Metaphors in the Mind

Abstract concepts are often embodied through metaphor. For example we talk about moving through time in metaphorical terms as if we were moving through space allowing us to ''look back'' on past events. Much of the work on embodied metaphor to date has assumed a single set of universal shared bodily experiences that motivate our understanding of abstract concepts. This book explores sources of variation in people''s experiences of embodied metaphor including for example the shape and size of one''s body one''s age gender state of mind physical or linguistic impairments personality ideology political stance religious beliefs and linguistic background. It focuses on the ways in which people''s experiences of metaphor fluctuate over time within a single communicative event or across a lifetime. Combining theoretical argument with findings from new studies Littlemore analyses sources of variation in embodied metaphor and provides a deeper understanding of the nature of embodied metaphor itself.