Elżbieta Górska
University of Warsaw, Institute of English Studies, Faculty Member
- Cognitive Linguistics, Cognitive Semantics, Conceptual Metaphor, Conceptual metonymy, Multimodality, Multimodal metaphor, and 11 moreMultimodal metonymy, Multimodal Discourse, Cartoons, Theory of Metaphor and Rhetorics, Conceptual Blending, Cognitive Grammar, Word formation, Part-whole Relations, Cross-Cultural Studies, Linguistic Relativity Language for Thinking, and Grammaticalizationedit
- My research interests include multimodal metaphor and metonymy, verbo-pictorial aphorisms, cartoons, multimodal rheto... moreMy research interests include multimodal metaphor and metonymy, verbo-pictorial aphorisms, cartoons, multimodal rhetoric, cognitive grammar, word formation, part-whole relations, cognitive foundations of language, and linguistic coding of concepts in cross-cultural perspective.
If you happen to be interested in any of my work which hasn’t been uploaded here, let me know about it and I’ll send you a pdf copy.edit
Focusing on convergent evidence for the conceptual nature of metaphors that take the near-far image schema as their source domain, such as: similarity is closeness, difference is distance, affection is proximity and emotional distance is... more
Focusing on convergent evidence for the conceptual nature of metaphors that take the near-far image schema as their source domain, such as: similarity is closeness, difference is distance, affection is proximity and emotional distance is physical distance, the application of near-far is discussed not only in the context of linguistic, but also multimodal practice. Results of a number of experimental studies are presented as another kind of convergent evidence for the psychological reality of these conventional metaphors and of the near-far schema. It is concluded that this schema is a reliable and useful research tool that cognitive linguists have at their disposal. In the Postscriptum, the framing of the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of "social distancing" is briefly considered in the context of both the social distance is physical distance and affection is proximity metaphors.
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As compared to their purely verbal manifestations, multimodal realizations of image schematic metaphors have received far too little attention in cognitive linguistics than they would deserve. It will be argued that image schemas (Johnson... more
As compared to their purely verbal manifestations, multimodal realizations of image schematic metaphors have received far too little attention in cognitive linguistics than they would deserve. It will be argued that image schemas (Johnson 1987, Talmy 1988), since they are skeletal conceptual structure, afford an excellent source domain for metaphors that are realized verbo-visually in cartoons. The cartoons selected for this study are all by Janusz Kapusta, a Polish artist, whose works have appeared every week in the Polish magazine " Plus-Minus " for over ten years. In contrast to the gestural medium, films and music, where the relevant elements of image schematic source domains of metaphor are never fully available at once, the cartoons give a " snapshot " of a conceptual image which is ready for inspection as a single Gestalt. They are therefore a good testing ground for discussing the question of how the visual and the verbal modality interact in spatialization of abstract ideas. Providing insights into the function of multimodal metaphors and levels of their activation, the discussion contributes to the ongoing debate on the conceptual nature of metaphor and the embodiment of meaning. The results of the study are also considered in relation to the role of verbo-pictorial metaphor in structuring abstract concepts in a creative way.
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Według Müller (2008a,b, Kolter et al. 2012) statyczne ujęcie metafory w języku i myśleniu należy uzupełnić o podejście dynamiczne oparte o uzus językowy. Koncentrując się na tym drugim podejściu, charakteryzuję dynamiczną kategorię... more
Według Müller (2008a,b, Kolter et al. 2012) statyczne ujęcie metafory w języku i myśleniu należy uzupełnić o podejście dynamiczne oparte o uzus językowy. Koncentrując się na tym drugim podejściu, charakteryzuję dynamiczną kategorię metafor w oparciu o metafory językowe i multimodalne (w szczególności słowno-obrazowe i słowno-muzyczne). Omawiana kategoria obejmuje metafory "uśpione" i "przebudzone". Rozróżnienie to jest przeprowadzone w odniesieniu do poziomu aktywacji metaforyczności, który zależy od ilości wskaźników aktywacji, takich, jak: powtórzenie, rozwinięcie, uszczegółowienie lub konstrukcja multimodalna. Impulsem do zwiększenia metaforyczności jest uwaga. Zarówno skonwencjonalizowane, jak i nowe, twórcze metafory mogą przejawiać różne stopnie metaforyczności zależnie od kontekstu użycia.
