What is a container metaphor?

Definition
	A containment metaphor is an ontological metaphor in which some concept is represented as
	having an inside and outside, and capable of holding something else.

Examples (English)

Source:

Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980 51

Generic
	A container metaphor is a kind of
	What is an ontological metaphor?

Source
	Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980 29–30, 51

Concept module: container metaphor
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): C
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, 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: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004