Linguistic synesthesia is metaphorical: a lexical-conceptual account

Abstract: This study seeks to clarify the nature of linguistic synesthesia using a lexical-conceptual account. Based on a lexical analysis of Mandarin synesthetic usages, we find that (1) linguistic synesthesia maps the metaphorical meaning between two domains; and (2) linguistic synesthetic mappings and conceptual metaphoric mappings have similar behaviors when sense modalities are treated as conceptual domains that contain a set of mappings constrained by Mapping Principles. This lexical-conceptual account is designed to capture the fact that linguistic synesthesia involves mapping between lexicalized concepts of sensory properties, instead of the real-time sensory input that is processed in neurological synesthesia. The incorporation of a lexical semantic view with the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory not only offers a coherent and comprehensive account for the nature of linguistic synesthesia, but also handles aspects of linguistic synesthesia previously only accounted for by non-metaphorical accounts. These design features make this proposal the most comprehensive account to fit the current data. Furthermore, by showing linguistic synesthesia as a type of metaphor, our study strengthens the role of conceptual metaphors as the link between the perceived world and our conceptualization of that world.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Standort: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Umfang: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Linguistic synesthesia is metaphorical: a lexical-conceptual account ; volume:33 ; number:3 ; year:2022 ; pages:553-583 ; extent:31 ; Cognitive linguistics ; 33, Heft 3 (2022), 553-583 (gesamt 31)

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Urheber: Zhao, Qingqing ; Ahrens, Kathleen ; Huang, Chu-Ren

Weitere Informationen

• DOI: 10.1515/cog-2021-0098
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022082514024996829950
• Rechteinformation: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 15.08.2025, 07:22 MESZ