User:Tokitty

Metaphorically Speaking ...    by Dr. Huong N. Sabherwal


“ … poets use metaphors to help us see and feel. But so do biologists, physicists, historians linguists, and everyone else who is trying to say something about the world. A metaphor is not an ornament. It is an organ of perception. Through metaphors, we see the world …”

Originally, ‘metaphor’ was a Greek word meaning ‘transfer’. The Greek etymology is from ‘meta’, implying ‘a change’ and ‘pherein’ meaning ‘to bear, or carry’. Thus, the word metaphor itself has a metaphorical meaning in English, ‘a transfer of meaning from one thing to another’. There are broad categories of figurative language, which are classified as metaphorical. The more common meaning of metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to paint one concept with the attributes normally associated with another. Therefore, a metaphor causes a word to carry a second meaning, superimpose a new idea on to what it normally represents.

'Metaphorically Speaking ...' - This website explores & facilitates a deeper understanding of metaphors used in our day-to-day lives.