Metaphor and creativity in the act of making her heart flutter: Toward a cognitive-emotive perspective

This study analyzes Chinese liáo-mèi dialogues, in which the suitor attempts to make the heart of his target lover flutter. The language used in such dialogues tends to be highly metaphorical and creative in nature. This paper first reviews studies of metaphorical creativity, and then proposes a cog...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of pragmatics Vol. 191; pp. 194 - 210
Main Authors Tseng, Ming-Yu, Chuang, Shih-Wen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.04.2022
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects
Chinese languages
Cognition
Cognitive-emotive perspective
Conceptual metaphor
Connotation
Creative process
Creativity
Image schema
Linguistics
liáo-mèi dialogue
Love
Meaning
Metaphor
Schemas
Sociocultural factors
Image schema
Cognitive-emotive perspective
Metaphor
Creativity
liáo-mèi dialogue
Creative process
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Summary:This study analyzes Chinese liáo-mèi dialogues, in which the suitor attempts to make the heart of his target lover flutter. The language used in such dialogues tends to be highly metaphorical and creative in nature. This paper first reviews studies of metaphorical creativity, and then proposes a cognitive-emotive perspective from which this topic can be examined. Based on twenty liáo-mèi examples, this study shows that the act of causing a stir in one's heart is performed using multiple layers of meaning making: namely, cognitive mechanisms (e.g., image schemas, primary metaphors, and complex conceptual metaphors), connections between the utterances in the unfolding verbal interaction (i.e., co-text), emotive meaning (e.g., admiration, affection), and a sociocultural lens which assists in understanding and filtering out inappropriate speech and actions. The emotive meaning of metaphorical creativity in liáo-mèi dialogues is closely connected with the image-schematic and metaphorical dynamics of the discourse. •Suggests a cognitive-emotive perspective on metaphorical creativity.•Analyzes metaphorical creativity of Chinese liáo-mèi dialogues.•Shows bodily, cognitive, emotive, verbal, and sociocultural components that shape the creative process.•Reveals how affective-emotive, image-schematic and metaphorical dynamics are closely connected in such discourse.
ISSN:0378-2166
1879-1387
DOI:10.1016/j.pragma.2022.01.013