Experiential Construal Mechanism and the Functions of Metaphor and Metonymy

This research aims to explore the mechanisms and the functions of metaphor and metonymy from the perspective of experiential construal. Conceptual metaphor and metonymy are identified as construal mechanisms that shape perceptual experience based on imagery. The findings of this study are as follows: 1) In conceptual metaphor, the shared image mapped from the source domain to the target domain serves as the foundation for expressing similar concepts. In contrast, conceptual metonymy relies on relationships of contiguity within the same domain between the image and its base, between different images, or between elements of a single image, to express contiguous concepts. 2) Metaphor and metonymy serve distinct functions in the construal of experience. Metaphor primarily facilitates the construal of abstract concepts and highlights similarities between concepts across different domains, while metonymy focuses on profiling specific concepts or their elements and expressing contiguous relationships within the same domain.