Metaphorical interpretation of intellectual phenomena as water / liquid

The present paper deals with the metaphorical segment of the Russian linguistic picture of the world, wheremetaphors with the semantics of water / liquid are used to describe intellectual activity. The methodology of the research combinestechniques of structural semantics (componential analysis and distributive analysis) and cognitive linguistics (linguistic modelling andintrospection). In the article some basic source images participating in metaphorical modelling of intellectual phenomena (thoughts,ideas, mind, etc.) as water / liquid are considered: 1) motion of water / liquid; 2) variation of temperature and / or aggregate state of water/ liquid; 3) turbidity of water / liquid; 4) absorption of water / liquid. The correspondence between these source images and concretesituations of intellectual activity described metaphorically is revealed. The emergence of ideas, memories, etc., as well as the developmentof thought process is interpreted by source image of motion of water / liquid. The perception of information is metaphorically representedas absorption of water / liquid. The intensity of thought processes is compared to seething of water / liquid. The inability tothink clearly is interpreted by source image of turbid water / liquid. The disappearance of ideas, memories, etc. is metaphorically representedas a transition from the liquid state into the gaseous one. The majority of metaphors examined in this article are axiologicallyneutral, but in particular contexts an evaluative component may be present. The exception is the metaphors describing inability to thinkclearly, which have a pronounced negative evaluation. In metaphors with the semantics of water / liquid, which are used to describeintellectual activity, the idea of passivity of a person to thought processes is mainly embodied. A thinking person is chiefly interpreted asan object of influence of ideas, thoughts, memories, etc., or a container in which they are. Thus, the conclusion is made that the use ofmetaphors with the semantics of water / liquid is a widespread and productive way to characterize the intellectual activity in the Russianlinguistic picture of the world.

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