CHAPTER SIX
KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
AND YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND:
THE METAPHORICS OF FINANCIAL
MANAGEMENT
MARCIN GRYGIEL
Introduction
‘Conceptualization’ seems to be one of the key terms in cognitive
linguistics. According to Evans (2011: 73), the thesis that meaning equals
conceptualization constitutes one of the five pillars on which cognitive
linguistics is founded. In a nutshell, conceptualization involves
correspondences between the reality around us and mental representations.
The process of concept formation – whereby mental categories for objects,
events, or ideas that have a common set of features are constructed – leads
to shaping of the conceptual structure in our minds. As such, the problem
of conceptualization is very closely related to categorization and
information processing. Knowledge management and information
processing, in turn, appear to be crucial in the study of specialist languages
where terminology and extra linguistic activities, accompanied by
corresponding formal procedures, are closely integrated (Meyer 1992,
Temmerman 2000).
Conceptual metaphors can be considered as mechanisms of
conceptualization par excellence. Research on metaphor has experienced a
long history from the traditional view which considers metaphor as a
figure of speech to the current cognitive view which brings out the
conceptual metaphor theory. According to Lakoff and Johnson (1980),
metaphors are connected with the human cognitive system, and are not
only reflected in our daily language but also in our thought and action. The
essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing