Perspectives on Metaphor
Keywords:
cognitivists, metaphor, perspective, phenomenonAbstract
A number of scholars have delineated metaphor as a complex and multifaceted subject. Bearing this in mind, no single presentation can display an exhaustive catalogue of all the views on this vast phenomenon. This notwithstanding, this paper elucidates the subject of metaphor by capturing the notable perspectives that different scholars have expressed on Metaphor was seen as an exclusive possession of the literary artists or an ornamental tool used for rhetorical purposes. But more recent views are emancipatory as they present metaphor as a cognitive phenomenon that is pervasive in our everyday language use. Propping on the cognitivists’ perspective, this paper traverses the length and breadth of a good number of the outstanding positions on the theme, and submits that metaphor is not an exclusive possession by a fraction of the human populace but a gift of nature – possessed and used by all, though the level or degree of usage may vary as a result of other variables. It is a tool for solving problems and a means for defining realities- thus a mechanism for human advancement.
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