Conceptual metaphor POWER IS UP

[Stefan]

Does anybody know of any languages which typically use different conceptual metaphors for describing power and heirarchies than vertical position?

More generally, any interesting resources you've come across which compare particular conceptual metaphors over a diverse selection of languages? Most articles I've found just look at it in the scope of one language, at best a couple. It's been decades since "Metaphors we live by", there must be some good things out there that I'm missing...

Thanks!

[Pabappa]

well, there's .... umm .... male anatomy. The word impotent can be used equally well to describe a man past his prime or a generic entity seen to be lacking an important power, particularly one that it normally would be expected to have. (whereas the word powerless is used in all contexts, without judging as to whether the situation is normal.)

https://citizen.co.za/sport/cricket/219 ... ea-attack/

hard to find use examples, since more often than not, we are still talking about men (it would be semantically odd to refer to a woman as impotent even in the generic use), and all men can be impotent in both ways. But it's definitely real.

Neither is it just restricted to the single word impotent .... you find double entendres all over the place ... "you've got the balls", etc, although more about bravery than power, still comes into play. also people say "big dick energy" ...

[Ares Land]

Classical Nahuatl has a lot of interesting, unfamiliar metaphors: https://www.historicas.unam.mx/publicac ... 04/046.pdf

In Classical Nahuatl, power is associated with trees and shade -- a metaphor for protection.

We tend to use debt and sin as metaphors for each other; in Classical Nahuatl sin was likened to excrement and the smell of it. (Pleasant smells are associated to order and morals.)

'Reed' was a metaphor for cities, and civilization in general.

[zompist]

None of these are terribly exciting, but they do show some possible metaphors.

Chinese quan 'power' < 'force(ful)' < 'fist'
French pouvoir < 'be able to'
Greek kratos < 'strength'

Metaphors for ruling may also be useful: guarding ('lord'), measuring ('rule'), navigating ('govern'), size (Sum. lugal 'big man'; Latin magister 'more'), being first ('prince'), being forward ('preside'), having horses ('caballero'), enlarging ('authority'). And more body parts, especially the head.

Here's a nice one from Chinese: jue 'chew' > 'live off the revenues' > 'lord'.

[Qwynegold]

size (Sum. lugal 'big man'; Latin magister 'more')

I was just gonna mention big vs. small; e.g. the big guy (boss, God), Sw. den lilla människan (lit. the small human, fig. commoner).

[Stefan]

Thanks all!

[Pabappa]

big and little is good, yeah .... but worth mentioning that in English, it's typically those two words specifically when used metaphorically. a big boss is not the same as a large boss, and the little guy is not the same as the (or a) small guy.

[Seirios]

Chinese quan 'power' < 'force(ful)' < 'fist'
jue 'chew' > 'live off the revenues' > 'lord'.

The first one is possibly true, both reconstructed as *gron in Old Chinese. The second one is likely just coincidence though, in OC they're *zewɢ "chew" and *ʔsewɢ "lord", the initial contrast being maintained also in Middle Chinese. The canonical explanation for "lord" is that the word was originally the name of a bird, shaped like a kind of standard alcohol cup (named the same), and because alcohol drinking was a noble privilege, it was used for the name of lordship.