Metafoorselt

Metafoorselt is a theoretical construct in linguistics and cognitive rhetoric that describes the systematic layering of metaphorical frames within discourse. The concept treats metaphor as an interconnected network rather than a single figure of speech, in which one metaphor supports, reframes, or reinterprets another, creating meta-level interpretations that shape how audiences understand events, policies, or identities.

The term combines the familiar word metaphor with a suffix that signals a field of study. The coinage is used primarily as an analytic lens in discussions of how metaphor networks operate, rather than as a formal, widely adopted theory. It aims to capture the way metaphorical thinking propagates through text and speech across different domains and time.

Core features of metafoorselt include a hierarchical organization of metaphors, cross-domain mapping, diachronic evolution, and variation across cultures and communities. It emphasizes how metaphor networks can constrain or enable interpretation, and how speakers may shift frames by introducing new metaphors or by reinterpreting existing ones. The approach pays attention to cognitive load, coherence, and the persuasive effects of layered metaphors in communication.

Applications of metafoorselt appear in discourse analysis, political communication, education, and natural language processing. For example, layering metaphors such as “a country is a market” and “the market is a battlefield” can co-occur to yield complex implications about competition, risk, governance, and collective responsibility, illustrating how one metaphor influences others within a discourse.

See also: metaphor, conceptual metaphor theory, frame analysis, discourse analysis.