Słowa kluczowe: metafora multimodalna, dynamiczna aktywacja, ikoniczność, uwaga
A dynamic approach to metaphor According to Müller's (2008a,b, Kolter et al. 2012), the static view on metaphor in thought and language should be supplemented by a dynamic view on metaphor in language use. Focusing on the latter approach, the dynamic category of metaphors is characterized on the basis of both verbal and multimodal metaphors (verbo-visual and verbo-musical in particular). The category ranges from "sleeping" to "waking" metaphors. This distinction is drawn depending on the level of metaphoric activation, which can be correlated with the amount of activation indicators, such as repetition, elaboration, specification or multimodal construction. The trigger behind increasing metaphoricity is attention. Both conventional and novel creative metaphors may exhibit different degrees of metaphoricity depending on the context of use.
Słowa kluczowe: metafora multimodalna, dynamiczna aktywacja, ikoniczność, uwaga
A dynamic approach to metaphor According to Müller's (2008a,b, Kolter et al. 2012), the static view on metaphor in thought and language should be supplemented by a dynamic view on metaphor in language use. Focusing on the latter approach, the dynamic category of metaphors is characterized on the basis of both verbal and multimodal metaphors (verbo-visual and verbo-musical in particular). The category ranges from "sleeping" to "waking" metaphors. This distinction is drawn depending on the level of metaphoric activation, which can be correlated with the amount of activation indicators, such as repetition, elaboration, specification or multimodal construction. The trigger behind increasing metaphoricity is attention. Both conventional and novel creative metaphors may exhibit different degrees of metaphoricity depending on the context of use.
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In this article my main concern is the linguistic evidence for the view that metaphor is conceptual in nature. Since the fact that there is a great diversity of linguistic evidence for patterns of meta-phorical thought has been, by and... more
In this article my main concern is the linguistic evidence for the view that metaphor is conceptual in nature. Since the fact that there is a great diversity of linguistic evidence for patterns of meta-phorical thought has been, by and large, not emphasized enough, I overview a variety of such evidence, which can be derived from the study of different aspects of meaning within a particular language, crosslinguistically, and at a metalinguistic level. However, in itself the variety of linguistic evidence, even though it speaks very strongly for the idea that metaphor is conceptual in nature, is not sufficient to justify it. Therefore, recognizing the fact that claims about our conceptual system which are based on linguistic analyses alone remain within the " language – thought – language " circle, the article discusses also some kinds of nonlinguistic evidence for conceptual metaphors. Psycholinguistic research on metaphorical reasoning is presented as a major source of such nonlinguistic verifications. Drawing on Daniel Barenboim's BBC Reith lectures of 2006, it is also argued that convergent evidence from language and music may serve to break open the " language – thought – language " circle. "
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This article takes up the question of how the “partonomy-taxonomy” issue can be formulated within Langacker's theory of cognitive grammar. The discussion concentrates on a comparison of taxonomic hierarchies with one particular model of... more
This article takes up the question of how the “partonomy-taxonomy” issue can be formulated within Langacker's theory of cognitive grammar. The discussion concentrates on a comparison of taxonomic hierarchies with one particular model of the part whole relationship – the so called member-collection model. When analysed in terms of class-inclusion, complex collections like an army are analogous to type hierarchies. However, when analysed in terms of meaning, the relation characterizing collections with hierarchical organization is diametrically different from the relationship between a type and a subtype. Providing arguments for close affinity between the part-whole structure of collections and objects, as opposed to the taxonomic relation of class inclusion, this study is in line with the results of developmental and experimental studies conducted by Markman and Seibert (1976) and Markman et al. (1980). At the same time, however, it goes against the folk model of the category and its members, which was argued for by Kövecses and Radden ((1998).
