Scholars and their metaphors: on Language Making in linguistics

Abstract This article deals with the powerful role of metaphors in the process of Language Making throughout the history of linguistics. It departs from the assumption that metaphors play an essential role both in the formation of scientific theories and in common conceptions of language. We want to illuminate to what extent metaphors are involved in language ideologies, and we investigate their role in linguistic theory formation. After introducing different approaches to metaphor theory, we show how metaphorization in linguistics can lead to biological, territorial and liquid concepts of language. Finally, we discuss the need for a re-evaluation of language concepts within the discipline.