Metaphor modeling in different types of

discourse: comparative aspect

Svetlana Mishlanova,Svetlana Polyakova,

Tatyana UtkinaPerm, Russia

Contents

Introduction Material and methods Metaphor representations in

different discourse types Metaphor scheme Results of comparison

Conceptualization and categorization of specialized knowledge

not only traditional fields of LSP like terminology and genre studies

but also specialized discourse and different types of knowledge

Basic Notions Discourse Concept Concept representation Metaphor Metaphor model

Discourse Verbal activity in specialized field

(politics, law, medicine, economics etc.)

Concept mental unit all types of knowledge (from naïve

ideas to scientific notions) produced in discourse

multilevel hierarchical conceptual structure correlating with particular scientific history and/or development of professional competence

Concept representation internal representation (frame,

mental mapping etc.) external representation (verbal,

graphic, musical, other cultural codes)

Cognitive Theory of Metaphor

METAPHOR is a universal mental mechanism that uses previously

acquired knowledge

Metaphor representation Conceptual

metaphor

Language metaphor (on the basis of

verbal data)

Target / Source (Lakoff)

Denotative descriptor / Significative descriptor

(Baranov & Karaulov)

Conceptual metaphor: Target

FRAME Mental representation of Target Structure of concept (specialized

knowledge) Consists of slots (basic slots,

subslots etc.)

Conceptual metaphor: SourceMETAPHOR MODELMental representation of SourceConsists of Basic domains (H / N) Basic metaphor models (HB / HA, AN / IN) Taxons (Professional Activity, Politics and War, Culture

etc.) Subtaxons (Law, Army, Weapon etc.) Terminal taxons (delinquency, fire-arms, cold steel etc.) Metaphors (lymphocyte-killer, guilty allergen, shooting

pain etc.)

Frame vs Metaphor Model

Target Source(Frame) Metaphor Model

Concept Metaphor Model

Frame vs Metaphor Model Concept is structured not as frame,

it is categorized in the “mirror of metaphor”

Хотя сама ММ – исходно наиболее релевантный или освоенный (частотный) фрагмент фрейма

Language metaphor: Denotative descriptor

The set of texts representing concept in discourse

Definite topic and theme repertoire

Language metaphor: Significative descriptor

Metaphor thesaurus The set of all metaphors obtained

in discourse connected by different semantic relations (those of function, cause, example etc.)

Metaphor scheme The set of basic metaphor models

in particular quantitative relation

Metaphor SchemeDividing into 4 basic metaphor models Human Being Animated Nature Unanimated Nature Human ActivityTwo predominant metaphor models compose the

nucleus of the metaphor scheme; two less representative metaphor models belong to its peripheral part

Gives uniform treatment to the many different metaphor models so that different types of discourse can be contrasted and compared

Discourse typology Different types of concept representation Different phases of speech production

(internal & external speech) (Vygotsky, Leontyev)

Language competence & language performance (Chomsky)

‘Language-competence’ & ‘language-text’ (Karaulov)*

* According to Ju. Karaulovthere are three forms of language representation:‘language-system’, ‘language-text’ and ‘language-

competence’

Hypothesis Metaphor modeling depends on the

type of concept representation (respectively, on the discourse type)

i.e. there are different metaphor schemes in different forms of language representation (‘language-text’ and ‘language-competence’)

Aim To compare metaphor models in

different forms of language representation (‘language-text’ and ‘language-competence’) in Russian, English and German medical discourse

Design

Text

Scientific

Rus

Ger

Eng

Concept MMPopular

Rus

Eng

AssociationsRus

Eng

Material and Methods

Text analysis Scientific medical texts (R + G +

E) Popular medical texts (R + E)Psycholinguistic study Associative field (R + E)

Text analysis 3000 examples of metaphor chosen by

the method of entire selection from scientific medical text of different genres (monographs, scientific articles, conference proceedings, clinical manuals etc.)

2800 examples of metaphor chosen by the method of entire selection from popular medical text (magazine and newspaper articles concerning medical tasks, children encyclopedia etc.)