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In the earlier studies of nominals with the noun part, the choice between the construction with the indefinite article and the construction wherein part appears without any determiner or modifier, i.e. as a simple “bare” noun remains... more
In the earlier studies of nominals with the noun part, the choice between the construction with the indefinite article and the construction wherein part appears without any determiner or modifier, i.e. as a simple “bare” noun remains unexplained. On the basis of the LOB-corpus analysis, it becomes evident that, contrary to what is commonly assumed, the usage of the construction with the “bare” noun part is by no means sporadic, but, on the contrary, constitutes the most frequent case. On the other hand, when tested about a sample of the LOB-corpus data with a part/part, the native speakers of English were able to detect differences in meaning whenever these expressions were interchanged in a given context. From the perspective of cognitive grammar (cf. Langacker 1987, 1991, 1999), which expects that the difference in form be symptomatic of some difference in meaning, this finding is, by no means, surprising. The present paper aims to show that Langacker’s theory is also fully equipped to express, on the one hand, the relevant differences in meaning, and on the other hand, various grammatical properties of the two constructions in a systematic and motivated manner.
The proposed description crucially relies on the reference-point relationship inherent in the overall part-of-XN construction (cf. Górska 1999). The need to postulate two constructions with part - one of which is called “grounded” and the other “iconic” - falls out from the analysis. In the iconic construction, the phonological form of the phrase with part - equivalent to the bare noun stem - is reduced to minimum (of course, as compared to the form of the a-marked nominal); this phonological minimality is said to be iconic for the minimal conceptual distance between the participants of a part-whole relation which is evoked by the part of XN construction. It is argued that, in its conceptual content, the iconic construction “overlaps” with a-marked nominals in which part is modified by adjectives such as large, important, essential, and integral. In effect, speakers have an option of portraying the relevant conceptual content in two alternate ways: in “one-shot” - by means of the iconic construction with part alone or via the more complex compositional path of a symbolically complex adjectival phrase with the noun part grounded by the article and modified by any such adjective.
The proposed description crucially relies on the reference-point relationship inherent in the overall part-of-XN construction (cf. Górska 1999). The need to postulate two constructions with part - one of which is called “grounded” and the other “iconic” - falls out from the analysis. In the iconic construction, the phonological form of the phrase with part - equivalent to the bare noun stem - is reduced to minimum (of course, as compared to the form of the a-marked nominal); this phonological minimality is said to be iconic for the minimal conceptual distance between the participants of a part-whole relation which is evoked by the part of XN construction. It is argued that, in its conceptual content, the iconic construction “overlaps” with a-marked nominals in which part is modified by adjectives such as large, important, essential, and integral. In effect, speakers have an option of portraying the relevant conceptual content in two alternate ways: in “one-shot” - by means of the iconic construction with part alone or via the more complex compositional path of a symbolically complex adjectival phrase with the noun part grounded by the article and modified by any such adjective.
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This volume looks at spatialization of abstract concepts in verbo-pictorial aphorisms at work in the cartoons of a single artist. While extensive work has been done in studying spatialization of abstract concepts in grammar and lexicon... more
This volume looks at spatialization of abstract concepts in verbo-pictorial aphorisms at work in the cartoons of a single artist. While extensive work has been done in studying spatialization of abstract concepts in grammar and lexicon within cognitive linguistics, this book is the first of its kind to provide a detailed account of such phenomena in multimodal discourse. The volume integrates a range of approaches from cognitive linguistics, including image schema theory, conceptual theory of metaphor, multimodal metaphor theory, the dynamic approach to metaphor, and a multimodal approach to metonymy, and applies this multi-faceted framework to a selection of cartoons from the work of Polish artist Janusz Kapusta. Taken together, these cartoons form the basis of two comprehensive case studies which explore the abstract concepts of "emotions" and "life," highlighting the ways in which cartoons can illustrate the important relationship between space, situated cognition, and language and in turn, a clear and systematic framework for establishing cohesive ties between the verbal and pictorial modes in multimodal cognitive linguistic research. The volume sheds new light on visual thinking and multimodal rendition of creative abstract thought.
