Chapter Fifteen
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Just like belch, the rest of metaphorical volcano verbs activating the
HUMAN BODY-VOLCANO comparison contribute their own metaphorical
material to the conceptual cross-domain mapping structure. As shown,
their contribution to the metaphor theme can be pinned down by attending
to the semantic specifics found in their definitions, which reveal the
figurative basis for these volcano verb terms. For example, the first sense
of spit in the CED is ‘to expel saliva from the mouth’, which triggers the
metaphorical comparison ʊ and corresponding cross-domain mapping ʊ
between SALIVA and any volcanic materials forced out of a crater (STEAM,
ASH, MAGMA, GASES) as in context (21).
(21) Over the next few weeks, the volcano spat steam higher and higher
into the sky. The plume changed color from white to gray (Volcanos
and the Science of Saving Lives, 2013)Sputter adds to the HUMAN BODY-VOLCANO metaphor structure by
prompting the comparison between the source, NOISE MADE WHEN
SPITTING SALIVA OR FOOD (see definition 16), and the target, NOISE MADE
BY A VOLCANO WHEN SPITTING MATERIALS OUT. The source is mapped
onto the target in the cross-domain mapping structure as shown in Figure
7.
mouth mouththroat throatbelly bellysaliva/food magma/rocks/gas, etc.
noise noiseSource domain HUMAN BODY PARTS Target domain VOLCANO PARTS
AND BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS AND FLUIDS
Figure 7. Metaphorical cross-domain mappings between HUMAN BODY PARTS AND
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS and VOLCANO PARTS AND FLUIDS for sputter.
Curiously enough, the corpus data show that the terms designating
volcano materials ejected out of a crater (fire, flame, lava, magma, gases,
and rocks) collocate indiscriminately with volcano verbs. The exception is
dribble, which only entails saliva-like fluids (magma, lava, molten rocks),