Lakoff and Johnson discuss how metaphor creeps into our daily speech in ways that we often do not recognize. One example they offer is the abundance of metaphorical language associating aspects of time with aspects of money. Their essay uses this example to demonstrate how common metaphors in our speech patterns reveal common concepts in our thinking (i.e., “that time is a limited resource” or “time is a valuable commodity”). Interestingly, another metaphor often associated with money is water. Assets often have “liquidity.” Bank accounts are sometimes “frozen.”
After you read the article, think about common phrases that contain hidden metaphors. Choose two and write ~100 words on each metaphorical phrase. Your goal is to theorize–to make a guess or a hypothesis–about the larger associative concepts behind these ordinary metaphors that people use without realizing it. Lakoff and Johnson’s essay provides an excellent model for how to do this.
In your response, you should try to include (1) your own description of the metaphor, (2) a discussion of the contexts in which it is used, such as where you have heard it before, (3) a brainstormed interpretation regarding the many possible associations of ideas that this metaphor links (i.e., that time and money are both valuable in some way, or that water and digitized money seem to “flow” in different directions), and (4) a clear statement of your theory about the hidden concept that this metaphor reveals.
***Note*** Since some of you speak languages other than English, I would encourage you to analyze one (or even two) non-English expression(s). If you go this route, make sure that you translate the expression into English in your post so that non-speakers of the language can follow.
