Radial Extension, Prototypicality, and Tectonic Equivalence
In his book "Without Metaphor, No Saving God: Theology After Cognitive Linguistics", Robert Masson describes a metaphoric process by which newly accepted truths emerge: for example, in the assertion "Jesus is the Messiah," Christians reconfigure the field of meanings associated w...
| Published in: | Open theology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2018
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| In: |
Open theology
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| Further subjects: | B
Cognitive Linguistics
B Conceptual Blending B tectonic shift B figurative B proper B Analogy B tectonic equivalence B Conceptual Metaphor B Truth B literal |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | In his book "Without Metaphor, No Saving God: Theology After Cognitive Linguistics", Robert Masson describes a metaphoric process by which newly accepted truths emerge: for example, in the assertion "Jesus is the Messiah," Christians reconfigure the field of meanings associated with an existing concept from the Hebrew scriptures ( messiah ) by asserting its identification with Jesus. Masson dubs this process a "tectonic equivalence" or "tectonic shift." In this paper I build on Masson‘s work by examining some of the shifts he describes as tectonic through the lens of the cognitive linguistics concepts of radial extension and polysemy. I propose that a lasting tectonic shift may be understood as a blend creating a radial extension that substantially alters the category structure of the original source frame so that the blended space comes to be understood as a central instance of that category. Such an approach allows a fruitful analysis of the similarities and differences among three example blends: god is a rock, jesus is the messiah, and jesus is god. |
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| ISSN: | 2300-6579 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Open theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/opth-2018-0007 |