Abstract
This research
looks at cognitive linguistics in general and specifically reviews the concept
of source domain and target domain as the basic aspects cognitive metaphor.
Defining these domains of cognitive metaphor, the paper argues that, contrary
to the notion that source domain in metaphorical expression is a concrete
phenomenon, it is actually an abstract phenomenon. This is because, in the
definition of cognitive metaphor, scholars are in agreement that source domain
is derived from the brain, resulting from the perceptual experience of the
speaker. This becomes the idea which is limited to him as he is yet to share
such idea with the addressee. The argument, therefore, is that, if the source
domain is from the brain and the perception of the speaker, then it could not
be said to be concrete, rather, abstract. What is concrete is the target domain
because that is what is already laid out and shared between the speaker and the
addressee. The paper, thus, views metaphor as a cognitive phenomenon, deriving
from the precept that physical events are naturally conceived through abstract
notions, not the other way around. The research, in this regard, is of the view
that source domain, which is an idea generated from the speaker’s experience of
the world, is an abstract phenomenon while the target domain is the
manifestation of shared assumptions between interlocutors. This is the principle
underlying the relationship between human thought and language use.
Keywords: Cognitive Linguistics, cognitive metaphor, source domain, target domain
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author/Salisu Muhammed Raj, PhD
journal/Zamfara IJOH Vol. 1 Issue 3
pdf-https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m1oH6yd4jgMrolLhrBsCUxWdLz6m70HZ/view?usp=share_link
paper-https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m1oH6yd4jgMrolLhrBsCUxWdLz6m70HZ/view?usp=share_link