Examples from the Russian medical discourse

Аминокислоты взаимодействуют с ионом цинка, а расположенная между ними полипептидная цепочка ВЫПЕТЛИВАЕТСЯ в виде «пальца...

В дальнейшем может появиться напряжение мышц конечностей, прямых мышц живота, который становится ТВЕРДЫМ, КАК ДОСКА

При тщательном рентгенологическом исследовании над аспергиллемой можно обнаружить ВОЗДУШНЫЙ СЕРП

Вместо меченного антикроличьего гамма-глобулина используют антикозий гамма-глобулин. Эта операция применяется для проверки неспецифического связывания с клетками меченых АТ, а также для контроля неспецифических «СЭНДВИЧЕЙ» с немеченым античеловеческим Ig

Examples from the English medical discourse

As the disease progresses, the mucosal contour gains a granulated appearence, AS THOUGHT IT WERE COATED WITH ICING SUGAR [

When the mucosa is undermined by the necrotic process, the characteristic «SHIRT STUD» ULCERS become visible

Several diseases CAN MIMIC the clinical and endoscopic appearance of Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease. Endoscopic findings: bizarre, «MAP-LIKE» NECROSIS..., paving-stone pattern by alternation of necrosis...

The remission phase is characterised by the healing of the ulcers. Frequently, MUCOSAL ISLANDS or prominent areas of granulation tissue are visible...

Examples from the German medical discourse Akutes Lungenödem. Das klinische Bild eindrucksvoll:

schwerste Atemnot mit lautem, weithin hörbarem Rasseln («LUNGE KOCHT»)

Es handelt sich um die Entwicklung einer Perikardverschwielung mit nachfolgender Kalkeinbildung, die durch bindgewebige Organisation von Exudat in den Perikardblättern hervorgerufen wird. Es entsteht das Bild des PANZERHERZENS

Kleine, «TAUTROPFENÄHNLICHE» KOLONIEN, Oxidase-positiv [

Im Röntgenbild findet sich eine diffuse oder lokalisierte SCHLEIERIGE bis WOLKIGE TRÜBUNG der Lungenlappen …

Es werden geprueft: 1. Wandbeschaftenheit der Arterien. Bei Arteriosklerose oft regides Gefässrohr («GÄNSEGURGEL»)

Metaphor Schemes of Medical Discourse (%)

Discourse Type

Human Being

AnimateNature

Inanimate Nature

Haman Activity

Russian 15 10 15 60

English 7 10 15 68

German 15 12 18 65

Examples from the Russian popular discourse Гипофиз расположен в основании черепа. Он очень маленький

– не больше обыкновенного наперстка. Но это – главная железа нашего организма: она управляет работой всех других желез

К заболеванию некоторые привыкают, как к старому надоевшему мужу, которого и бросить жалко, и терпеть невозможно…

Во время болезни вирусы и микробы нарушают работу ресничек, воспаленная слизистая начинает усиленно выделять слизь, чтобы защититься от непрошеных гостей

Высохшая капля выглядит экзотически: в виде тонкой паутины, тропического цветка, кружевного листа папоротника…И по этой картине можно определить, болен ли человек

На кардиограмме уже сформировалась картинка явного инфаркта миокарда. Картинка эта представляет из себя как бы силуэт сидящей кошки: вверху торчит ушко, а затем идет выгнутая спинка. И эта «кошка» смертельно опасна для сердца

Examples from the English popular discourse In a final flurry of activity, a last wave of cytokines is

released Of course the granddaddy of all anti-inflammatories is

aspirin, and millions of Americans already take it to prevent heart attacks

The very last part of the brain to be pruned and shaped to its adult dimensions is the prefrontal cortex, home of the so-called executive functions – planning , setting priorities, organizing thoughts, suppressing impulses, weighing the consequences of one's actions

Your health is a partnership between you and your physician By the time symptoms like shortness of breath appear, the

illness has usually been progressing for a decade or two. "It's like the brakes on a car," says Dr. Michael Stulbarg, chief of clinical pulmonary medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center. "You don't realize the damage they're enduring in normal use, and then at some point they just go out on you"

Metaphor Scheme of popular discourse (%)

Discourse Type

Human Being

AnimateNature

Inanimate Nature

Human Activity

Russian 20 7 9 64

English 20 3 9 68

Psycholinguistic study

Complete the statement:

The DISEASE is like ....., because ..... .

