1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Metaphor and the Social World
  4. Online First Articles
  5. Online First Article
image of Valence distribution and valence alignment in the metaphor być na świeczniku in the Polish language
PDF
EPUB

Abstract

Abstract

This study investigates the valence distribution and alignment of the Polish metaphor (literally ‘to be on a candlestick’), which represents public visibility and attention. While conventionally considered positive, corpus analysis of the Polish Web Corpus 2019 reveals that the meaning of the metaphor is more nuanced. The study shows that neutral valence is the most frequent, followed by negative and positive valence. Negative valence often highlights scrutiny, criticism, and forced exposure, whereas positive valence emphasizes prestige and recognition. The study introduces the concept of valence alignment, referring to how emotional valence is reinforced within a passage, either sustaining or shifting the connotation of the metaphor. The findings indicate that in political discourse, the metaphor is more likely to carry negative connotations, often in terms of surveillance and judgment. This aligns with broader trends in political communication, where metaphors are strategically used to shape public perception. The study contributes to research on metaphor, emotional valence, and corpus-based discourse analysis, demonstrating how conventional metaphors undergo contextual shifts in meaning.

© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Available under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/msw.25015.dyr
2025-12-16
2026-01-13

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/msw.25015.dyr
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/10.1075/msw.25015.dyr/msw.25015.dyr.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1075/msw.25015.dyr&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Adelman, J. S., Estes, Z., & Cossu, M.
    (2018) Emotional sound symbolism: Languages rapidly signal valence via phonemes. Cognition, , –. 10.1016/j.cognition.2018.02.007
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2018.02.007 [Google Scholar]
  2. Allison Cato Jackson, M., & Crosson, B.
    (2006) Emotional connotation of words: Role of emotion in distributed semantic systems. Progress in Brain Research, , –. 10.1016/S0079‑6123(06)56010‑8
     https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6123(06)56010-8 [Google Scholar]
  3. Barnden, J. A.
    (2016) Communicating flexibly with metaphor: A complex of strengthening, elaboration, replacement, compounding and unrealism. Review of Cognitive Linguistics, (), –. 10.1075/rcl.14.2.07bar
     https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.14.2.07bar [Google Scholar]
  4. Briesemeister, B. B., Kuchinke, L., & Jacobs, A. M.
    (2012) Emotional valence: A bipolar continuum or two independent dimensions?SAGE Open, (), . 10.1177/2158244012466558
     https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244012466558 [Google Scholar]
  5. Browse, S.
    (2018) Cognitive rhetoric: The cognitive poetics of political discourse. John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/lal.31
     https://doi.org/10.1075/lal.31 [Google Scholar]
  6. Charteris-Black, J.
    (2005) Politicians and rhetoric. Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1057/9780230501706
     https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230501706 [Google Scholar]
  7. (2017) Fire metaphors: Discourses of awe and authority. Bloomsbury.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Citron, F. M. M., Gray, M. A., Critchley, H. D., Weekes, B. S., & Ferstl, E. C.
    (2014) Emotional valence and arousal affect reading in an interactive way: Neuroimaging evidence for an approach — withdrawal framework. Neuropsychologia, , –. 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.01.002
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.01.002 [Google Scholar]
  9. Cowen, A. S., & Keltner, D.
    (2021) Semantic space theory: A computational approach to emotion. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, (), –. 10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.004
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.004 [Google Scholar]
  10. Crawford, L. E.
    (2009) Conceptual metaphors of affect. Emotion Review, (), –. 10.1177/1754073908100438
     https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073908100438 [Google Scholar]
  11. Danesi, M.
    (1990) Thinking is seeing: Visual metaphors and the nature of abstract thought. Semiotica, (), –. 10.1515/semi.1990.80.3‑4.221
     https://doi.org/10.1515/semi.1990.80.3-4.221 [Google Scholar]
  12. Deignan, A.
    (2005) Metaphor and corpus linguistics. John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/celcr.6
     https://doi.org/10.1075/celcr.6 [Google Scholar]
  13. Delatorre, P., León, C., Salguero, A., Palomo-Duarte, M., & Gervás, P.
    (2018) Confronting a paradox: A new perspective of the impact of uncertainty in suspense. Frontiers in Psychology, , . 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01392
     https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01392 [Google Scholar]
  14. Doroszewski, W.
