-source transformation” approach in statistics education

Abstract

Many practical applications of metaphors are based on the idea that they are static TARGET IS SOURCE structures that support unidirectional meaning transfer for various purposes. Examples include healthcare and education where metaphors build cognitive and communicative bridges between the abstract and concrete. However, real-world metaphor use is often more dynamic than static, raising the question of how practical applications could benefit from a more correspondingly dynamic perspective. Drawing upon learning models that view learner output as creative transformations of input, this article introduces a “target-to-source transformation” approach that (i) initially frames concepts unfamiliar to novice learners as metaphorical targets as per received wisdom, but after some time, and (ii) invites learners to transform these targets into source domains for new target domains of their choosing. A pilot implementation is reported in the context of a statistics course, in particular the concept of regression analysis, for humanities students. Examples of transformed metaphors include different aspects of regression as sources for creative targets like “arranging a meeting time for friends,” “finding a life partner,” and “fortune-telling.” Analysis of these examples suggests that the approach creates a sense of pedagogical consistency, allows students to exercise creativity, and gives teachers novel insights into their level of understanding. Points for critical reflection will also be raised for future development of the approach, including the need to consider oft-overlooked metalinguistic attitudes held by laypersons toward metaphors.

Words for the hearts: a corpus study of metaphors in online depression communities

“…The “chaining” dynamic is possible because metaphors are embodied, which means they are grounded in our bodily experiences, making them flexible and creative. In a recent study, Tay (2023) has further argued that topic-triggered metaphors have source domains whose pragmatic motivations are driven by the topic rather than some ostensibly static conceptual metaphorical structure. It has implications for evaluating the use of embodied metaphors in health-related contexts because topic-triggered metaphors enable people to analyze metaphors in terms of their impact on patient outcomes.…”

Cognitive perspective of metaphors in Chinese Hua'er folksongs

“…The influential Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff, 1993) suggests that people construct the world in large parts through conceptual metaphors, which enable them to understand abstract concepts by using knowledge of more conventionalized concrete concepts. Following the emphasis on the structure of domains in the CMT tradition, researchers view metaphor as an interaction between two concepts, by which one concept is interpreted in terms of the other (Littlemore, 2009;Cameron and Maslen, 2010;Tay, 2023;Zhao et al, 2023). Grammatical metaphor, as an incongruent realization of meanings in a text, involves the transference of grammatical segments from one domain to another.…”

“…The interdisciplinary study may enhance the growth of the comprehension of metaphors, which involves a focus on corpus linguistics, critical discourse analysis, and statistics education (Tay, 2023;Zhao et al, 2023). Similarly, the adoption of the quantitative method in folklore, indeed, has facilitated the way to process data statistically (Sarapic, 1997;Voigt et al, 1999;Lin and Liu, 2021).…”