Hi Jo, "Out of curiosity, has anyone out there read Lakoff & Johnson's "Metaphors we > live by"?
Actually, I have read the book and it is informative, but dated. It doesn't address the issue of metaphors in UIs which are very different from language based metaphors, which is why they often fail. Interesting issue... But I don't agree with you when you say that "Metaphors we live by" is dated because it doesn't address the specific issue of metaphors in UIs. This book deals with language metaphors to explain how conceptual metaphors are fundamental in our conceptual system. And I think that metaphors in UIs are understood by users through a similar cognitive process combining UI's specificities (it's why you can say that there are dead metaphors in UIs). The 'trashcan' metaphor is used repeatedly, like iPod controls and is now considered a "dead metaphor" or idiom. It is thought that through repetition of use, idioms create their own meaning separate from any literal translation and don't have to adhere to Gricean Maxims. They are literally understood in their own sense. The research I'm working on right now. :) The topic of my thesis is about metaphors in hypermedia. See http://www.comu.ucl.ac.be/reco/grems/annesoweb/anneso.htm to read some publications (but in French). I recommend one book : Gentner, D., Bowdle, B.F., Wolff, P., & Boronat, C. (2001). « Metaphor is like Analogy », in Gentner, D., Holyoak, K.J., & Kokinov, B.N., The Analogical Mind. Perspectives from cognitive science, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, pp.199-253. They explain how novel metaphors become conventional and finally become a second sense of the source concept (polysemy). In the same book, you can also read : Fauconnier, G. (2001). « Conceptual Blending and Analogy », in Gentner, D., Holyoak, K.J., & Kokinov, B.N., The Analogical Mind. Perspectives from cognitive science, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, pp.255-285. Cheers, Anne-Sophie --- Anne-Sophie Collard PhD student Communication Department Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