    (n.d.). Słownik języka polskiego. PWN. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2025, fromhttps://doroszewski.pwn.pl/
     [Google Scholar]
  15. El-Dakhs, D. A. S., & Altarriba, J.
    (2019) How do emotion word type and valence influence language processing? The case of Arabic—English bilinguals. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, (), –. 10.1007/s10936‑019‑09647‑w
     https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-019-09647-w [Google Scholar]
  16. Dyrmo, T., Jankowiak, K., & Kakuba, P.
    (2025) On the role of space — valence congruency in bilingual orientational metaphor processing. Language and Cognition, , . 10.1017/langcog.2024.49
     https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2024.49 [Google Scholar]
  17. Entman, R. M.
    (1993) Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, (), –. 10.1111/j.1460‑2466.1993.tb01304.x
     https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304.x [Google Scholar]
  18. Evans, V.
    (2019) Cognitive linguistics: A complete guide. Edinburgh University Press. 10.1515/9781474405232
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474405232 [Google Scholar]
  19. Fernandez-Duque, D., & Johnson, M. L.
    (2002) Cause and effect theories of attention: The role of conceptual metaphors. Review of General Psychology, (), –. 10.1037/1089‑2680.6.2.153
     https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.153 [Google Scholar]
  20. Gibbs, R. W., Jr., & Siman, J.
    (2021) How we resist metaphors. Language and Cognition, (), –. 10.1017/langcog.2021.18
     https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2021.18 [Google Scholar]
  21. Gilet, A.-L., & Jallais, C.
    (2011) Valence, arousal and word associations. Cognition and Emotion, (), –. 10.1080/02699931.2010.500480
     https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2010.500480 [Google Scholar]
  22. Grady, J.
    (2005) Primary metaphors as inputs to conceptual integration. Journal of Pragmatics, (), –. 10.1016/j.pragma.2004.03.012
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2004.03.012 [Google Scholar]
  23. Hart, C.
    (2021) Animals vs. armies: Resistance to extreme metaphors in anti-immigration discourse. Journal of Language and Politics, (), –. 10.1075/jlp.20032.har
     https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.20032.har [Google Scholar]
  24. Hauser, D. J., & Schwarz, N.
    (2016) Semantic prosody and judgment. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, (), –. 10.1037/xge0000178
     https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000178 [Google Scholar]
  25. Ho, S. M. Y., Mak, C. W. Y., Yeung, D., Duan, W., Tang, S., Yeung, J. C., & Ching, R.
    (2015) Emotional valence, arousal, and threat ratings of 160 Chinese words among adolescents. PLOS ONE, (), . 10.1371/journal.pone.0132294
     https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132294 [Google Scholar]
  26. Hunston, S.
    (2007) Semantic prosody revisited. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, (), –. 10.1075/ijcl.12.2.09hun
     https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.12.2.09hun [Google Scholar]
  27. Itkes, O., & Kron, A.
    (2019) Affective and semantic representations of valence: A conceptual framework. Emotion Review, (), –. 10.1177/1754073919868759
     https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073919868759 [Google Scholar]
  28. Juszczyk, K., Konat, B., & Fabiszak, M.
    (2025) The heart attack of the Polish health service: Metaphors, arguments, and emotional appeals in political debates. Language and Cognition, , . 10.1017/langcog.2024.35
     https://doi.org/10.1017/langcog.2024.35 [Google Scholar]
  29. Kövecses, Z.
    (2005) Metaphor in culture: Universality and variation. Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511614408
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511614408 [Google Scholar]
  30. Külz, J., Spitz, A., Abu-Akel, A.,
    (2023) United States politicians’ tone became more negative with 2016 primary campaigns. Scientific Reports, , . 10.1038/s41598‑023‑36839‑1
     https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36839-1 [Google Scholar]
  31. Kuperman, V., Estes, Z., Brysbaert, M., & Warriner, A. B.
    (2014) Emotion and language: Valence and arousal affect word recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, (), –. 10.1037/a0035669
     https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035669 [Google Scholar]
  32. Lakoff, G.
    (2012) Explaining embodied cognition results. Topics in Cognitive Science, (), –. 10.1111/j.1756‑8765.2012.01222.x
     https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01222.x [Google Scholar]
  33. Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M.
    (1980) The metaphorical structure of the human conceptual system. Cognitive Science, (), –. 10.1207/s15516709cog0402_4
     https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog0402_4 [Google Scholar]
  34. Landis, J. R., & Koch, G. G.
    (1977) The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics, (), –. 10.2307/2529310
     https://doi.org/10.2307/2529310 [Google Scholar]
  35. Langacker, R. W.
    (2013) Essentials of cognitive grammar. Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Lebrecht, S., Bar, M., Barrett, L. F., & Tarr, M. J.
