Metaforami

Metaforami is the Polish term used for metaphors in the plural instrumental form. In rhetoric and linguistics, a metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something it does not literally denote, based on a perceived similarity. Metaphors function to illuminate, encode abstract ideas, or shape perception by mapping between conceptual domains.

Historically, metaphors have been central to rhetoric since antiquity. Aristotle described metaphor as transferring a name from the thing it truly denotes to another, for rhetorical effect. In contemporary linguistics, metaphor is also studied as a cognitive mechanism: conceptual metaphor theory (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980) argues that many everyday concepts (time, space, emotion) are structured by systematic mappings from concrete domains (money, movement, warmth).

Types include conventional versus novel metaphors, extended or sustained metaphors (a metaphorical thread running through a text), and dead metaphors (so common that they have lost their vividness). Metaphors are often distinguished from metonymy, the substitution of related terms rather than based on similarity.

Usage and impact: metaphors shape thought and communication, aiding comprehension, persuasion, and memory. In literature, politics, science communication, and advertising, they create persuasive frames and rhetorical effect. In cross-cultural communication, metaphor use can reflect cultural models and norms.

Critique and limits: some scholars warn against overinterpreting metaphors as purely cognitive blueprints; context and audience influence interpretation. Not every figurative expression carries metaphorical meaning; some are conventionalized or idiomatic.