cmt revisited

1. Presented by: Nasri Dalel
CMT Revisited
Critiques of CMT
Strengths &
Limitations
ISLT
Professor: Hamdi Sondes

2. Outline
-Introduction
-Strengths of CMT
-Limitations of CMT
-Conclusion

3. What is CMT
It consists of
understanding one
conceptual domain in
terms of another
conceptual domain.
By conceptual
domain ; we mean any
coherent organization
of experience
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4. Despite its huge
contribution
To the field of linguistics ,
and thirty years after its
introduction, CMT has
been widely
Criticized based on
several
assumptions

5. Strengths of CMT
Rejection of the traditional generative approach to linguistics which
embraces autonomy of language From mind. The creation of
connections between language and mind.
Rise of cognitive
linguistics: New ways of
thinking about Linguistic
structure and behavior
New theoretical
framework and
empirical method
New perception of the
relationship between
thought and Language
It helps us understanding the pervasiveness of metaphorical
language and thought. ( Gibbs 2008)
Metaphor is no longer a rare and purely linguistic phenomenon but it
rather serves social and cognitive functions .
Metaphorical mappings between diverse knowledge domains motivate
abstract thinking.
CMT provides a new way of thinking about how abstract concepts are
established and how they influence different domains of human
thought , as well as ordinary language use and understanding.

6. CMT or the
second
revolution
in
cognitive
science:
Interest in
embodied
cognition
Cognitive
linguistic
analysis of
language
And gesture
Metaphor
central
stage
Dynamic Link
between
bodily
experience,
thought ,cultu
re, behavior
and linguistic
The Impact of CMT
Metaphor as
evidence of
abstract
thinking and
action

7. ‘I’m willing to argue that n
o single theoretical perspe
ctive in all of cognitive scie
nce has as much explanat
ory power as does CMT’.
Gibbs,’Why do
some people dislike CMT?

8. The Limitations of CMT
The data was only taken from the mental lexicons of
researchers and from dictionaries, the CMT researchers took
for granted which expressions are metaphorical and they did
not pay attention to actual expressions used. ( Cserep, 2014)
Issue of methodology
For example:
the verb ‘boil’ means ‘ to be very angry’
‘Explode’ means ‘ to lose control over anger’
Hotheaded means ‘ someone who loses control over ange
r
Seething is ‘ to lose control over anger at any moment
Then according to CMT, anger is a hot fluid container ( la
koff and kovecses , 1987)

9. The Limitations of CMT
Take the example of split hairs :
They don't have any serious differences. They are just s
plitting hairs.
How to explain this using CMT?
It is difficult to find global conceptual metaphor for this me
aning ‘ to pay to much attention to small and unimportant
differences in an argument’ (Kovecses ,2008)
Issue of the direction of analysis
The issue whether the analyses should be done top-down or bottom up
( Dobrovolskij and Piiraineen 2005). CMT rather followed the top down
direction, from conceptual metaphor to their internal structure (set up
mappings..) . However, Scholars advocate that the bottom up approach
studied large number of expressions, as well as their detailed behavior
( Pragglejaz Group, 2007)

10. The Limitations of CMT
Issue of schematicity
The level of schematcity at which CM are formulated,
Let’s take the example, THEORIES/ ARGUMENTS
ARE BUILDINGS , we can say : the theroy has a solid
foundation but we cannot say ‘ the theory has long
corridors’ .
Here each element of the source cannot be used to
talk about the target, hence, scholars suggest a less
schematic version (Clausner and Croft ;1997)

11. The Limitations of CMT
Scholars claim that a theory built on image schemas and on
universality of bodily experiences, cannot account for cultural
variations.
Let’s take the example of anger, it is accompanied by several
reactions, such as skin temperature, respiration rate, blood pressure
and high rate ( Ekman et al ;1983) and those reactions are different
from one culture to another. So, we have to account for different
levels of embodiment
The extent to which CMT can account both for universal and culture
specific metaphors.
The use of metaphor depends on the context, the setting and the
topic of the situation.
THE EUROPEAN UNION IS AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT, is not a
conventional metaphor, however it is used in may European
Issue of embodiment, or
Image schemas
Issue of relationship between
metaphor and culture

12. Conclusion
CMT is a is promising approach that account for a number of aspects in figurative language
use. It was criticized based on five major deficiencies .However, it is considered as major
contribution in the field of linguistics
Schemacity of
metaphor
TEXT ERE!!
TEXT HERE!!
Methodology
Direction of
analysis
Embodiment
Relationship
between
metaphor and
culture

13. Nasri D
alel
ISLT