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Article published In: Review of Cognitive Linguistics
Vol. 24:1 (2026) ► pp.63–98

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Frames and semantic roles in metaphorical mappings

A contrastive study of English boil and Spanish hervir

 | Universitat Jaume I | Institut Interuniversitari de Llengües Modernes Aplicades
 | Universitat Jaume I | Institut Interuniversitari de Llengües Modernes Aplicades
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

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Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with Jaume I University.

Published online: 29 April 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00180.nav
Abstract
Conceptual Metaphor Theory describes metaphorical mappings as correspondences between domains. Nevertheless, the interrelations of the mapped elements still need to be characterised. This study analyses metaphorical mappings from one situational frame in the cooking domain in American English and Peninsular Spanish. The aims are to elucidate to what extent each language primes particular semantic roles in the boiling frame for metaphorisation and explore the possible cultural implications of these cross-linguistic differences. The qualitative analysis reveals the contrastive relevance of semantic roles in frame mappings. In addition, the frequencies of boil and hervir metaphorical senses determine the degree of entrenchment and salience of metaphors cross-linguistically. The results suggest that the English boiling frame has a considerably broader scope as a source than the Spanish hervir frame. Additionally, the paper contrasts the relative saliency of the semantic roles mapped in those metaphors shared by both languages. Finally, cultural implications are discussed.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Cross-linguistic metaphor variation
  • 3.Frames, domains and metaphorical mappings
  • 4.Method
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1boiling/hervir as a source frame
    • 5.2English target frames
      • 5.2.1synthesising information
      • 5.2.2social action
      • 5.2.3skin abscess
      • 5.2.4storm clouds
      • 5.2.5emerging entities
      • 5.2.6keeping interest
      • 5.2.7psychological toughness
      • 5.2.8sexual arousal
    • 5.3Spanish target frames
      • 5.3.1mental exhaustion
    • 5.4Target frames shared by English and Spanish
      • 5.4.1feeling anger/enfado
      • 5.4.2calor ambiental extremo/extreme environmental heat
      • 5.4.3intense mental activity/actividad mental intensa
      • 5.4.4bustling with people/activity
      • 5.4.5rough sea/mar gruesa
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Dictionary entries
  • References
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