72 Russians (adults)92 Americans (adults)

Examples in the Russian groups

1.HUMAN BIOLOGY: “an old man”, “Depression” “Horrible dream”, “Death”

“Devastation of heart brings disease and death”, “it is black, ugly and it hurts” or “being frightened”.

2. HUMAN SOCIO: “A doctor”, “An old woman (“a witch”), “A broken

Mechanism” “it is like study because you don’t pay much attention to it, but

eventually you feel bad” “after each disease there’s recovery, as every fair tale ends well” “Feeble old man makes us feel pity for him”3. NATURE INANIMATE: “A Rainy day”, “ A thunder cloud” “Water-it runs through your fingers”4. NATURE ANIMATE: “Mosquito”, “A poisonous snake”, “An old broken

tree” or “Rotten stuff” and “mould”: “It steadily and secretly destroys the body without our noticing” “If the action is not taken on time it will spread and grow further”

Examples in the American groups

1. The Model HUMAN BIOLOGY “Heart attacks”, “Diabities”, “ Being Fat”, “ Non-Active and Overweight”, “Being Old, “Bad sleep”, “Bad Face Color”, etc.

“Being tired and overweight because is not natural or normal”, “Y’re feeling down and sick”, “you don’t move” etc.

2. The model HUMAN as A SOCIAL Being: “Macdonald staff … because when you eat it you poison your self

and get sick” “An Unwelcomed  Tutor” and “ game of dodge”, “a broken doll”

etc.3. NATURE INANIMATE:“A Shitty Day” (it’ll pass) and “a Thunder” and

“Snow” “ DISEASE (Illness) is like hitting a wall at the end of the hill and

being broken into pieces because you picked up so much dirt on the way and you cannot get it together once you are broken up".

4. NATURE ANIMATE _______________

Metaphor Scheme of associative fields (%)

Discourse Type

Human Being

AnimateNature

Inanimate Nature

Human Activity

Russian 34 28 20 20

English 56 5 11 28

Metaphor Schemes in different discourse types

Discourse Type

Human Being

AnimateNature

Inanimate Nature

Human Activity

Scientific

Popular

Associative

Metaphor Scheme Trends There is a direct dependence on

the type of discourse which is shown as a shift of the metaphor scheme nucleus to the right (from associations to scientific medical discourse)

Metaphor Scheme in Scientific Discourse: Comparison

HumanBeing

AnimateNature

InanimateNature

HumanActivity

English

German

Russian

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Metaphor Scheme in Popular Discourse: Comparison

HumanBeing

AnimateNature

Inanimatenature

HumanActivity

English

Russian

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Metaphor Scheme in Associative Fields: Comparison

HumanBeing

AnimateNature

InanimateNature

HumanActivity

RussiansAmericans

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Conclusions External representations of the concept

depend on the level of professional competence (respectively, type of knowledge) in medical discourse

Cultural features have proved to influence insignificantly on the text representations, but there are some differences in associative fields in medical discourse

Why do we study medical discourse?

a new patient-centered paradigm in medicine

a new social policy in Russia the idea of personal responsibility for

one’s own health to achieve compliance in doctor-patient

communication, to make medical management more effective, to improve our life quality

18th European Symposium

on Language for Special Purposes 

22-26 August 2011Perm State University

Russia

Special Language and Innovation in a Multilingual World

Conference tracks:

Innovational Technologies in Professional Communication Multilingualism and LSP Translation and LSP Cognitive aspects of special languages Professional competence and LSP Innovation in LSP training Terminology and Terminography Linguistic features of special discourse alm@psu.ru

Perm State University (1916)