Semantic Fields and Metaphor: Going beyond Theory

Abstract

This study focused on metaphor comprehension in a poetic text in terms of the concepts of “semantic field,” “semantic restructuring,” and “perceptual restructuring.” Three poetic texts, differentiated in terms of the number of semantic fields and in the degree of their interaction, were given to readers of English language and literature. They were asked to analyze a number of metaphors appearing within the context of each text and also to rate them along a number of scales (such as Concrete-Abstract). Specific semantic fields could be derived from the written responses. Furthermore, consistent relationships were found between these ratings and the degree of interaction of these semantic fields. The results lend further support for a Gestalt-Interaction theory of metaphor.