CALL FOR ABSTRACTS. sle2011: Metaphor in socialinteraction: Culture, genre and discourse communities

[MARIA DEL ROSARIO CABALLERO RODRIGUEZ]

CALL FOR PAPERS

Metaphor in social interaction: Culture, genre and discourse communities

Workshop proposal

To be held within the 44th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE)

(University of La Rioja at Logroño -Spain, 8-11 September 2011) 

http://sle2011.cilap.es/

 

Convenor: Rosario Caballero Rodríguez (Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Spain)

 

                       Claiming that human reasoning is largely metaphorical and imaginative not only involves attempting to determine the role of metaphor in cognition, but also how we use metaphor to communicate with each other. Metaphor is both a conceptual and a socialization tool, and one that is partly acquired and effectively put to work through discourse interaction. Hence, there is a need to incorporate the cognitive, linguistic, and cultural aspects of figurative phenomena in metaphor research aimed at explaining why and how people communicate through metaphor. This makes it necessary to combine both a cognitive and a discourse perspective on metaphor if reliable insights are to be gained.

                       In this context, this workshop is intended to be a forum where scholars working within various fields (Cognitive Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Sociolinguistics or Pragmatics) can discuss both theoretical and applied issues related to the occurrence and function of metaphor in social interaction. The main goal, then, is to provide a collaborative environment where the Cognitive Linguistics bottom-up approach to metaphor and other related phenomena can be combined with the top-down procedures of Discourse Analysis, Pragmatics etc., in an attempt to yield a richer view of metaphor, with special emphasis on how metaphor contributes to the shared cultural and cognitive schemas of discourse communities.

                       Some of the topics that this workshop includes are listed below. The presentations should place emphasis on the value of addressing these topics from a perspective that integrates different approaches and/or dimensions of analysis:

-       Procedures, approaches, and tools to explore metaphor, metonymy, etc., in discourse contexts, particularly genres.

-       Function of metaphor, metonymy and the like above the level of lexis (e.g. in texts, genres etc.).

-       Discussions of metaphor as both an individual and collective tool for cognition and communication. Issue: how metaphor is used, expanded, and interpreted in both macro-cultures and their local sub-cultures (e.g. professional communities).

-       Metaphorical patterns in discourse contexts: types and functions.

-       Metaphor variation across communities, genres etc. Issues for metaphor identification and/or interpretation.

-       Genres as acculturation tools in metaphor use. The role of discourse interaction and language in the expansion and 'health' of metaphor.

 

·     All presentations will be 20 minutes plus a 10 minute question time. 

·         Interested researchers in taking part in this workshop are kindly invited to contact Rosario Caballero (MRosario.Caballero at uclm.es <mailto:MRosario.Caballero at uclm.es> ) with their name, affiliation and a provisional abstract (max. 200 words) by 12 November 2010.

·     If the present workshop proposal is accepted (the date of notification being 15th December 2010), abstracts should be submitted to SLE' conference website (http: //sle2011.cilap.es/ <http://sle2011.cilap.es/> ) by 15 January 2011.

 

 

Rosario Caballero

Departamento de Filologia Moderna

Facultad de Letras

Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

Avenida Camilo Jose Cela s/n

13071 CIUDAD REAL

Phone number: + 34 926 295300 ext. 3128

Fax number:     + 34 926 295312