Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Structural Metaphor

Definition: 

A structural metaphor is a conventional metaphor in which one concept is understood and expressed in terms of another structured, sharply defined concept

Examples: 

(English)

Here are some examples of the argument-as-war structural metaphor:

  • Your claims are indefensible.
  • He attacked every weak point in my argument.
  • His criticisms were right on target.
  • I demolished his argument.
See Also: 
Conventional Metaphor
Source: 
Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980
4-5, 61

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.

LinguaLinks Ordering Information

Glossary Hierarchy

  • Meaning And Pragmatic Function
  • Trope
  • Metaphor
  • Conventional Metaphor
  • Structural Metaphor