Metaphors We Live By 1st Edition

by George Lakoff (Author), Mark Johnson (Author)

567 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0226468013

ISBN-10: 0226468011

Why is ISBN important?

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers

from

Other Sellers

See all 6 versions

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

List Price: $16.00 Details

Save: $6.79 (42%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Thursday, Sep 9 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

There is a newer edition of this item:

Metaphors We Live By
$69.00
(567)
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

The now-classic Metaphors We Live By changed our understanding of metaphor and its role in language and the mind. Metaphor, the authors explain, is a fundamental mechanism of mind, one that allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide understanding of countless other subjects. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understandings of our experience, they are "metaphors we live by"—metaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without our ever noticing them.

In this updated edition of Lakoff and Johnson's influential book, the authors supply an afterword surveying how their theory of metaphor has developed within the cognitive sciences to become central to the contemporary understanding of how we think and how we express our thoughts in language.

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Dr. Mardy Grothe
138
Hardcover
38 offers from $5.85
Rick Wormeli
30
Paperback
$31.00
Get it as soon as Friday, Sep 10
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
George Lakoff
101
Paperback
$27.99
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
George Lakoff & Mark Johnson
Paperback
$24.41
& Free Shipping
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Ruben Pater
121
Paperback
$15.95
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Dr. Mardy Grothe
164
Hardcover
$15.99
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

George Lakoff
88
Paperback
$17.77
Get it as soon as Monday, Sep 13
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
George Lakoff
101
Paperback
$27.99
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
Ruben Pater
121
Paperback
$15.95
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Dr. Mardy Grothe
164
Hardcover
$15.99
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
George Lakoff
34
Paperback
$21.79
Get it as soon as Friday, Sep 10
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Dr. Mardy Grothe
138
Hardcover
38 offers from $5.85

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The now-classic Metaphors We Live By changed our understanding of metaphor and its role in language and the mind. Metaphor, the authors explain, is a fundamental mechanism of mind, one that allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide understanding of countless other subjects. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understandings of our experience, they are "metaphors we live by"-metaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without our ever noticing them.

In this updated edition of Lakoff and Johnson's influential book, the authors supply an afterword surveying how their theory of metaphor has developed within the cognitive sciences to become central to the contemporary understanding of how we think and how we express our thoughts in language.

From the Back Cover

The now-classic Metaphors We Live By changed our understanding of metaphor and its role in language and the mind. Metaphor, the authors explain, is a fundamental mechanism of mind, one that allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide understanding of countless other subjects. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understandings of our experience, they are "metaphors we live by"-metaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without our ever noticing them.

In this updated edition of Lakoff and Johnson's influential book, the authors supply an afterword surveying how their theory of metaphor has developed within the cognitive sciences to become central to the contemporary understanding of how we think and how we express our thoughts in language.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; 1st edition (April 15, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 242 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226468011
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226468013
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.14 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #19,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7 in Linguistics (Books)
- #30 in Linguistics Reference
- #41 in Consciousness & Thought Philosophy

Customer Reviews:
567 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		17%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

ThisDude

Five stars with some caveats

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book builds a foundation for how metaphors structure our thinking. The first eleven chapters should be read by everyone. Ideas like "Argument is war." because we often say "We've been fighting all day." or "I lost the argument." rather than say "We've been problem solving all day." or "We finally found a solution."

But the last nineteen chapters are laborious. I felt chained to every chapter, struggling to find even a sliver of the gold that was the first eleven.

Buy this book. Invest in the first eleven. Skim the last nineteen. It's well worth your time.

38 people found this helpful

Helpful

Robert W. Childress

More Than Mere Language

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

I purchased this book without knowing much about it. My expectation was that it would relate in some detail how we use metaphorical language in a subconscious manner to describe the experiences of our lives. And my expectation turned out to be woefully insufficient to cover the reality of what the book delivered. To wit, my expectation was met and exceeded.

Lakoff and Johnson do not only discuss how we use metaphorical language absentmindedly in our day-to-day living, but also delve into how we utilize metaphor to structure, conceptualize, and share our understanding of reality. It might not be obvious what exactly is the difference. In effect, the authors argue that metaphor is not just a matter of language, but a process of internally organizing our understanding of the external world. The first half of the book makes the positive case that our perceptions of reality are built upon metaphor. The second half of the book makes the case that other philosophical views fail to adequately account for such conceptual structuring. In the end, the authors argue that an "experientialist" view of truth and meaning not only account for our metaphorical comprehension of reality, but also retain and unite the most compelling aspects of other schools of thought that fail to do so.

I think the first half of the book is a roaring success. The authors provide many and thorough examples of how our understanding of reality is structured metaphorically and how these metaphorical concepts are organized into coherent systems. They provide an explanation of why some mixed metaphors work and why others appear absurd. The idea that some arguments are covered in gargoyles, for example, shall stick with me for some time.

I think the second half of the book is a bit less successful. Bear in mind, I am not well-versed in the philosophy of language nor am I well-acquainted with the objectivist and subjectivist views described by the authors. However, their argument seems to falter along one glaring fault (because an argument is a building, you see). The authors appear to assert in an absolute and unconditional manner that there are no absolute and unconditional truths. I want to be charitable here and assume that the authors were merely being careless, and that they meant something different than what they appear to be saying. However, the theme is repeated several times throughout the rest of the book, so it's difficult to tell.

