Colour Metaphor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Colour Metaphor - Essay Example On the other hand, the colour words themselves have traditional linguistic expression which is symbolic to what colour represent in a particular culture. Some times colour words take connotation and other times they are fixed linguistically. Simply, the way I understand it is when two unlike things are compared, like common concepts help to explain the less known concepts. I am writing concepts because I agree with Lakoff's (1977) theory where he suggests that Metaphors are "fundamentally conceptual, not linguistic, in nature" (Lakoff, in Ortony, 1993, p.244). He further divided the metaphors in categories, conceptual metaphor and image metaphor only because they acquire different mapping processes. He states that conceptual metaphors "map one conceptual domain onto another" (ibid, p.229). Zoltn (2002) contribution to the theory of conceptual metaphors cannot be ignored. He defines it as "understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another conceptual domain." Zoltn (2002, p .4). Conceptual metaphors have two particular domains; one is named as source domain, "the conceptual domain from which we draw metaphorical expressions to understand another conceptual domain." Another is target domain which "we try to understand through the use of the source domain." Zoltn (2002, p. 4). ... 4). Explaining it further Zoltn (2002) says that, "Conceptual metaphors typically employ a more abstract concept as target, and a more concrete or physical concept as their source." Metaphors do not work in isolation rather "people need a combination of a mutual cognitive environment to understand each other successfully." say Sperber and Wilson (1986). Focusing further they insisted that language is a "community's store of established knowledge," and one can only make use of it if possesses relative knowledge by experience. Best explained by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) say, "You don't have a choice whether to think metaphorically. Because metaphorical maps are part of our brains, we think and speak metaphorically whether we want to or not. () Further since our brains are embodied, our metaphors will reflect our commonplace experiences in the world." Firstly, all colours have ideal comprehension but it is not necessary that they portray only one meaning. Black and White are the basic colours, and red, blue, green and yellow are known as primary colours. Secondly, we are individually and culturally fashioned to use metaphors, which have some connection with neurology. Different cultures have different ways of associating with certain colour and that effect shows in their colour words. Let's see how; Black The colour black is associated with death and mourning in Western cultures. Basically its connection with darkness is literal and at the same time metaphorical. Mystery, evil and fear are attached to it because all kinds of strange activities take place in the night, which is dark. Few metaphors used are the pot calling the kettle black, accusing someone without looking at your own deeds. Black day, black look, black mood, black humours are other