Conceptual Metaphors and Their Semantics

Abstract

In his book Kante is more interested in conceptual metaphor than in the verbal one. I join his interest and raise the question how to characterize the former. I propose and briefly defend the account according to which in typical conceptual metaphor the vehicle concept serves to point to--or sometimes even generate--a new tenor-concept, relevantly related to the old one and to the vehicle. Assuming that referent is essential to concept, this is the only non-paradoxical way of conceiving conceptual metaphor.