"Lakoff argues that the brain understands sentences not just by analyzing syntax and looking up neural dictionaries, but also by igniting its memories of kicking and picking up."
— Chorost, Michael (b. 1964)
Author
Date
September 1, 2014
Metaphor
"Lakoff argues that the brain understands sentences not just by analyzing syntax and looking up neural dictionaries, but also by igniting its memories of kicking and picking up."
Metaphor in Context
Neuroscientists agree on what happens with literal sentences like "The player kicked the ball." The brain reacts as if it were carrying out the described actions. This is called "simulation." Take the sentence "Harry picked up the glass." "If you can’t imagine picking up a glass or seeing someone picking up a glass," Lakoff wrote in a paper with Vittorio Gallese, a professor of human physiology at the University of Parma, in Italy, "then you can’t understand that sentence." Lakoff argues that the brain understands sentences not just by analyzing syntax and looking up neural dictionaries, but also by igniting its memories of kicking and picking up.
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Michael Chorost, "Your Brain on Metaphors, "The Chronicle of Higher Education (September 1, 2014). <Link to chronicle.com>
Date of Entry
04/07/2016
