Metaphor and Reality

I am writing my research paper about metaphor. I am arguing that metaphor creates new understandings of reality, which thus evolves language. For example, the metaphor that dog is “man’s best friend” gives the signified ‘dog’ characteristics that separate ‘dog’ from 'cat' or ‘cow’ or any other animal. 'Dog' is now understood, because of this metaphor (which has become cliché through time), as the ideal animal companion. This is a connotation of 'dog' that did not always exist, which means that this metaphor has created a new conception of reality (of dog as an ideal pet), which has become so popular in our culture that our signifieds, our understandings of the signifier 'dog,' has changed. This is how, on a broader level, metaphor evolves language as a whole.

There are countless examples of metaphors that have become adopted into literal language because they provide the only way to understand something. One example (from Metaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson) is Love is Magic: "She cast her spell over me. The magic is gone. I was spellbound. She had me hypnotized. I was entranced by him. I'm charmed by her." Another example is Life is a Container: "I've had a full life. Life is empty for him. There's not much left for him in life. Her life is crammed with activities. Live your life to the fullest." You get the point. Without these metaphors we wouldn't be able to put these thoughts into words. Metaphor creates new ways of understanding, new ways of conceiving reality.