Journal Article•
Italicization and Understanding Texts through Metaphoric Projections of Movement
TL;DR: Lakoff and Johnson as mentioned in this paper argued that the meaning we construct from italic type is not a simple correspondence between slanted letters and the body in motion, but is situated; resulting from a blend of concepts triggered by such things as the meanings of the words italicized and the site/s where they appear.
Abstract: Bellantoni and Woolman (2000) note that "Italic and oblique typefaces possess a kinetic quality because of their slant to the right." But what is the nature of this kinetic quality and why is it imparted in this way? This paper explores kinetics, not as a property of italics, but as a manifestation of cognitive work involving metaphoric projection, for which the typeface is but a cue. It will use concepts from cognitive semantics (Lakoff and Johnson, 1999; Fauconnier and Turner, 2002) to posit the idea that the dynamic quality of italics arises from preconceptual structures (such as image schemas) related to embodied experiences of writing and running. These structures forming the basis for higher level metaphors to be constructed in cognition. Consequently, a layout incorporating italics is metaphorical to the extent that the concept of running is used (consciously or unconsciously) to understand an arrangement of type characters. Furthermore it is argued that the meaning we construct from italic type is not a simple correspondence between slanted letters and the body in motion, but is situated; resulting from a blend of concepts triggered by such things as the meanings of the words italicized and the site/s where they appear. Introduction Italic and oblique typefaces possess a kinetic quality because of their slant to the right. Bellantoni and Woolman, 2000, p.35 The kinetic quality of oblique forms in general and italicized and oblique letterforms in particular has been commented on by practitioners and theorists (Arnheim, 1954 /1975; Bellantoni and Woolman, 2000) and this quality is often discussed as something belonging to the form itself; something intrinsic, for example, to letters on the page. This paper uses theories and concepts from cognitive linguistics (Coulson, 2001; Fauconnier and Turner, 2002; Johnson, 1987; Lakoff, 2006; Lakoff and Johnson, 1999; Talmy, 2000), to explore an alternative account of italicization and kinetics. An account in which the dynamic quality of these letterforms is constructed in cognition, and where an association with motion arises not because of some universally evident property of italics, but because of our shared bodily faculties and experiences which we utilize both consciously and unconsciously to make and to read typographic designs. It will be argued that the use of the body in these designs is metaphorical to the extent that a source domain (the body) is utilized to understand a different torget domain (the letter). Furthermore that this embodied understanding of letterforms contributes to the dynamics we associate with italics. This interest in metaphorical associations between letter and body stems from a concern to make both the designer's and the user's conceptualizations explicit in order to improve communication. In many cases the mental processes investigated are preconceptual, but their functioning is fundamental rather than trivial, and the nature of the links between body and letter are not fixed and predetermined, but are situated in the cognitive work involved in acts of communication. This paper describes some aspects of an ongoing practice-based master's project concerning the metaphorical associations between italicization and the body. Such associations, though often unconscious, may be reflected in the way that we communicate (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980/2003); for example we might talk of 'running text' or type 'ieaning to the right.' These are both cases of understanding letters in terms of what we can do with our bodies. There are many such ways of talking about typography that make reference to the body. It is argued here that these ways of talking about type are what Lakoff and Johnson refer to as metaphorical expressions: that is, statements that are structured by an underlying conceptual metaphor (in this case LETTER IS BODY). Logan has identified similar conceptual metaphors in 'metaphor based discourses' (2006, p. …
Citations
More filters
01 Jan 2002
868 citations
TL;DR: In this article, women, fire, and dangerous things: What Categories Reveal about the Mind are discussed and discussed in the context of women's empowerment and women's mental health.
Abstract: (1988). Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal about the Mind. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 59, No. 6, pp. 698-699.
418 citations
References
More filters
[...]
TL;DR: Lakoff and Johnson as discussed by the authors present a very attractive book for linguists to read, which is written in a direct and accessible style; while it introduces and uses a number of new terms, for the most part it is free of jargon.
