Lockdown - Day 50

Today I'd like to discuss metaphors: why they matter and why we should be aware of them.

Let's start with a simple comparison. According to the English language, time is money. In Spanish, of course, time is gold. It is doubtful whether the pragmatic nature of the first proverb reveals some fundamental worldview that is completely alien to the poetic quality of the second expression. What we can safely assert is that proverbs matter, if only because they plant a mental picture in your interlocutor's head.

Let's now take a look at another metaphor which exists in both languages in the exact same form. To give something free rein implies an allusion to a particular kind of unfettered freedom. In fact, many speakers in both English and Spanish use it without giving a second thought to the notion that it contains a horse-riding reference. Now, try and picture that idiom in your head. What do you see? The great outdoors? A different sort of freedom is expressed by the simile as free as a bird. Do you feel the difference? I do.

Metaphors are not fancy literary devices for posh speakers. They permeate your speech whether you want it or not, which is why they are part of our C1 syllabus. Outcomes, the textbook we are using in our C1.2 course, contains an interesting section devoted to extended metaphors in English (see the photo below). In case you're curious you can go to page 56 in the sixth unit, entitled Conflict and resolution. Now that you know how relevant this topic is, we can forget about the textbook for a while and concentrate on the real world.

The extended metaphor that we are all exposed to these days presents us with a government that has (figuratively) "declared war" on the coronavirus. This rhetorical device is, of course, hardly fresh. After all, the United States of America already declared a war on drugs and a war on terror. This new "war" seems to give away a certain lack imagination on the part of politicians. It's either that or they simply enjoy the idea of being at war (or on some color-coded form of alert).

It is clear that the present pandemic calls for an apt metaphor. Which one? Well, let's just see. The coronavirus is obviously aggressive and it is undeniable that it poses a serious threat because it is causing deaths. So, the war analogy seems rather fitting. Right? Maybe not. If we look at the consequences of using that metaphor we may come to realize that it's less than perfect. If we are, in fact, waging a war then healthcare workers are... soldiers? And we (temporary recluses) are fighting the war... by doing nothing? It's here, I'm afraid, that the metaphor ceases to work properly. In a war soldiers face an enemy and, of necessity, have to be aggressive. No question about that. But in our case nurses are not supposed to be aggressive. Where is the caring part of healthcare? Do you see what I'm getting at?

You may regard all this as mere hairsplitting, but the fact is that a number of different linguistics professors have already detected the dangers of injecting the wrong metaphor into the political discourse. This wonderful article published by Lancaster University, not only explores the consequences of using a metaphor which is only partially appropriate. It also offers some thought-provoking alternatives.

I mention all this because, as language learners, it is our duty to make some choices. The advanced level demands that we be in control of our expressions. Besides, we are expected to assess the impact of our choices. And know...We can't possibly change the history of a language. Therefore if a word has a particular origin or used to have certain connotations a thousand years ago, there's not much we can do about it. Nevertheless we do have a choice between a readily available array of options. Case in point: as a staunch animal lover, I abhor bullfighting. The Spanish language, however, is peppered with expressions that refer to that form of public entertainment (cambiar de tercio, dar la puntilla, a toro pasado, etc.). A long time ago I decided to avoid using bullfighting-related idioms, simply because I'm not comfortable with that kind of imagery. It is just a personal choice. Granted. Sometimes we don't have much leeway. Even atheists say oh my god! In Spanish, for instance, we talk about burning our boats (a historical reference to Hernán Cortes's famous decision) when an English speaker would probably prefer burning your bridges (standard military procedure for centuries). Both languages seem to be in short supply of metaphors to describe a decision to destroy all possible ways of going back to a previous situation. So what happens if you don't like the associations? Well, you just grin and bear it. Anyway, that's not usual. More often than not, you will find a wide range of options.

Before I come to that, allow me to share with you another case.

I was listening to an interview with legendary producer Quincy Jones in which he discussed how difficult it can be for a songwriter to discard songs that s/he has taken pains to create. He said "it's hard for them to kill their babies". I knew it was only a metaphor, but the sheer idea of killing a baby simply turned my stomach. At the time I realized I could never say such a thing. I thought about the word brainchild (which I happen to use quite often), but I realized that I would never ever say that I would kill a brainchild of mine. I had two good reasons. First: I didn't like the sound of it. Second: there were a few non-murder-related options at the ready. "To let go of your children" is  one of them. It is simple and considerably less aggressive. Incidentally, that phrase may describe the process that all parents need to come to terms with when their adult children finally leave the house and turn them into empty-nesters (another self-explanatory metaphor). And this way we come full circle.

So, let's assume that you are confronted with a situation that involves referring to the act of "improving a relationship after having problems". What expression should you use? Maybe you can pick an expression from this list:

• Forgive and forget (idiom)
• Let bygones be bygones (idiom)
• Make amends (neutral expression)
• Make it up to them (phrasal verb)
• Mend fences (like a good neighbor)
• Wipe the slate clean (like an old teacher)
• Bury the hatchet (reference to the wars against the native Americans)
• Smoke the peace pipe (reference to the wars against the native Americans)
• Make a peace offering (military reference)
• Hold out the olive branch (biblical reference)
• Patch things up with someone (a sewing reference)

Not bad, uh? Just remember that every choice yo make has different connotations, not all of which fit in any conceivable situation.