Conceptual Metaphors In Figurative Language

Figurative language uses figures of speech to make a language more creative, persuasive, attractive, effective and impactful. It uses words or phrases which have meanings far from their literal interpretations. It means saying something other than what is really meant by using figurative devices like metaphors, similes, allusions, personification, onomatopoeia, idioms, oxymoron, alliterations, puns, irony, and many more. Therefore, metaphors are regarded as representations of something else. They are comparisons between two different things that have something in common. They are not just an unnecessary touch to the prose and poetry, but they are the ways of thinking and shaping our thoughts. Figurative comparisons are the heart of the language

Conceptual metaphors work at the level of thinking, two conceptual domains are linked by metaphors. The ‘target’ domain is abstract and tend to have relationship between the attributes which are found in the source domain. Lakoff and Johnson suggest the possibility of hiding and highlighting certain aspects, hiding especially the negative aspect like death. Hence, using the death metaphor in both English and in Urdu as mentioned above which leads to the conceptual metaphor “DEATH IS A JOURNEY OF DEPARTURE”. These metaphors suggest that an idea is a concrete and real object which can be metaphorically understood, this aspect helps with understanding new ideas and underlying meanings which are interpreted individuals differently. It is possible due to the cognitive ability of humans. For instance, “LOVE IS A JOURNEY” and “LOVE IS WAR” (Lakoff) due to the concrete experiences of ‘journey’ and ‘war’ we can interpret the abstract concept of ‘love’. We understand things in terms of the other and our background knowledge about the subject, which can differ from person to person. We use metaphors to make comparison in different ways, they are embedded in our language more than we realize. They enhance and beautify our everyday language and help in understanding a concept. Lakoff and Johnson explained that metaphors shape our lives, with the use of the conceptual metaphor “ARGUMENT IS WAR”. For

The source domain of’ building’,’ attacking’, ‘demolishing’,’ winning’ and ‘losing’ or mapped on the target domain of ‘argument’. Metaphors go through series of fashion where some remain uncertain and unknown while others rise to such an extent that they are no longer recognized as metaphors e.g. “warm relationship”, “warm reception”, and “distant relation” (Ritchie). These metaphors are called dead metaphors as they are no longer considered as metaphors but as plain words. Raymond Gibbs explained metaphors as complex phenomenon and predicted that no one theory can explain all aspects of metaphors used in all