Theories of Conceptual Metaphor and Conceptual Integration. Researching the Mind through Metaphor in the Scope of Cognitive Linguistics

This article provides an analytical overview of contemporary schools and directions in the philosophy of mind and language from the 20th and 21st centuries, which present concepts and views on metaphor, in particular cognitive metaphor. It is focused on the study of conceptual metaphor (Lakoff and Johnson) and conceptual integration (Fauconier and Turner) in cognitive linguistics. The aim is to establish a theoretical framework and practical application of the considered theories. It is hypothesized that conscious thinking is based on unconscious conceptual system largely through mechanism of metaphor, which also involves affect, and takes place at a neural level in the brain. The cognitive unconscious, which models our mental operations related to conceptual systems, concepts, inferences, and language, is foregrounded. A key point is the understanding that the body and environment are involved in structuring our concepts of reality (4E cognition).