Metaphoric extension, relational categories, and abstraction

Dedre Gentner; Jennifer Asmuth

doi:10.1080/23273798.2017.1410560

Metaphoric extension, relational categories, and abstraction

Dedre Gentner^*, Jennifer Asmuth

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

We propose that concepts exist along a continuum of abstraction, from highly concrete to highly abstract, and we explore a critical kind of abstract category: relational abstractions. We argue that these relational categories emerge gradually from concrete concepts through a process of progressive analogical abstraction that renders their common structure more salient. This account is supported by recent findings in historical linguistics, language acquisition and neuroscience. We suggest that analogical abstraction provides a major route for the development of abstractions in language and cognition.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1298-1307
Number of pages	10
Journal	Language, Cognition and Neuroscience
Volume	34
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2017.1410560
State	Published - Nov 26 2019

Keywords

Analogical abstraction
career of metaphor
concept development
progressive alignment
relational categories

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Language and Linguistics
Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Linguistics and Language
Cognitive Neuroscience

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Metaphoric extension, relational categories, and abstraction

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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