Brennende Gefühle: Die Strukturmetapher Emotion ist Feuer in Deutschen, Serbischen und ungarischen Phraseologismen1
Burning Emotions: the Structural Metaphor Emotion is Fire in German, Serbian and Hungarian Idioms

Summary/Abstract: The metaphorical correlation in our conceptual system between emotions and fire can first and foremost be traced back to our experiences regarding our own bodies ‒ certain emotions induce specific somatic reactions that result in a rise of body temperature. This rise in temperature can be conceptualized as a fire in one's own body, which is also reflected in the language. The goal of this paper is the conceptual analysis of German, Serbian and Hungarian idioms based on the structural metaphor EMOTION IS FIRE to uncover the various aspects of this metaphor that are relevant from a cognitive linguistic point of view, as well as the similarities and differences in the manner in which these languages conceptualize emotions. It was determined that the analyzed languages conceptualize different emotions as fire, while this metaphor may structure these different emotions in similar ways. Relevant differences in the conceptualization could be determined regarding how ontological and orientational metaphors are utilized, how dynamic transitions between emotions (or the intensification of an emotion) are conceptualized, and what may represent the antagonist from a force-dynamic perspective.

• Details
• Contents