On Perceptual Metaphors

Abstract

Metaphors reflect processes of thinking and, consequently, appear not just in language but in perception as well. A notable example of metaphorical perception is synesthesia, in which music or voices may be perceived to have shapes, textures, or colors. Another example is physiognomic perception, in which dark objects may be perceived as gloomy or bright ones may be perceived as happy. Synesthetic perception and physiognomic perception alike reveal the presence of deep similarities across different sense modalities, and many of these similarities appear to be inherent to perception. In this regard, intersensory and physiognomic metaphors reflect "natural" rather than "conventional" symbols or signs. Despite their perceptual origin, however, metaphorical relations evident in synesthetic and physiognomic perception are also represented in and accessible through language. Consequently, in information processing tasks requiring people to identify or categorize perceptual stimuli, linguistic or abstract processes, rather than strictly perceptual processes, may mediate cross-modal, metaphoric interactions.