Re-representation and Creative Analogy: A Lexico-semantic Perspective

Analogy is a powerful boundary-transcending process that exploits a conceptual system's ability to perform controlled generalization in one domain and re-specialization into another. The result of this semantic leap is the transference of meaning from one concept to another from which metaphor derives its name (literally: to carry over). Such generalization and re-specialization can be achieved using a variety of re-representation es, most notably abstraction via a taxonomic backbone, or selective projection via structure-mapping over propositional content. In this paper we explore both the extent to which a bilingual lexical ontology for English and Chinese, called HowNet, can support each technique, and the extent to which both are, ultimately, variations of the same process of creative re-representation.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2006
• Where: NGC
• Authors: Tony Veale
• Keywords: Communications, Conceptual System, NGC 2006, Powerful Boundary-transcending Process, Semantic Leap