The difficulty ought to be obvious. At some level, there must be some kind of objective truth if we are to make anything resembling an objective truth claim -- even those fundamental claims about truth itself. I suspect that the authors are more inclined to affirm that truth cannot be communicated between individuals in an objective manner -- hence, the significant focus on language -- but their claims are stronger than that. If they intend only to claim, say, that we cannot exhaustively describe in an absolute and unconditional manner all (or even most) objective truths concerning reality, I'd be much more persuaded to hop on board. Instead, the authors seem to blunder at this crucial step. It's possible they clarify such a stance in the afterword (which I did not read), in which case this criticism may widely miss its mark. Otherwise, it appears quite fatal.

There's another criticism I could leverage - namely, that the authors appear to view human interest in truth as based in its survival value (if that were true, we wouldn't have books like _Metaphors We Live By_) - but I'm not convinced the book was aimed at defending such a position. On a positive note, I thought the authors' attempt to wed objective and subjective accounts of truth into a unified view were admirable and reached closer to the mark than a strict objectivist or subjectivist account of reality.

As such, on the whole, I liked the book. It was pretty good. But I also think the ultimate argument is the kind of thing that either says too little to justify such length and breadth of discussion or says too much to be taken seriously. For those interested, it should at the least be read for its delightful and rigorous first half.

127 people found this helpful

Helpful

Dr. John K. Knowles

Welcome to the brain, metaphorically meaning.

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is the pop-up book of the brain. The brain is asked to tell itself how it is doing. The brain does wall painting, singing, depicting, falling,rising through the sounds that invisibly carry our inner states outward, coded and transmitted to another's wall. Prior to reading and living with this material, words held their meaning like bricks on a path way stretching into the distance. This book tipped the path way up, allowed cracks between the words, produced mountains to climb, oceans to swim in, brooks to listen to.
I laughed, cursed with surprise, was stunned into wide eyed wonder. And wondered why it has taken so long for the brain to write this book about the brain. I don't know how to end this effort: I am stuck, and feel like I have fallen into a hole. Overnight, I hope a tunnel opens up so I can get out of here, out of this box. Do you know what I mean?

t

27 people found this helpful

Helpful

Newyorkslim2001

How metaphors shape our perceptions of (whatever "reality") is

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

"The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another." That's simple enough. But this classic analysis explains how metaphors are far more than figures of speech or literary embellishments. Metaphors are the filter through which we see, understand and describe our world -- our reality.
The examples are engaging and entertaining. I'll leave you with this one: The waitress says, "The ham sandwich wants his check." -- dehumanizing the person who is characterized as a paying customer. But completely reasonable in the context of a busy restaurant at lunchtime. Plunge in and read more about how we see and describe and understand our world by using metaphors we're not even aware of.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

What is the role of metaphor in or lives?

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

In an interesting (though a bit technical) way George Lakoff describes (quite convincingly and with evidence, I must say) his vision of the role metaphors play in our life.
Several concepts:
- metaphors are fundamentally conceptual. We first of all think in metaphors. Metaphors language is secondary
- metaphors are based on everyday experience
- many concepts are defined primarily metaphorically (e.g. love is a journey, partnership, magic, madness, dissolution of two into one, ...)
- metaphors not only can describe, but can form reality. By highlighting some aspects of experience and hiding another, they influence our concepts, which influences our thoughts and feelings, which influences our actions, thus changing reality
- as a consequence metaphors can become self-fulfilling prophecies
- it is important to be conscious about what metaphors do we use

Overall I would recommend this book to readers who are:
- interested in linguistics
- interested in perception, cognition and psychology in general
- who are not afraid to fight through somewhat technical text

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

So many words with so little to say

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

Too much repetition for my tastes with far too much time spent explaining simple concepts in excruciating detail.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Giapetto

Much ado about nothing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2019

Verified Purchase

I had hoped for some flash of linguistic illumination from this book, but alas, it quickly becomes tiresome. The central premise, I'm sure, us sound enough. But it's not a sufficiently significant one to merit a book. A few thousand words would have done the job, and I am sorry to say I lacked the patience or stamina to finish it. Life's too short.

8 people found this helpful

Mr. A. Coode

A deeply intelligent book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

It is a great book as it opens a way to think about how we use language and how it developed, Heavy going and I can't say I actually finished it, but having read 'The Patterning Instinct' by Jeremy Lent, it compliments the theses in that wonderful book. So to sum up 'Metaphors We Live By' is great but be prepared to dust off the brain cells.

2 people found this helpful

Nightingale

A book for linguists

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

It's probably an amazing book for linguists but it's not an easy read for an average Joe. I found it fascinating but at times difficult; its scope wasn't "useful" for me.
But I'm the "average Joe" in this story - if you're a a linguist, you'll most likely enjoy it.

Happy Hippy

Lift your writing to a new level.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

A brilliant book that explores metaphors and how we use them. This has been a starting point for so many modern therapy techniques that it's worth reading if you have any interests in this area. I wouldn't limit it to therapists though. If you are a writer and are serious about your art, this is worth delving into. Metaphors invade almost every aspect of our speech, and using them effectively will lift your writing to a new level!

4 people found this helpful

Malachy Byrne

Linguistic Insight in Clear Language.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

Lakoff and Johnson's seminal text on metaphor laid the foundations for an entire field of study. The style is clear, simple and written in a language one can easily understand. I bought this text when writing a paper on economic metaphor use and was able to read through it in a matter of hours.

An key text for anyone interested in metaphor (and metonymy).

One person found this helpful

See all reviews

More items to explore

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

David Lehman
174
Paperback
$14.79
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
The School of Life
203
Paperback
$13.49
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Edward R. Tufte
310
Hardcover
$46.74
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
R. Buckminster Fuller
290
Paperback
$12.39
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Jonathan Haidt
5,200
Paperback
$10.82
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Bruno Munari
531
Paperback
$15.67
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon