Interface and metaphor metonymy present in the conceptualizations of violence by brazilian and french students

Abstract

Metaphor and metonymy are eminently human resources present in the language of everyday life, both considered structures of thought. However, these manifestations are often mixed to the point that the boundaries between them cannot be established. This paper therefore, aims at analysing the construction of metaphors and metonymies and their interrelationships in the conceptions of violence by young people within the age range of 11 to 13 years, students of two schools located in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil and Libourne, France. The qualitative research carried out on the data made possible a comparative analysis of the complexity of sense construction of the category VIOLENCE in sociocognitive and cultural terms. The analysed corpus consists of excerpts from interviews conducted with 24 students, divided into 06 groups, each composed of 04 members (12 Brazilian students and 12 French students). The reading and analysis of the data were based on theoretical contributions of cognitive linguistics, in particular, the Cognitive Theory of Metaphor and Metonymy – CTMM. The interrelation/metaphor metonymy proved to be evident when the two groups spoke about feelings resulting from violent actions, like pain and sorrow and when they used parts of the body to communicate these feelings. The conceptualizations of violence by the two groups involved metaphorical and metonymic processes which allow us to suggest a partial universality of bodily cognitive schemas in the communication and expression of feelings.