This book investigates moral metaphors in English and Chinese, applying conceptual metaphor theory to a comparative study of the linguistic manifestation of the moral metaphor system rooted in the domains of bodily and physical experience. Ning Yu sheds light on the metaphorical nature of moral cognition and how it is systematically manifested in language, and explores the potential commonalities that define moral cognition in general, as well as the differences that characterize distinct cultures. The work investigates moral cognition at the cultural level as reflected in language, based on linguistic evidence from both English and Chinese and, to a limited extent, multimodal evidence from the corresponding cultures. The moral metaphor system is taken to consist of three major subsystems, referred to as "physical", "visual", and "spatial". These subsystems are clusters of conceptual metaphors, whose source concepts are from domains of embodied experiences in the physical world, and which are formulated in contrastive categories with bipolar values for the target concepts of moral and immoral. The study is characterized by two keywords: system and systematicity: The former refers to the fact that metaphors (conceptual and linguistic) are connected within networks, and the latter to the need for those metaphors to be studied in such networks.

About the Author
Ning Yu is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Asian Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. His research interests lie in the relationship between language, culture, and cognition, cognitive linguistics, and the cognitive approach to metaphor studies. His publications include The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor: A Perspective from Chinese (Benjamins 1998), The Chinese HEART in a Cognitive Perspective: Culture, Body, and Language (de Gruyter 2009), and From Body to Meaning in Culture: Papers on Cognitive Semantic Studies of Chinese (Benjamins 2009). He is co-editor of the book series "Cognitive Linguistic Studies in Cultural Contexts" and of the International Journal of Chinese Linguistics.

Reviews
The book holds a holistic perspective and offers an insightful and systemic approach to examining moral metaphors. It lays the foundation for further research on moral metaphors, making it an invaluable asset. Therefore, the book is highly recommended for those who are interested in this field. * Junqin Huang, Lu Li, Journal of Pragmatics *
Ning Yu's new book offers an insightful analysis of the metaphorical basis for moral reasoning. His compelling, and beautifully documented research, reveals the complex interactions between language, bodily experience and culture in the ways English and Chinese speakers think about morality through conceptual metaphors. The book will appeal to readers from many academic disciplines, and represents cognitive linguistics at its very best! * Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr., author of Metaphor Wars: Conceptual Metaphor in Human Life *
In his new book, Ning Yu continues his work on the issue of similarities and differences in metaphorical conceptualization across languages and cultures, this time focusing on morality. A major merit of the book is that it provides a fresh view on the moral metaphor systems in English and Chinese, which brings to light previously undiscovered facets of the domain. This is a must read for anyone interested in the conception of morality as such, its cross-cultural aspects, and conceptual metaphor theory in general. * Zoltan Koevecses, Eoetvoes Lorand University *



Book Information
ISBN 9780192866325
Author Ning Yu
Format Hardback
Page Count 326
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 666g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 165mm * 24mm