Metaphor in Language and Culture across World Englishes

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This book advances and broadens the scope of research on conceptual metaphor at the nexus of language and culture by exploring metaphor and figurative language as a characteristic of the many Englishes that have developed in a wide range of geographic, socio-historical and cultural settings around the world. In line with the interdisciplinary breadth of this endeavour, the contributions are grounded in Cognitive (Socio)Linguistics, Conceptual Metaphor Theory, and Cultural Linguistics. Drawing on different research methodologies, including corpus linguistics, elicitation techniques, and interviews, chapters analyse a variety of naturalistic data and text types, such as online language, narratives, political speeches and literary works. Examining both the cultural conceptualisations underlying the use of figurative language and the linguistic-cultural specificity of metaphor and its variation, the studies are presented in contexts of both language contact and second language usage. Adding to the debate on the interplay of universal and culture-specific grounding of conceptual metaphor, Metaphor in Language and Culture across World Englishes advances research in a previously neglected sphere of study in the field of World Englishes.

Reviews

Ranging over five continents where some form of English is spoken, this book shows through fascinating case studies that metaphor is an indispensable conceptual tool in understanding how meaning is constructed in World Englishes. World Englishes are not simply language variants, but reflections of rich, sophisticated, local worldviews defined by metaphor. * Zoltn Kvecses, Professor Emeritus, Etvs Lornd University, Hungary *
This volume is an exciting contribution to the fast-growing field of cognitive-cultural approaches to world Englishes. The reader opens a treasure box of theoretical reflections, critical methodological advances, profound cultural insights, and a wide-ranging spectrum of innovative topics from Englishes around the world. * Hans-Georg Wolf, Chair Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, The University of Potsdam, Germany *

Author Bio

Marcus Callies is Professor and Chair of English Linguistics at the University of Bremen, Germany. Marta Degani is Associate Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Verona, Italy and Senior Scientist of English Linguistics at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria.