Time after time: The psychological reality of the ego-and time-reference-point distinction in metaphorical construals of time (original) (raw)

As time goes by: Evidence for two systems in processing space → time metaphors

Language and Cognitive Processes, 2002

Temporal language is often couched in spatial metaphors. English has been claimed to have two space!time metaphoric systems: the ego-moving metaphor, wherein the observer's context progresses along the time-line towards the future, and the time-moving metaphor, wherein time is conceived of as a river or conveyor belt on which events are moving from the future to the past. In three experiments, we investigated the psychological status of these metaphors by asking subjects to carry out temporal inferences stated in terms of spatial metaphors. In Experiment 1, we found that subjects were slowed in their processing when the assertions shifted from one spatial metaphoric system to the other. In Experiment 2, we determined that this cost of shifting could not be attributed to local lexical factors. In Experiment 3, we again found this metaphor consistency effect in a naturalistic version of the study in which we asked commonsense time questions of passengers at an airport. The results of the three studies provide converging evidence that people use spatial metaphors in temporal reasoning. Implications for the status of metaphoric systems are discussed.

The psychological reality of spatio-temporal metaphors.

Time provides essential structure to human experience. In this chapter we review the available empirical evidence for a fundamental metaphoric structure such as TIME IS SPACE in figurative language and thought. The chapter is organized into three over-arching (and to some extent overlapping) themes: Motion through time, that is, the influence of ego-moving metaphors (motion of the observer’s context along a timeline) and time-moving metaphors (motion of events along a timeline) on the construal of time as moving or stationary; Temporal succession, and how it is conceptualized on the specific spatial axes (horizontal and/or vertical) used to sequence events in time; and lastly, temporal duration, focusing on the metaphors used to describe the temporal extension of an event and their influence on the perception of duration. A large part of the experimental evidence does lend support to the psychological reality of the TIME IS SPACE metaphor, revealing the inextricable link between conceptual metaphor in language and fundamental thinking processes like perception of temporal succession and time estimation, contributing to the emerging broader picture of the powerful role of linguistic experience in shaping the way conceptual representations are formed and activated. At the same time, the review also reveals that the mental representation of phenomena as complex as time or temporal relations is not solely determined by linguistic form: linguistic space-time mappings may be overridden by cultural conventions. Taken together, the evidence available to date suggests that the mental representation of time in humans is the outcome of an intricate interplay between linguistic (i.e. metaphors) and cultural factors.

Inconsistencies in Temporal Metaphors: Is Time a Phenomenon of the Third Kind?

Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric, 2020

This paper discusses the problem of inconsistencies in the metaphorical conceptualizations of time that involve motion within the framework of conceptual metaphor theory (CMT). It demonstrates that the TIME AS A PURSUER metaphor contrasts with the reverse variant TIME AS AN OBJECT OF PURSUIT, just as the MOVING TIME metaphor contrasts with the MOVING OBSERVER variant. Such metaphorical conceptualizations of time functioning as pairs of minimally differing variants based on Figure-Ground reversal are, strictly speaking, inconsistent with one another. Looking at these inconsistencies from a wider perspective suggests that time may belong to a separate category of conceptual phenomena. This paper puts forward a proposal to approach time from the perspective of “phenomena of the third kind”, which according to Keller’s thesis include conceptual establishments resulting from human cognition, but not of human design.

Understanding time through spatial metaphors

This paper aimed to provide a corpus-driven linguistic analysis of the spatial metaphors used by English speakers when talking about time. In order to identify the metaphorical patterns that are commonly used to denote time, previously conducted studies on the same topic were closely analyzed and Corpus of Contemporary American English was used as a data source for the purpose of this study. Hence, supported by evidence provided in COCA it was discovered that English speakers often use language from a concrete domain, in this case space, to talk about the more abstract domain, namely time. The results showed that when talking about the past English speakers use spatial terms such as ‘behind’, ‘over’, ‘beyond’, ‘into’, ‘within’ etc. Whereas to represent the aspect of the future spatial metaphors such as ‘approaching’,’ looking forward’, ‘ahead’, ‘into’, ‘beyond’ etc, are used. Therefore, it was revealed that people talk and think about the past referring to it as something that is behind us, whereas the future is conceptualized and represented as something which is in front. The present study further supports existing claims about the necessity of invoking spatial language when talking about time.

Metaphor in Mental Time Travel

The aim of this article is to provide a full account of the metaphors used for the conceptualisation of mental time travel (MTT). Since MTT can be defined as ‘self-projection through time’, I conclude that the phenomenon is subsumed by the two large conceptual domains of Time and Self. I therefore conduct my survey by systematically evaluating all the major metaphors described for the domains of ‘time’ and ‘self’ in terms of their applicability to the conceptual structuring of MTT. I come to the conclusion that our conceptualisation of MTT is based on two broad conceptual metaphors (TIME IS SPACE and THE SELF IS SPLIT), as well as the EVENT FOR TIME metonymy. This account will hopefully expand our knowledge of the processes involved in our understanding of time, as well as the mind itself.

Time Metaphorization: Duality of Time as a Pursuer vis-à-vis Object of Pursuit

Research in Language, 2021

This paper discusses the duality of metaphorical conceptualizations of time focusing in particular on TIME AS A PURSUER and TIME AS AN OBJECT OF PURSUIT metaphors, which are based the Figure-Ground reversal of each other. Using examples taken from the British National Corpus, it argues that these metaphorical conceptualizations of time are inconsistent with each other. This inconsistency resembles the discrepancy between the MOVING TIME and MOVING OBSERVER metaphors, which are, in strict terms, also inconsistent with each other. Looking at such contrasts between metaphorical representations of time from a broader perspective suggests that the concept of time arises from different, both physical and socio-cultural, dimensions of human experience.

Thinking about the future: The role of spatial metaphors for time

Cognitive Science, 2017

People often use spatial language to talk about time, and this is known to both reflect and shape how they think about it. Despite much research on the spatial grounding of temporal language and thought, little attention has been given to how spatial metaphors influence reasoning about real events, especially those in the future. In a large online study (N=2362), we framed a discussion of climate change using spatial metaphors that varied on reference-frame (egovs. time-moving), speed of movement (fast vs. slow), and time horizon (near, medium, or far future). We found that describing climate change as approaching (time-moving frame) – versus something we approach – made the issue seem more serious, but also more tractable, at least when the rate of motion was fast (e.g., “it’s rapidly approaching”). These findings offer novel insights into the relationship between spatial metaphors and temporal reasoning and how we communicate about uncertain future events.

The top trumps of time: Factors motivating the resolution of temporal ambiguity

What factors motivate our understanding of metaphoric statements about time? English exhibits two deictic space-time metaphors: the Moving Ego metaphor conceptualises the ego as moving forward through time, while the Moving Time metaphor conceptualises time as moving forward towards the ego (Clark, 1973). In addition to earlier research investigating spatial influences on temporal reasoning (e.g., Boroditsky & Ramscar, 2002), recent lines of research have provided evidence that a complex of factors, such as personality differences, event valence, lifestyle, and emotional experiences, may also influence people's perspectives on the movement of events in time—providing new insights on metaphor and its ability to reflect thought and feeling (. Probing these findings further, two studies were conducted to investigate whether the interpretation of a temporally ambiguous question may arise from an interaction between the valence of the event and aspects of the personality (Experiment 1) and lifestyle (Experiment 2) of the comprehender. The findings we report on shed further light on the complex nature of temporal reasoning. While this involves conceptual metaphor, it also invokes more complex temporal frames of reference (t-FoRs) (Evans, 2013), which are only partially subserved by space-to-time conceptual metaphors.