This article deals with the functioning of the conceptual metaphors in the short stories of Luigi Pirandello (on the material of a collection of short stories "Novelle per un anno"). Conceptual metaphor appears as one of the central objects of studies within cognitive linguistics and represents the process of interaction between two conceptual domains, one of which (the source domain) helps to organize another (target domain).
The history of the formation of ideas about the concept of metaphor dates back to the time of antiquity, and to this day there is a continuing growing interest of researchers in the functioning of the metaphor in its interrelation with the language. For a long time, the metaphor was one of the central objects of linguistic research, in particular of rhetoric and stylistics, and was considered solely as a way of poetical expression of the surrounding reality. Thus, in the classical sense a metaphor is a figure of speech, in which occurs an implicit comparison of two objects based on their similarity.
In the second half of the twentieth century there is a rethinking of the concept of metaphor, in particular, from the standpoint of cognitive linguistics. Linguists perceive the metaphor as an element of the cognitive process and believe that language and thinking are closely interrelated, and that metaphor appears to be a natural factor in the process of expressing thoughts and ideas about the surrounding world. Thinking is therefore considered to be a metaphorical process, and metaphor is considered to be a key factor in the formation of speech. Within the cognitive paradigm, linguists focus on the functioning of a metaphor in the process of thinking, whereas its ornamental and expressive functions become less important. Through the usage of metaphors, people are able to express their ideas about the surrounding world, as well as to recreate their own thoughts and ideas, which form part of their unique world outlook.
The process of formation of conceptual metaphors occurs due to the existence of a number of conceptual correspondences between the elements of the source and target domains, or metaphorical mapping. The presence of structural, orientational and ontological metaphors in speech is a direct reflection of how language and thinking interact closely with one another. These metaphors are the reproduction of the universal human experience, as well as they can be determined by the purely individual peculiarities of the cognitive processes of the individual, due to cultural, biological and perceptual experiences. The cognitive function of structural metaphors is that the speaker is able to understand the content of the target domain through the prism of the source domain. This is achieved through means of conceptual metaphorical mapping of both domains. Orientational metaphors, unlike structural ones, do not form one concept in terms of another; they create a whole new system of concepts in relation to another system. Ontological metaphors operate with abstract concepts related to human existence, which are often quite complex in terms of description or explanation. Ontological metaphors in the short stories of L. Pirandello represent the author's perception and description of the human experience of handling material objects, in particular as regards the human body as a container of emotions and feelings and container metaphors in general, as well as the introduction of personification in relation to emotions.
Conceptual metaphors in the short stories of L. Pirandello acquire a positive, neutral and negative evaluative component and are the reflection of the writer's thinking and shaping his conceptual image of the world, in particular concerning conceptual metaphors related to emotions, ideas and states. There are numerous orientational metaphors as well as ontological metaphors related to human experience and abstract concepts. Also, in the short stories of L. Pirandello there are structural metaphors, which are often more or less universal in terms of expressing abstract concepts with the help of concrete ones. After analyzing the examples of the functioning of conceptual ontological, orientational and structural metaphors, it is important to note that in the work of L. Pirandello conceptual metaphors are connected with the psychological state of the characters associated with emotions related to the feeling of the existential crisis, and sometimes to the emotions of despair, sorrow, anxiety, pain. Many of the metaphors also have a relatively neutral evaluative meaning and describe the emotional state of the characters immersed in calm, meditative reflection on their lives. Some metaphors have a positive evaluative meaning, thus creating the contrast effect of the transition from one emotional state to another.
Exploring the functioning of conceptual metaphors in L. Pirandello's short stories, it is fair to say that they are an important component of the author's discourse and represent the conceptual image of the writer's world. This gives a reason to conclude that the use of a conceptual metaphor in discourse directly influences the way people perceive the surrounding world, therefore conceptual metaphors are part of thought and discourse formation, and are a reflection of the perception of the world.
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