What is an understanding-as-seeing metaphor?

What is an understanding-as-seeing metaphor?

Definition
	A conventional metaphor in which understanding an idea is represented as seeing an object in comparisons such as the following:
	a different point of view of the object represents a differing understanding of the idea the amount seen represents the amount understood

Examples
	Here are some examples in English:
	I see what you're saying. It looks differentf rom my point of view. What is your outlook on that? Now I've got the whole picture. Let me point something out to you.

Generic
	An understanding-as-seeing metaphor is a kind of
	What is a metaphor for rational processes?

Source
	Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980

Context for this page:

Concept module: understanding-as-seeing metaphor
In modular book: Metaphors in English, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H. Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Lexicon

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 18 September 1998