What is a state-of-affairs-as-commodity metaphor?

What is a state-of-affairs-as-commodity metaphor?

Definition
	A conventional metaphor in which a state, action, or property is represented as a substance with an economic value.

Examples
	Here are some examples in English:
	He had to pay a high price for his dishonesty. His paper isn't worth looking at. Did your plan pay off? The value of his work is tremendous.

Generic
	A state-of-affairs-as-commodity metaphor is a kind of
	What is a metaphor for state?

Source
	Kovecses 1986

Context for this page:

Concept module: state-of-affairs-as-commodity metaphor
In modular book: Metaphors in English, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H. Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Lexicon

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 18 September 1998