Cognitive Science and the Origin of Lexical Metaphor: A Neurofunctional Shift (NFS) Hypothesis

Abstract

A long-standing and cardinal issue in the cognitive science and humanities research literatures on lexical metaphor is whether figurative language is derived from literal language. In examining this issue, research from a broad spectrum of studies in both cognitive science and the humanities is addressed with particular attention to findings from classicist research on ancient Greek texts, on the cognitive significance of the invention of the Crreek vocalic alphabet. These findings are related to current research on brain hemispheric laterality. It will be suggested that lexical metaphor was originally not a linguistic figure-of speech derived from literal language but only later came to be so conceptualized as the consequence of a neurofunctional shift (NFS) in hemispheric laterality, a shift that was precipitated in part by the invention and adoption of the Crreek vocalic alphabet. It will be further suggested that the prevailing view of metaphor as a linguistic figure of speech is the consequence of an inappropriate cognitive turn that resulted in a superimposition or back scanning of a modern alphabetic-based epistemology on to phenomena originating in a preliterate culture.Metaphor has long been a subject of inquiry by investigators in the humanities Black,

The Access Paradox in Analogical Reasoning and Transfer: Whither Invariance?

“…A final problem similar to one examined in my article (Haskell, 2001) on a neuro functional shift underlying the origin of lexical metaphor (in the special volume on metaphor of this journal) remains. That article argued that the prevailing view of lexical metaphor as a figure of speech is the consequence of an inappropriate cognitive turn that resulted in a superimposition or back scanning of a modern alphabetic/literacy-based epistemology on to a linguistic phenomenon originating in a preliterate or oral culture.…”

“…2 Like my article on a neuro functional shift underlying the origin of lexical metaphor (Haskell, 2001 in the special volume of this journal), this paper suggests an integrative cross disciplinary approach is needed. Together these two papers constitute reciprocal complementarity theories on the neurological origins and a reconceptualization of what are commonly called analogical and metaphorical reasoning.…”

“…What I was beginning to conceptualize at that time was that these concepts were based on some kind of invariance relations (See Figure 1) . Over the years, I have been developing a framework for understanding the subserving processes responsible for this array of surface phenomena (see, Haskell, 1968aHaskell, , 1978aHaskell, , 1982Haskell, , 1987bHaskell, , 1989Haskell, , 1991Haskell, , 2001Haskell, , 2000aHaskell, , 2000b, see note 6).…”

Claude Lévi-Strauss Reconsidered: Cognitive science, epistemology, and the (not so savage) algebraic mind

“…Since Levi-Strauss made this claim, however, analogical reasoning has been widely recognized by cognitive science as foundational to all thinking (e.g. Beck 1978, Genmer 1983, Gentner, Holyoak & Kokinov 2001, Fernandez 1972, HaskeU 1987a, Haskell 2002, Hoffman 1980, Holyoak & Koh 1987, Holyoak & Thagard 1995, MacCormac 1985. Clearly, like Levi-Strauss' claim of an algebraic basis of mind, he glimpses the analogical basis of mind as well.…”

“…Clearly, like Levi-Strauss' claim of an algebraic basis of mind, he glimpses the analogical basis of mind as well. Interestingly, Vico, Cassirer, and Jaynes mentioned above also considered analogical/metaphorical reasoning as fundamental to all thinking and as based on invariant relations (Haskell 2000(Haskell , 2002.…”