The lexical item “filter” in the linguistic context of cyberculture: metaphor and indeterminacy of meaning

Abstract

This study discusses the extension of meaning of the word “filter” in its uses in the cyberspace context. Our goal is to analyze its semantic extension by polysemy, considering its use to denote a resource of image manipulation or of entertainment. Methodologically, we analyze the use of “filter” in a news report; the semantic categories studied are vagueness, lexical ambiguity (polysemy) and metaphor. Our investigation shows that: (a) “filter” involves semantic vagueness, both in its accommodation within the context of use, with a relative determinacy, and in its use as a strategic determinacy; (b) “filter” presents characteristics of a logically polysemic expression, verified by the detailing of the telic quale of the word; and (c) the semantic extension of “filter” can also be explained through the metaphorical interpretation and the understanding that we can comprehend one domain of experience in terms of another.