The Metaphor Cycle in a Term-Formation Process
The Metaphor Cycle in a Term-Formation Process

Summary/Abstract: Many models of term-formation and term-acquisition processes have been published over the years, representing them from different perspectives. This article outlines an investigation of the metaphorical term-formation process (MTFP), starting from an analysis of special knowledge modelling. We describe our theoretical framework and propose a four-staged procedure which is conceived to integrate different perspectives of concept-building and term-production into one integrated model which includes three levels. The first level is associated with the cycle of conceptualization developed by Lev Vygotsky, who suggests that each step in knowledge development is correlated with a certain mental structure. The second level correlates with Ikujirō Nonaka’s spiral model of knowledge development. The third level has been founded on the results of two experiments with terminology learners. Theoretical debate is accompanied by the discussion of the mode of peculiarities of metaphorical terms comprehension and usage. It is demonstrated how professional knowledge gets into mind, and how it is developed.

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