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Combining the perspective of multimodal cognitive linguistics and critical socio-cognitive approaches to discourse, this chapter presents a case study of the public sculpture Pomnik Anonimowego Przechodnia ‘Monument of an Anonymous... more
Combining the perspective of multimodal cognitive linguistics and critical socio-cognitive approaches to discourse, this chapter presents a case study of the public sculpture Pomnik Anonimowego Przechodnia ‘Monument of an Anonymous Passer-by’, also known under the name Przejście ‘Passage’ by Jerzy Kalina. Taking the changing socio-political history as the relevant background that invites recontextualization of metaphorical understanding of Przejście, this case study investigates current interpretations of the monument’s meaning elicited from onsite interviews that were conducted in Summer 2022 with passers-by in Wrocław. The objectives of the study are twofold. On the one hand, it analyses the embodied image-schematic structure that underlies the metaphoric interpretations of Kalina’s sculpture. And on the other hand, it shows how the image-schematic structuring is actively constructed and situated in specific socio-political contexts – the history of Poland and the current context of thousands of war refugees from Ukraine in Poland. It is argued that the skeletal image-schematic structure of Kalina’s sculpture that is cued by the visual mode supports a range of interpretations that vary depending on the situated context within which the interviewee conceived the monument’s meaning. The study thereby contributes to research on how socio-political situatedness moderates people’s experience with embodied image-schematic metaphors and their creative elaborations in (multimodal) discourse. It is also a prime example of contextualization and recontextualization as a discursive practice in the interpretation of visual public art.
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[reprinted from LaMiCuS [Language Mind Culture and Society, an e-journal of the Polish Cognitive Linguistics Association] 2, 82–100.] The volume published, in a printed and electronic format (open access):... more
[reprinted from LaMiCuS [Language Mind Culture and Society, an e-journal of the Polish Cognitive Linguistics Association] 2, 82–100.]
The volume published, in a printed and electronic format (open access):
https://wydawnictwo.uni.lodz.pl/produkt/moving-between-modes/
The volume published, in a printed and electronic format (open access):
https://wydawnictwo.uni.lodz.pl/produkt/moving-between-modes/
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In cognitive linguistics, spatialization of abstract concepts has been extensively studied in grammar and lexicon, forming one of the crucial assumptions on the spatial foundations of language (Johnson 1987; Langacker 1987; Lakoff 1987;... more
In cognitive linguistics, spatialization of abstract concepts has been extensively studied in grammar and lexicon, forming one of the crucial assumptions on the spatial foundations of language (Johnson 1987; Langacker 1987; Lakoff 1987; Heine 1997). In Conceptual Metaphor Theory this issue has been commonly addressed on the basis of linguistic data alone (Lakoff and Johnson 1980, 1999; Kövecses 2000). In this paper, taking a multimodal approach to metaphor (Müller 2008a; Cienki and Müller 2008; Forceville and Urios-Aparisi 2009; Górska 2010, 2014a), I will focus on spatialization of abstract concepts (such as HAPPINESS, LOVE, WISDOM and STUPIDITY) in cartoons by means of metaphors that evoke an image schema or an image schema complex as their source domain and whose function is to highlight some aspect or aspects of these abstract concepts. The cartoons selected for this study are all by Janusz Kapusta (2014), a Polish artist. It is argued that they are a valuable source of insights into the relationship between space, cognition and language. The study provides supportive evidence for the claim that spatialization of abstract ideas in the visual medium may be independent from how such ideas are expressed verbally. This finding corroborates the results of gesture studies (Cienki and Müller 2008; Mittelberg 2010; Müller et al. 2013; Müller 2017), strengthening the view that metaphor, as a conceptual mechanism, has its manifestations not only in the verbal mode, but also in other modalities. Since the cartoons also rely on the verbal medium, they offer additional insights into multimodal representations of abstracts concepts, and the dynamic activation of metaphoricity.
