According to Magyar K. (2018), embodied metaphors are intellectual mappings that result from a person’s physical experiences. These metaphors influence how we communicate, reason, and create meaning, as well as how we perceive abstract ideas. Grounding conceptual is important because they serve as the foundation for understanding the world; grounded conceptual systems are essential to human cognition. Grounded conceptual frameworks must include embodied metaphors because they enable us to make sense of abstract ideas by relating them to more tangible body experiences.
Embodied metaphors’ importance in reasoning, communication, and meaning-making: Embodied metaphors are essential in our daily contact, thinking, and meaning-making processes. They help us communicate and comprehend complicated concepts by connecting their everyday body experiences. Furthermore, embodied metaphors affect how we interpret the world by influencing our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors.
Conceptual Metaphors Theory is the first theoretical framework. According to Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory, metaphors are linguistic devices essential to thinking. It asserts that our conceptual system is essentially symbolic, and these conceptual metaphors influence our language and mind (Lakoff & Johnson,2008).
Embodied thought, according to the theory of embodied cognition, our cognitive functions and physiological experiences are tightly related. It implies that our body plays a fundamental part in forming our understanding and that our knowledge of an abstract thing is anchored in our sensorimotor experiences.
According to the neural grounding theory, neuronal systems intimately related to the brain’s sensory and motor regions are involved in activating embodied metaphors. The neurological processes connected to physiological sensations influence our understanding and use of metaphorical language. The metaphor of light and dark is frequently employed in ordinary speech to compare ideas like wisdom, morality, and goodness to “light” and ignorance, evil, and negative to “darkness.” This metaphor has its roots in the physical sensation of light and dark, where light is equated with clarity, visibility, and positivity. In contrast, darkness is equated with obscurity, negativity, and lack of visibility (Lakoff & Johnson,2008).
Another widely used metaphor to depict ideas like power, position, and control is the up-down metaphor. According to this metaphor, “up “denotes supremacy, achievement, and dominance, whereas “down” denotes deficiency, failure, and servitude. This metaphor is based on how we experience verticality physically, where looking up is connected to good things like success looking down is related to bad things like failure.
The metaphor known as the “container” is frequently used to refer to a notion like emotions, thoughts, and ideas as “containers” that can be “filled,” “overflow’” or “empty.” This metaphor is based on our physical experiences of containment, where chemicals are held and transported in tangible containers like cups or bottles. By portraying abstract ideas as manageable, controllable, and manipulable physical objects, this metaphor helps us understand abstract concepts (Magyar,2018).
According to the metaphor known as the “pathway,” ideas like life, work, or relationships are represented as “paths” that can be “followed,” “deviated from,” or “crossed.” This metaphor is based on how we navigate and move physically, using real trails or roads to get from one point
to another. This metaphor frames abstract ideas as journeys that can be planned, which helps us better understand them.
According to Magyar (2018), studies from neuroscientific research have demonstrated, using actual data, that metaphors, such as the “light and darkness” metaphor, are more than just linguistic representations; they are also embodied in sensory and motor experiences. According to research, visual processing, and perception centers are stimulated when people read or hear metaphors for light, such as “bright ideas” or “enlightening discussions,” for instance. Similarly, when people listen to metaphors for darkness, such as “dark thoughts” or “a dark future,” the parts of the brain connected to negative emotions and threat perception are active. The findings imply that the “light and darkness” metaphor can impact how our brains perceive analogies in a sensory and embodied way.
Research in cognitive linguistics has also offered proof that the ‘light and darkness” metaphor is embodied. According to Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory, the symbolic ideas of light and darkness are essential to comprehend abstract notions like knowledge, morality, and happiness. For instance, we frequently use expressions like “shedding light on the issue,” “seeing the light,” or “a bright future” to imply favorable connotations connected with knowledge, insight, and optimism. However, words like “in the dark,” “a dark past,” or “a dark mood’ have negative connotations that are connected to ignorance, unpredictability, and pessimism. These symbolic associations between light and good connotations and darkness and negative connotations permeate our language and cognition, influencing how we perceive the world.
The ‘light and darkness’ metaphor has been found to affect our behavior and judgment in behavioral testing. For instance, studies have shown that people behave more pro-socially, cooperate more, and make more moral decisions when they are primed with metaphors relating to light, such as being in a well-lit room (Magyor,2018). On the other hand, when people are primed with metaphors for darkness, like being in a gloomy room, they are more likely to act selfishly, compete more, and make immoral decisions. According to this research, the “light and darkness” metaphor may subtly but profoundly impact our behavior and moral judgments (Magyor,2018).
The “light and darkness” metaphor has broad ramifications. This metaphor can influence our self-expression and how we perceive others’ messages regarding communication. For instance, when we employ language that conjures the “light and darkness” metaphor, we influence our communication content, emotional tone, and meaning. Similarly to this, when we read someone else’s metaphorical language, we are not just deciphering the words’ literal meanings but also their symbolic associations with light and darkness.
The” light and darkness” metaphor can also affect our reasoning and decisions (Magyor,2018). The symbolic framework and notions we employ to frame and comprehend the world impact our cognitive processes. For instance, if we think of a circumstance or an issue in terms of light, we can approach it with a positive and solution-focused perspective. Conversely, if we think of the same problem or circumstance in a period of gloom, we can come it with a pessimistic and problem-focused view. It demonstrates how the metaphor we use can shape our cognitive processes and influence our diction-making.
These are some of the observations and conclusions based on the metaphor light and darkness, symbolism: to depict opposing ideas, the metaphors of light are frequently used in literature, the arts, and other situations of many cultures. In contrast to darkness, commonly linked with negativity, ignorance, deceit, mystery, and evil, light is connected with positivity, enlightenment, knowledge, truth, and purity.
Duality: The metaphor of light and darkness frequently alludes to the opposing energies or components in life as well as the intrinsic duality of human existence. It could support the opposition between knowledge and ignorance, good and evil. Or right and wrong. It can also be a metaphor for the interaction of opposite emotions like happiness and sadness, hope and despair, or love and hatred.
The metaphor of light and darkness can emphasize the individualized character of vision and viewpoint. Darkness can signify a lack of knowledge or understanding, while the light is frequently connected with clarity and comprehension. However, a person’s perspective, cultural background, or personal experiences can all affect how “light’ or “dark” something is seen. It also implies that what is true or real may be a matter of perception and subjectivity.
The contrast between light and darkness can also represent metamorphosis and change. Night can stand in for the unknowable, uncertainty, or desire for change, whereas light can stand for illumination, awakening, or growth. The transition from ignorance to knowledge, from hopelessness to optimism, or from lie to truth can all be represented by it. It can also be a metaphor for life’s cyclical nature, where light and darkness constantly oppose and undergo ongoing change and transition.
The concept of balance and harmony can also be expressed through the metaphor of light and darkness. Light and darkness can stand in for the need for harmony and balance in life, just as they are tied to and dependent upon one another. It may imply that light and darkness have their places and purposes and that a complete knowledge of existence depends on achieving an equilibrium between conflicting forces.
In conclusion, the metaphor of light and darkness is rich and complex, and how it is understood will depend on the situation and viewpoint. It can represent duality, metamorphosis, perception, balance, and more and is frequently employed in literature, art, and human culture to portray complex ideas and concepts (Lakoff & Johnson,2008).
References
Magyar, K. (2018). Michael Osborn. Michael Osborn on Metaphor and Style. EGER JOURNAL OF ENGLISH STUDIES, pp. 18, 85–87.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2008). Metaphors we live by—University of Chicago Press.
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