This series of lectures examines one of the basic structures and functions of English -- that is, metaphor.

You will be introduced to the “metaphor as conceptual mapping” explanation of the metaphor-making process. This is central to our examination of common metaphors throughout the course and will give you a method of interpreting new metaphors as you meet them.

We will look at the work of George Lakoff, who has given us much to think about in regard to metaphor and how it functions. It may seem a bit theoretical, but it is helpful in understanding “metaphor as concept-mapping.”

An important part of the course will be about some of the “top-level metaphors” that provide the central relationships that control the formation of hundreds of the specific-level metaphors we use daily.

You may have been given the impression that metaphor is a limited feature of English writing or idiomatic spoken language, however, nothing could be further from the truth. English is fundamentally metaphorical in nature. If you understand THAT, and understand how metaphor is structured and functions, then you are better able to make sense of English the way native speakers do. And, if you are a native speaker, you will see your language in a totally new light — and, suddenly, a lot of those odd expressions you have been using all your life will suddenly make sense in a whole new way!