Metaphor as an appraisal mechanism in discourse

Abstract

This work is a written version of the speech on the subject of appraisal in metaphors, previously presented as a talk at the closing colloquium of the Metaphor in Non-Literary Discourses seminar, held earlier this year. In it, I aimed to address some everyday life metaphors in order to exemplify the evaluative weight they contain beyond their conceptual component. As theoretical framework, Martin and White's (2005) Appraisal Theory is used, in its simplest version, with a fundamental approach on the attitude category: affect, appreciation and judgment. Some research works that account for the metaphor mechanisms in various discursive practices are also explored. The study of the presented examples leads to the conclusion that the conceptual nature of metaphors is not totally detached from the subjective and interpersonal component. Therefore, understanding a metaphor implies not only understanding the notions of the source domain and its correspondences with the target domain. It is also necessary to understand the evaluative semantic weight of lexical choices in their context.