Source domain verification using corpus-based tools

Abstract

Source domain verification has not received as much attention as criteria for metaphor identification in the study of conceptual metaphor. In this paper, we provide a replicable approach to source domain verification which we hope will provide a foundation for new approaches to this important question. We adopt an empirical method extended from previous research that used corpus-based linguistic tools such as SUMO (Suggested Upper Merged Ontology), WordNet, collocational patterns and an online dictionary. We present a new, step-by-step procedure to verify which keywords may be categorized in the source domain of building, using data from the Corpus of Hong Kong Political Speeches which contains parsed Chinese-language speeches by Hong Kong Chief Executives of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1997–2014). Following the verification of a number of keywords in the building source domain, we discuss how this method may be adapted for other source domains and languages and discuss its application to various areas of study within metaphor research as well as the current limitations of this approach.