Paper:"Love is a Containter"
Year in School: College Sophomore
Class: Language, Thought, & Culture
Date written: March 4, 2002
“If you truly love something, you should set it free. If it doesn’t come back to you, it was never meant to be!” That
phrase (that could even be called a cliché since it’s so widely used) gives a hint at what the underlying pattern is
involving the concept of love.
When you think about love, you think of certain colors (red, pink, other varied shades in this category), certain shapes
(a heart), certain people (family, friends, significant other), and perhaps other historical and/or fictional people
(Romeo and Juliet, Cupid). However, you do not think in terms of metaphors. You don’t notice how the simple phrases
you say when talking about love are actually a way of metaphorically thinking to convey your statement culturally correct.
What’s that supposed to mean? Take a look at some of the other common phrases when describing love: “I’m in love”, “I
can’t wait to be in love”, “I’ve fallen in love”, “You’re in my heart”, et cetera. Did you notice any common word in all
those phrases? Well, the word ‘in’ was within every single statement. The way we refer to love is to conceptualize it as
a container capable of holding something. Why is this? Why do we not notice that we do this?
One reason why love is spoken about with such words is by our culture. We have learned that speaking of love in terms
as a ‘container’ is the acceptable and understood way. We do not consciously say in our minds, “all right, I have to
talk about love as if it were a container, and not as if it were time.” It is just part of the way language is passed
along in our culture. When entering a new culture, love may not be described in the same way. Another culture might
talk about love in terms of time. For example, the other culture might say “I gain love” or “I save love”. These phrases
are not used as the norm in our society.
However, the behavior surrounding love is not thought of to be something tangible like a container. We think of love as
something that is felt; it is an emotion we want to possess, and we act accordingly. Therefore, the way of conversing
about love is somewhat different than the behaviors that surround love.
However, metaphorically thinking allows our behavior to be shaped. We do not consciously realize that our behavior is
affected this way. Love is considered to be positive, so it is something that people try to ‘acquire’. ‘Time is money’
and ‘argument is war’ are two examples of other metaphorical concepts. In terms of behavior regarding these ideas, people
generally avoid arguing with others because of the inevitable conflict involved. Conflict is not always negative. However,
since the language surrounding an argument is conceptualized as war terms, conflict is thought to be always negative.
Also, since we know that we will generally make more money with a higher productivity rate, we rush to get as much done
in the time allotted to us. Quality is sometimes forgotten about simply because of the way we communicate certain concepts.
When entering a new culture one may find themselves lost in terms of communication. He/she may not understand the language
surrounding certain concepts. Not all metaphorical concepts are the same in every culture. It is very important to
understand this fact, because a language barrier could arise if a person forgets to be mindful.
Language is such a vital part of functioning for almost every entity imaginable. Metaphoric conceptualizing is a part of
the way we think and carry out thoughts. It is only natural to conclude then that metaphors are essential in the way we
communicate. Thinking in terms of metaphors, thus, affects every thing we do. It would be impossible to communicate
without using learned ‘rules’ of expressing ideas.
