Conceptual metaphor in children's language: a perspective from cognitive linguistics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71112/a3yw5879Keywords:
children's language, conceptual metaphor, cognitive linguistics, semantic development, early childhood educationAbstract
This article analyzes the use of conceptual metaphor in children's language from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. Based on the postulates of Lakoff and Johnson (1980), it is argued that children not only repeat metaphors from the adult environment but also construct their own metaphorical structures to understand the world. Through observations in preschool classrooms and recordings of children's spontaneous speech, metaphorical expressions related to emotions, the body, space, and social relationships are identified. Phrases such as "the sun is sad" or "my tummy is fighting" reveal that children project concrete experiences (body, movement, objects) onto abstract domains (emotions, time, internal states). These metaphors are not errors, but powerful cognitive tools for organizing experience. The study adopts a qualitative approach, with linguistic analysis of children's discourse corpora. It is concluded that conceptual metaphor is part of early semantic development, reinforcing both linguistic creativity and meaning construction. It is recommended that teachers recognize the expressive and cognitive value of these metaphors to promote language education that is sensitive to children's mental processes.
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