Metaphor clusters in discourse

Abstract

The phenomenon of clustering, where speakers or writers suddenly produce multiple metaphors, is widespread and intriguing. This paper presents an innovative visualisation methodology for identifying and exploring metaphor clusters, comparing it to existing methods that use cumulative frequency graphs and Poisson curve fitting, and addressing issues that arise from these. Identification of clusters from the visualisation is shown to be reliable and practical, while also offering in-depth exploration across a range of discourse parameters. Conversations aimed at conciliation between a perpetrator of violence and a victim (total 160 minutes) are analysed for clusters and their discourse functions. All techniques show clusters at two distinct time scales, of around one minute and of several seconds. Clusters in conciliation talk account for about 42 per cent of the total metaphors, and cover about 30 per cent of the discourse. Discourse work carried out in clusters includes explanation of a speaker’s perspective to the Other, appropriation of metaphors originally used by the Other, and exploration of alternative, negative, scenarios that had been possible choices for the speaker but had been rejected. The finding that metaphor clusters are sites of intensive work relating to the central discourse purpose supports cluster exploration as a heuristic tool for discourse analysis.

The Discourse Dynamics Approach to Metaphor and Metaphor-Led Discourse Analysis

“…11 Figure 3 uses metaphor visualization software, VisDis, specially developed for an earlier project at the University of Leeds (Cameron & Stelma, 2004).…”

“…A dynamic perspective on the relation between thinking and speaking leads us to see the words that people speak as fluid, tentative verbalizations of ideas that themselves may be fluid and tentative. Ideas and attitudes are influenced by the circumstances of the discourse that speakers are involved in, including other participants, and by the language being used (Cameron, 2003(Cameron, , 2004Slobin, 1996;Spivey, 2007). When Phil begins his turn in lines 100-4 by talking about the "bloodshed you'd get from it", he is probably affected by Terry's immediately previous references to people getting "killed, maimed whatever" (95-7).…”

Radio Sensors and Electric Storms: Scientific Metaphors in Media Talks

“…Their marking was examined for signals (e.g., 'a kind of', or 'really') indicating that the vehicle term was presented to be interpreted more or less metaphorically (Goatly, 1997, Skorczynska & Ahrens, 2015. Vehicle terms were also examined for their clustering, replacing or modifying (Cameron & Stelma, 2004, Cameron, 2008 as well as extended confirmations and other responses that indicated a search for or negotiation of the meaning of the metaphors.…”

“…This study adopts a discourse-pragmatic approach to metaphors that examines their use in specific settings and as responding to the speakers' communicative goals (Kupferberg & Green, 2008, Cameron & Stelma, 2004, Cameron, 2008. In doing so it departs from previous studies of scientific metaphors that relied in the main on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980).…”

X IS A JOURNEY: Embodied Simulation in Metaphor Interpretation

“…Gibbs (2006a) cites a highly evocative example from an essay by Obst (2003), "GRIEF IS A JOURNEY." Other examples appear in Cameron & Stelma, 2004) analysis of metaphors from a series of reconciliation talks, Tony Blair's spring 2005 address to the Labour Party at Gateshead , and the data from a focus group conversation among a group of scientists analyzed by Ritchie and Schell (2008). Since the metaphor is used in different ways, applied to a variety of topics, and developed to different extents in each of these texts, these texts collectively provide a basis for comparing various approaches to embodiment.…”