On analogical knowledge: Metaphors in biotechnology discourse

Authors

  • Vicent Salvador Department of Philology and European Cultures of the Jaume I University (Castelló, Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.9.10940

Keywords:

metaphor, terminology, biotechnology, scientific discourse, knowledge dissemination

Abstract

During a period dominated by positivist thinking, metaphors seemed incompatible with science, at least for the most common manifestations of scientific discourse. However, this apparent transgression is now considered essential and even advantageous for the construction of knowledge. The terminology of specialised knowledge, like that from the field of biotechnology, undoubtedly contains metaphors. In the discourse related to scientific dissemination and the mass media, the use of metaphors is more original which makes them more attractive as strategies to increase the intelligibility of concepts and to stimulate layperson audiences. Thus, anthropomorphic projections are one of the types of metaphor which performs the best in the context of this type of discourse. 

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Author Biography

Vicent Salvador, Department of Philology and European Cultures of the Jaume I University (Castelló, Spain).

Full Professor at the Department of Philology and European Cultures of the Jaume I University (Castelló, Spain). He is an expert on discourse analysis and his most recent research focuses on the field of communication, language, and the representation of health. He is the principal investigator at the EXPLORA language and health-culture project (CSO2014-61928-EXP) and the RETOS project «Discursive construction of conflict» (FFI2017-85227-R).

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Published

2019-03-06

How to Cite

Salvador, V. (2019). On analogical knowledge: Metaphors in biotechnology discourse. Metode Science Studies Journal, (9), 47–51. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.9.10940
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Issue

The grounds of science (2019)

Section

#Biotech. The need for biotechnology communication

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