Construal, mesclagem e intersubjetividade: usos metafóricos de "gosto" e "sabor"

Abstract

This work takes a Cognitive Linguistics perspective, integrating concepts related to Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff e Johnson, 1980), Mental Spaces Theory (Fauconnier, 1994, 1997; Fauconnier and Turner, 2002), Cognitive Grammar (Langacker, 1987, 1991, 2000, 2008) and Frame Semantics (Fillmore, 1977, 1982, 1985), for a semantic-pragmatic analysis of the metaphorical uses of the terms “gosto” (taste) and “sabor” (flavor) in Brazilian Portuguese usage data. These uses are also analyzed in terms of intersubjetivity insofar as they involve the cognitive coordination of access to the epistemic process of conceptual blending in the construction of metaphorical meaning,  constituting a communicative phenomenon that involves the speaker and hearer(s), but also people in general. (Verhagen, 2005, 2015).

The most frequent metaphor in the data is EVENT IS FOOD, involving instantiations with sports events, political events, and celebrations. These metaphorical uses establish conceptual blending processes whose emergent structure integrates an Experiencer Subject and an Experienced Object (in this case, food), in the source domain,  along with events, in the target domain, elaborating the construal established in relation to the literal uses of these terms (Ferrari, 2021). The results indicate that metaphorical uses of “gosto” highlight the experience of the involved subjects – athletes/fans, politicians/voters, participants in celebrations –, whereas “sabor” emphasizes intrinsic characteristics of the results achieved (victory/draw/defeat in sports competitions, election results/political proposals, features in festive events). Finally, these uses are intersubjective, insofar as they involve  cognitive coordination not only between speaker and hearer(s), but also in relation to the broader social group, facilitating access to the epistemic process of conceptual blending in the construction of metaphorical meaning.