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Bonus 30: Welcome aboard the metaphor train!
🕑 Added 2019-08-01 23:40:57 +0000 UTCWe're taking you on a journey to new linguistic destinations, so come along for the ride and don't forget to hold on!
In this bonus episode, we get enthusiastic about metaphors! It's easy to think of literary comparisons like "my love is like a red, red rose" but metaphors are also far more common and almost unnoticed in regular conversation as well. For example, English speakers often talk about ideas as a journey (the metaphor train) or as if they're visual - clear or murky or heavy or maybe fuzzy, but not as fluffy or feathery or metallic or polka-dotted, but other languages can use different metaphors. We also talk about the process of metaphor design, and how metaphors can help us understand - or misunderstand - abstract concepts like electricity or language learning.
Read Gretchen's book and ask a question!
Because Internet, Gretchen's book about internet language is out now! We're going to do a special Q&A bonus episode with a behind-the-scenes look at how the book came together, so get your hands on it and then send us your questions about internet linguistics or the book-writing process in the comments below or as a message by August 15th!
Here are the links mentioned in this episode:
- Because Internet
- Metaphor - etymology (Wikipedia)
- Conceptual metaphors
- Gentner, D. (1983). Flowing waters or teeming crowds: Mental models of electricity. In D. Gentner, & A. L. Stevens (Eds.), Mental Models (pp. 99-129). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum. (Gentner and Gentner 1983, 2014 reprint)
- German 'wichtig'
- Michael Erard's metaphor for language learning
- FrameWorks Institute
- Malaphors
- Cakewalk
- After recording this episode we researched more about cakewalks, which turned out to have their origin in 19th Century dance events held by African Americans. This article by Nicole Emmanuel goes into more on the history of cakewalk.
You can listen to this episode on this page, via the Patreon RSS or download the mp3. A transcript of this episode is available as a Google Doc. Lingthusiasm is also on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com or chat to us on the Patreon page.
Gretchen is on Twitter as @GretchenAMcC and blogs at All ThingsLinguistic. Lauren is on Twitter as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.
Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our audio producer is Claire Gawne, our editorial producer is Sarah Dopierala, our editorial manager is Emily Gref, and our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.
Comments
i have a topic suggestion but it isnt very well thought out yet. in this bonus episode you talked about childrens executive functions and it made me think about communication and sensory hurdles and just communication in general for people (and children) with adhd and or autism. i see some potential for a future bonus episode ? maybe even a normal episode because its an important topic that shouldnt be gatekept ? but yeah fun times
In Latin America we have a comedic character called El Chapulín Colorado who is famous, among other things, for making accidental malaphores from common sayings in Spanish.