    (2012) Micro-valences: Perceiving affective valence in everyday objects. Frontiers in Psychology, , . 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00107
     https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00107 [Google Scholar]
  37. Meier, B. P., Robinson, M. D., & Clore, G. L.
    (2004) Why good guys wear white: Automatic inferences about stimulus valence based on brightness. Psychological Science, (), –. 10.1111/j.0963‑7214.2004.01502002.x
     https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.01502002.x [Google Scholar]
  38. Naranowicz, M.
    (2022) Mood effects on semantic processes: Behavioural and electrophysiological evidence. Frontiers in Psychology, , . 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1014706
     https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1014706 [Google Scholar]
  39. Ortony, A., Clore, G. L., & Foss, M. A.
    (1987) The referential structure of the affective lexicon. Cognitive Science, (), –. 10.1207/s15516709cog1103_4
     https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1103_4 [Google Scholar]
  40. Osgood, C. E., Suci, G. J., & Tannenbaum, P. H.
    (1957) The measurement of meaning. University of Illinois Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Partington, A.
    (2004) “Utterly content in each other’s company”: Semantic prosody and semantic preference. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, (), –. 10.1075/ijcl.9.1.07par
     https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.9.1.07par [Google Scholar]
  42. Snefjella, B., & Kuperman, V.
    (2016) It’s all in the delivery: Effects of context valence, arousal, and concreteness on visual word processing. Cognition, , –. 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.07.010
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2016.07.010 [Google Scholar]
  43. Souter, N. E., Reddy, A., Walker, J., Marino Dávolos, J., & Jefferies, E.
    (2023) How do valence and meaning interact? The contribution of semantic control. Journal of Neuropsychology, (), –.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Steen, G.
    (2015) Developing, testing and interpreting deliberate metaphor theory. Journal of Pragmatics, , –. 10.1016/j.pragma.2015.03.013
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2015.03.013 [Google Scholar]
  45. (2017) Deliberate metaphor theory: Basic assumptions, main tenets, urgent issues. Intercultural Pragmatics, (), –. 10.1515/ip‑2017‑0001
     https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2017-0001 [Google Scholar]
  46. (2024) The ambiguity of metaphor: How polysemy affords multivalent metaphor use and explains the paradox of metaphor. Metaphor and Symbol, (), –. 10.1080/10926488.2024.2359406
     https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2024.2359406 [Google Scholar]
  47. Steen, G. J.
    (2007) Finding metaphor in grammar and usage: A methodological analysis of theory and research (Vol.). John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/celcr.10
     https://doi.org/10.1075/celcr.10 [Google Scholar]
  48. Stubbs, M.
    (1995) Collocations and semantic profiles: On the cause of the trouble with quantitative studies. Functions of Language, (), –. 10.1075/fol.2.1.03stu
     https://doi.org/10.1075/fol.2.1.03stu [Google Scholar]
  49. Sweetser, E.
    (1990) From etymology to pragmatics: Metaphorical and cultural aspects of semantic structure. Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511620904
     https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511620904 [Google Scholar]
  50. Van Poppel, L., & Pilgram, R.
    (2023) Types of resistance to metaphor. Metaphor and Symbol, (), –. 10.1080/10926488.2023.2213737
     https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2023.2213737 [Google Scholar]
  51. Warriner, A. B., Kuperman, V., & Brysbaert, M.
    (2013) Norms of valence, arousal, and dominance for 13,915 English lemmas. Behavior Research Methods, , –. 10.3758/s13428‑012‑0314‑x
     https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-012-0314-x [Google Scholar]
  52. WsJP
    WsJP. (n.d.). Wielki słownik języka polskiego. Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2025, fromhttps://wsjp.pl/
     [Google Scholar]
  53. Xu, X., Li, J., & Chen, H.
    (2022) Valence and arousal ratings for 11,310 simplified Chinese words. Behavior Research Methods, , –. 10.3758/s13428‑021‑01607‑4
     https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-021-01607-4 [Google Scholar]
  54. Zhang, S., Zheng, J., & Mo, L.
    (2022) The effect of the brightness metaphor on memory. Psychological Research, (), –. 10.1007/s00426‑021‑01611‑5
     https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-021-01611-5 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/msw.25015.dyr
Loading
Valence distribution and valence alignment in the metaphor być na świeczniku in the Polish language
John Benjamins ; https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.25015.dyr
/content/journals/10.1075/msw.25015.dyr
/content/journals/10.1075/msw.25015.dyr
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: valence alignment ; Polish ; valence distribution ; metaphor ; valence ; context

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error