Metaphor: A Practical Introduction - Hardcover

"Metaphor scholars and students have for years suffered from the lack of a comprehensive introduction to the topic of metaphor in language, thought, and culture. Fortunately, Zoltan Kovecses has written a wonderful book that provides a clear, systematic discussion of metaphor. His book is interesting to read, has many vivid examples, and outlines the major theoretical approach to metaphor in contemporary metaphor studies. I will use this book in many of the courses I teach and will refer to it frequently in pursuing my own research on metaphor."--Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr., University of California, Santa Cruz "Metaphor scholars and students have for years suffered from the lack of a comprehensive introduction to the topic of metaphor in language, thought, and culture. Fortunately, Zoltan Kovecses has written a wonderful book that provides a clear, systematic discussion of metaphor. His book is interesting to read, has many vivid examples, and outlines the major theoretical approach to metaphor in contemporary metaphor studies. I will use this book in many of the courses I teach and will refer to it frequently in pursuing my own research on metaphor."--Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr., University of California, Santa Cruz "Metaphor scholars and students have for years suffered from the lack of a comprehensive introduction to the topic of metaphor in language, thought, and culture. Fortunately, Zoltan Kovecses has written a wonderful book that provides a clear, systematic discussion of metaphor. His book is interesting to read, has many vivid examples, and outlines the major theoretical approach to metaphor in contemporary metaphor studies. I will use this book in many of the courses I teach and will refer to it frequently in pursuing my own research on metaphor."--Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr., University of California, Santa Cruz "Metaphor scholars and students have for years suffered from the lack of a comprehensive introduction to the topic of metaphor in language, thought, and culture. Fortunately, Zoltan Kovecses has written a wonderful book that provides a clear, systematic discussion of metaphor. His book isinteresting to read, has many vivid examples, and outlines the major theoretical approach to metaphor in contemporary metaphor studies. I will use this book in many of the courses I teach and will refer to it frequently in pursuing my own research on metaphor."--Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr., University ofCalifornia, Santa Cruz

This accessible primer provides a comprehensive account of the many developments in the study of metaphor over the last 20 years of the 20th century, and their impact on our understanding of language, culture, and the mind. Beginning with Lakoff and Johnson's seminal work in "Metaphors We Live By", the author outlines the development of "the cognitive linguistic theory of metaphor" by explaining key ideas on metaphor. He also explores primary metaphor, metaphor systems, the "invariance principle", mental-imagery experiments, the many-space blending theory, and the role of image schemas in metaphorical thought. He examines the applicability of these ideas to numerous related fields.