Abstract: Every linguist dreams of the day when the intricate variety of human language will be a commonplace, widely understood in our own and other cultures; when we can unlock the secrets of human thought and communication; when people will stop asking us how many languages we speak. This day has not yet arrived; but the present book brings it somewhat closer. It is, to begin with, a very attractive book. The publishers deserve a vote of thanks for the care that is apparent in the physical layout, typography, binding, and especially the price. Such dedication to scholarly publication at prices which scholars can afford is meritorious indeed. We may hope that the commercial success of the book will stimulate them and others to similar efforts. It is also a very enjoyable and intellectually stimulating book which raises, and occasionally answers, a number of important linguistic questions. It is written in a direct and accessible style; while it introduces and uses a number of new terms, for the most part it is free of jargon. This is no doubt part of its appeal to nonlinguists, though linguists should also find it useful and provocative. It even has possibilities as a textbook. Lakoff and Johnson state their aims and claims forthrightly at the outset (p. 3):
7,812 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1999
TL;DR: Lakoff and Johnson as discussed by the authors argue that our ability to reason about the world is largely grounded in the fact that our brains take their input from the rest of our bodies, and that our sensory-motor systems thus limit the abstract reasoning that we can perform.
Abstract: "We are neural beings," states Berkeley cognitive scientist George Lakoff. "Our brains take their input from the rest of our bodies. What our bodies are like and how they function in the world thus structures the very concepts we can use to think. We cannot think just anything only what our embodied brains permit." His new book Philosophy In The Flesh, coauthored by Mark Johnson, makes the following points: "The mind is inherently embodied. Thought is mostly unconscious. Abstract concepts are largely metaphorical." Lakoff believes that new empirical evidence concerning these finding of cognitive science have taken us over the epistemological divide: we are in a new place and our philosophical assumptions are all up for grabs. He and Johnson write: "When taken together and considered in detail, these three findings from the science of the mind are inconsistent with central parts of Western philosophy, and require a thorough rethinking of the most popular current approaches, namely, Anglo-American analytic philosophy and postmodernist philosophy." According to Lakoff, metaphor appears to be a neural mechanism that allows us to adapt the neural systems used in sensory-motor activity to create forms of abstract reason. "If this is correct, as it seems to be," he says, "our sensory-motor systems thus limit the abstract reasoning that we can perform. Anything we can think or understand is shaped by, made possible by, and limited by our bodies, brains, and our embodied interactions in the world. This is what we have to theorize with." He then raises the interesting question: "Is it adequate to understand the world scientifically? -JB
2,041 citations
Book•
24 Jan 2003
1,890 citations
"Italicization and Understanding Tex..." refers methods in this paper
...This paper uses theories and concepts from cognitive linguistics (Coulson, 2001; Fauconnier and Turner, 2002; Johnson, 1987; Lakoff, 2006; Lakoff and Johnson, 1999; Talmy, 2000), to explore an alternative account of italicization and kinetics....
[...]
Book•
01 Dec 2004
TL;DR: Practical exercises and examples as wide ranging as furniture arrangements in public places and advertising jingles, provide readers with the knowledge and skills they need to be able to analyze and also produce successful multimodal texts and designs.
Abstract: Introducing Social Semiotics uses a wide variety of texts including photographs, adverts, magazine pages and film stills to explain how meaning is created through complex semiotic interactions. Practical exercises and examples as wide ranging as furniture arrangements in public places and advertising jingles, provide readers with the knowledge and skills they need to be able to analyze and also produce successful multimodal texts and designs.
The book traces the development of semiotic resources through particular channels such as the history of the Press and advertising; and explores how and why these resources change over time, for reasons such as advancing technology.
Featuring a full glossary of terms, exercises, discussion points and suggestions for further reading, Introducing Social Semiotics makes concrete the complexities of meaning making and is essential reading for anyone interested in how communication works.
1,620 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1967TL;DR: Arnheim as mentioned in this paper cast the visual process in psychological terms and described the creative way one's eye organizes visual material according to specific psychological premises, and this work has established itself as a classic.
Abstract: Since its publication fifty years ago, this work has established itself as a classic. It casts the visual process in psychological terms and describes the creative way one's eye organizes visual material according to specific psychological premises. In 1974 this book was revised and expanded, and since then it has continued to burnish Rudolf Arnheim's reputation as a groundbreaking theoretician in the fields of art and psychology.
1,366 citations