What is an activity-as-container metaphor?

What is an activity-as-container metaphor?

Definition
	A conventional metaphor in which an activity is represented as a container into which and out of which can be placed the actor and other associated concepts, such as effort and satisfaction.

Examples (English)
	Here are some examples:
	In washing the window, I splashed water all over the floor. How did Jerry get out of washing the windows? Outside of washing the windows, what else did you do? How did you get into window-washing as a profession? I get a lot of satisfaction out of washing windows.

Generic
	An activity-as-container metaphor is a kind of
	What is a metaphor for activities and events?

Source
	Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980

Context for this page:

Concept module: activity-as-container 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