Source Domains as Concept Domains in Metaphorical Expressions

Abstract

The use of lexical resources in linguistic analysis has expanded rapidly in recent years. However, most lexical resources, such as WordNet or online dictionaries, at this point do not usually indicate figurative meanings, such as conceptual metaphors, as part of a lexical entry. Studies that attempt to establish the relationships between literal and figurative language by detecting the connectivity between WordNet relations usually do not deal with linguistic data directly. However, the present study demonstrates that SUMO definitions can be used to identify the source domains used in conceptual metaphors. This is achieved by identifying the relationships between metaphorical expressions and their corresponding ontological nodes. Such links are important because they show which lexical items are mapped under which concepts. This, in turn, helps specify which lexical items in electronic resources involve conceptual mappings. Looking specifically at the concept of PERSON, this work also establishes connectivity between lexical items which are related to “Organism.” Therefore, the methodology reported herein not only aids the categorizing of lexical items according to their conceptual domains but also can establish links between these items. Such bottom-up and top-down analyses of lexical items may provide a means of representing metaphorical entries in lexical resources.