Abstract: | Since the advent of Cognitive Linguistics in the 20th century (cf. Lakoff & Johnson,
1980/2003), the role and perception of metaphor(ization) started to change, not only among
theoretical linguists and researchers, but also in the context of Applied Linguistics. Thus, no
longer treated as a mere ornament or anomaly, metaphor has been more and more appreciated
by educationalists, course book writers, and teachers, but also by psychologists, clinicians,
and other professionals. In short, it has become an educational and a diagnostic tool in many
‘applied’ areas of human development.
In line with this rekindled interest in metaphoricity, in my study I attempt to learn more
about awareness and perception of metaphoric conceptualisations among English philology
university students (both freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors) in the environment of
academia, an environment they naturally function in and belong to.
My preliminary assumption is that despite the already widely acknowledged importance
of metaphors in sciences and humanities (cf. Cameron & Maslen, 2010; Haase, 2009, 2010;
Hermann, 2013), the perception and awareness of metaphorical construals in the ‘academic
habitat’ among prospective English philologists may be variegated, ranging between more
traditional and more modern perspectives. My intention is, then, to obtain feedback from
them as it concerns their views on (the role of) metaphor(ization) in the academic habitat
and beyond it, in their life and in the world in general. The results reveal that the students
are closer to traditional rather than modern stances on metaphor, though the situation is more
complex. |