Chapter 28 :Conceptual Metaphor Theory and the GRID paradigm in the study of anger in English and Spanish

Authors : C. Soriano

Abstract : In this paper two methodologies in the study of emotion conceptualization are compared: the GRID paradigm, stemming from psychology, which looks at the meaning of emotion words using speakers’ ratings of features, and Conceptual Metaphor Theory, developed within cognitive linguistics, which investigates regularities in the figurative expressions of a language. We compare the insight provided by each method on the conceptualization of anger in English and Spanish with respect to a number of affective “semantic foci” or aspects of emotion, like intensity, control, or positive/negative evaluation, frequently highlighted by metaphor in the emotional domain. We first provide a characterization of anger according to these foci, as afforded by conceptual metaphor. The GRID is then shown to tap on the same foci, providing results coherent with those from metaphor analysis. Approach-specific insights are also discussed. The semantic foci are proposed as a viable tertium comparationis for interdisciplinary communication and cross-fertilization.

Keywords : Conceptual Metaphor Theory GRID semantic focus anger English Spanish