Metaphor, simile, culture

A great deal of literature recognizes that metaphors exploit similarities. However, there is little empirical research on how people from different cultural backgrounds perceive similarity in metaphor in its simplest form X (target) is Y (source). This study thus investigates the perception of similarity in metaphors from two cultural backgrounds (Arabic speakers & English speakers). A major focus is set on how the distinction between metaphors and their related similes culturally affects the way similarity is perceived. Given that similarity is a vacuous term since any two things can be similar in one way or another, this study sets three major parameters; physical, behavioural, and evaluative) against which the interpretations of the two cultural groups are weighed. The analysis should help to answer the following questions:- How consistently do American and Arabian university students interpret metaphors and their related similes when the metaphors and similes are presented out of context?- Does the gender of the target term make a difference in interpreting metaphors and their structurally related similes?-How consistently do American and Arabian university students consider their interpretation of metaphors and similes to have a cultural origin?- What cues do the participant groups use in distinguishing metaphors from non - metaphors? This book is addressed to researchers in applied linguistics and culture, as well as teachers in multicultural settings. It is also addressed to curriculum designers and appreciators of figurative language.