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In:Proverbs within Cognitive Linguistics: State of the art
Edited by Sadia Belkhir
[Cognitive Linguistic Studies in Cultural Contexts 16] 2024
► pp. 26–39

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Chapter 1
Proverbs in Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory

 | Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
Published online: 30 May 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/clscc.16.01kov
Abstract
In the chapter, I provide an account of metaphorical proverbs within the new framework of extended conceptual metaphor theory, or ECMT, for short (Kövecses 2020). I rely especially on the multilevel and contextualist aspects of this view. I argue that ECMT can account for why many proverbs are widespread in the world’s languages; why, at the same time, many proverbs can also exhibit cultural differences; and why proverbs can have very specific meanings in particular discourse situations. Finally, I show that context plays a very different role in metaphorical proverbs than in non-proverbial uses of metaphor.
Article outline
  • 1.Proverbs in Cognitive Linguistics
  • 2.The multilevel view
  • 3.Proverbs in the multilevel view
  • 4.The contextualist view of metaphor in extended CMT
    • 4.1Situational context
    • 4.2Discourse context
    • 4.3Conceptual-cognitive context
    • 4.4Bodily context
  • 5.Metaphorical proverbs and context
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
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