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With the advent of the "multimodal turn" in metaphor research (Forceville 1996, Cienki 1998), it has become evident that the PATH schema (Johnson 1987), either alone or as a part of an image schema complex (Cienki 1997), is commonly... more
With the advent of the "multimodal turn" in metaphor research (Forceville 1996, Cienki 1998), it has become evident that the PATH schema (Johnson 1987), either alone or as a part of an image schema complex (Cienki 1997), is commonly evoked to provide structuring for metaphorical rendering of abstract concepts in multimodal discourse, including verbo-gestural communication (Kolter et al. 2012) and verbo-visuals, such as advertisements (Yu 2009), comics (Potsch and Williams 2012), documentaries (Forceville 2006, 2011), and animation films (Forceville and Jeulink 2011; Forceville 2013a, b, 2016). Revealing that metaphor, as a conceptual mechanism, has its manifestations not only in the verbal mode, but also in other modalities, studies of this kind break the circular "language-thought-language" argumentation that was common in Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff and Johnson 1980, 1999) and, eventually, has become the object of both criticism and common concern (Gibbs and Colston 1995).
In this case study I focus on the PATH schema in verbo-pictorial aphorisms on LIFE, taking as my data sample a number of cartoons by Janusz Kapusta, a Polish artist. The analysed verbo-pictorial aphorisms are all based on conventional metaphors, and their creative reworking in either one mode or the two modes in combination, accounts for their novelty and makes the communicative acts more memorable. In more general terms, this study provides further support to the dynamic theory of metaphor (Müller 2008), since it makes it apparent that the degree of overlap of the elements cued in the two modes varies considerably and, by the same token, activation levels of metaphoric source and target domains turn out to be gradable and dynamic. It is argued also that the novelty of the mapping should be included among the factors that may increase the metaphor's activation level.
In this case study I focus on the PATH schema in verbo-pictorial aphorisms on LIFE, taking as my data sample a number of cartoons by Janusz Kapusta, a Polish artist. The analysed verbo-pictorial aphorisms are all based on conventional metaphors, and their creative reworking in either one mode or the two modes in combination, accounts for their novelty and makes the communicative acts more memorable. In more general terms, this study provides further support to the dynamic theory of metaphor (Müller 2008), since it makes it apparent that the degree of overlap of the elements cued in the two modes varies considerably and, by the same token, activation levels of metaphoric source and target domains turn out to be gradable and dynamic. It is argued also that the novelty of the mapping should be included among the factors that may increase the metaphor's activation level.
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The article discusses advantages of taking a multimodal metaphor perspective not only for metaphor research, but also for studies of linguistic attention, information flow and of general issues pertaining to language and cognition. The... more
The article discusses advantages of taking a multimodal metaphor perspective not only for metaphor research, but also for studies of linguistic attention, information flow and of general issues pertaining to language and cognition. The examples come from newspaper cartoons, ads, gesture studies, Barenboim's (2006) lectures on life and music, and Wender's (2011) film Pina. A practical application of Müller's (2008) multimodal metaphor theory in a technique of psychotherapy known as the Dance Movement Therapy (Kolter et al. 2012) is also presented.
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Following Blending Theory, this article analyses a novel metaphor life is music which formed a leitmotif of Daniel Barenboim's BBC Reith Lectures of 2006. The main focus is on means and techniques employed by Barenboim, and his use of... more
Following Blending Theory, this article analyses a novel metaphor life is music which formed a leitmotif of Daniel Barenboim's BBC Reith Lectures of 2006. The main focus is on means and techniques employed by Barenboim, and his use of "verbo-musical" metaphors in particular. The proposed study of verbo-musical metaphors in a dynamically evolving discourse is, to my knowledge, the first research of this kind. Therefore, taking multimodal studies of metaphor in an ongoing discourse beyond pictorial modes of representation (Müller 2008), it makes a unique contribution not only to the current debate on the conceptual nature of metaphor, but also to recent discussions on topics such as: metaphor in actual language use, 'thinking for speaking', and language and cognition.
