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From primary metaphors to the complex semantic pole of grammatical constructions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2014

ENRIQUE HUELVA UNTERNBÄUMEN
ENRIQUE HUELVA UNTERNBÄUMEN*
Affiliation:
University of Brasilia
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Abstract

The main aim of the present work is to demonstrate that the semantic pole of ditransitive constructions manifests itself as a multidomain matrix, consisting basically of a set of conceptual metaphors integrated through the mechanism of blending. The metaphors that participate in these multidomain matrices are, in principle, metaphors that already exist in our conceptual structure. As we shall demonstrate in the course of the analysis, these often involve primary metaphors, conceived of as metaphors that have a direct, independent, experiential base. In other cases, the starting point for the construction of such multidomain matrices is complex metaphors already existing in our conceptual structure, understood as an autonomous conceptual complex of a metaphorical nature, created through the integration of various primary metaphors. Our concrete object of analysis consists of the semantic pole of different types of ditransitive constructions. The data analyzed include examples from Romance (Catalan, French, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish) and Germanic (English and German) languages.

Keywords

ditransitive constructionsblendingprimary metaphorscomplex metaphorsconceptual complexitycognitive complexity
Type
Research Article
Information
Language and Cognition , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , March 2015 , pp. 68 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © UK Cognitive Linguistics Association 2014 

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