AXLER%upenn-1100.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa (04/13/84)
From: Danger, Will Robinson, Danger! <AXLER%upenn-1100.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa>
Mike:
Anthropologists and folklorists have been dealing with metaphor (and
related tropes) for a long time, in terms of their use in such common forms of
speech as proverbs and riddles, both of which depend almost totally on the
use of metaphoric and metonymic comparison. One thing that's critical is the
recognition that use of metaphor is extremely context-dependent; i.e., you
cannot apply Chomskian assumptions that competence is important, because the
problem occurs in performance, which Chomsky relegates to a side issue.
I'd suggest the following references for a start:
1. Sapir and Crocker, eds., "The Social Use of Metaphor" -- an excellent
anthology, about eight years old, covering a great deal of ground.
2. The special issue of the Journal of American Folklore from the early or
mid-seventies on Riddles and Riddling.
3. Dell Hymes, "Foundations of Sociolinguistics". (A really critical book
which set the stage for many anthropologists, linguists, etc. to shift over
from competence to performance; its biggest flaw is Hymes' insistence that
communication doesn't exist without intention on the part of at least one of
the performer(s), the receiver(s), and the audience.)
4. The journal "Proverbium", which was, for its 25-year life, THE place to
look for research on proverbs and related stuff. Especially good are articles
by Nigel Barley, Alan Dundes, and Barbara Kirschenblatt-Gimblett, whose "The
Proverb in Context" is a real key article.
5. Kirschenblatt-Gimblett and Sutton-Smith, eds., "Speech Play". A very good
anthology about uses of all sorts of special speech techniques, including
metaphorical comparisons, in various cultures.
Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. There are lots
more stored in my bibliography hard-copy file at home, and you can drop me
a net-note if you need 'em...
--Dave Axler