Semantyka miłości. Analiza metafor w narracjach kobiet i mężczyzn o uczuciach i związkach
Semantics of love. Analysis of metaphors in the narratives of women and men about feelings and relationships

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Summary/Abstract: The goal of this paper is to present the results of qualitative research on the methods of metaphorising erotic love by heterosexual women and men. The analyses refer to two phases of a romantic relationship, i.e., falling in love and being in a relationship. The research is based on the cognitive theories of metaphor by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. The analysis of orientational metaphors showed that love is experienced as disorientation and relationship as a hierarchical system. Ontological metaphors describe love as elements, chemical processes, objects and alive beings. Structural metaphors refer to consumption (love as a gift, a valuable resource, capital), work (love as a building, project, a learning process, therapeutic work), entertainment (love as a game, a journey, a mystery), conflict (love as war, diplomacy, internal conflict) and disease. The analysis of the empirical works points out to the differences in the way love is metaphorised in its phases and in the experiences of the participants in a relationship. The present study reveals that women have a wider vocabulary for metaphorising love than men, and the gender differences are rooted in individual contexts.

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