Comparative Analysis of Genitival Components in Time Metaphors

Such a universal yet abstract concept as time can show variation in metaphorical language. This research focuses on metaphorical language within the framework of the cognitive metaphor theory, investigating the image of time through a contrastive cross-linguistic approach. This study attempts to identify genitival components associated with time in a metaphorical context, with a focus on image-based metaphors e.g. the teeth of time or the river of time. The hypothesis is that certain patterns of lexicalization of cognitive processes related to time could differ in Hungarian, English and Finnish, and to support this claim cognitive underpinnings of metaphors are investigated using an empirical corpus-based method.