The project is fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation
Program: Installation research project
Project number: 3624
Principal investigator: dr. sc. Kristina Štrkalj Despot
Institution the project is conducted at: Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics
Head of Institution: dr. sc. Željko Jozić
Project name: Croatian Metaphor Repository
Project acronym: Meta4Cro
Area of research: Humanities
Research field: Philology
Project website: http://ihjj.hr/metafore/
Program and deadline: UIP 11-2013
Duration (months): 36
Members of research team:
Dr. sc. Kristina Štrkalj Despot
Prof. dr. Mario Brdar
Prof. dr. Mario Essert
Dr. sc. Mirjana Tonković
Dr. sc. Benedikt Perak
Dr. sc. Bruno Nahod
Dr. sc. Ana Ostroški Anić
Ivan Pandžić
IT support:
Juraj Benić
Jakov Topić
Project summary
The Croatian Metaphor Repository project involves: theoretical research of conceptual metaphor, metonymy, image schemas and frames in the Croatian language from a synchronic and diachronic perspective; computational linguistic research on metaphor in natural language processing and artificial intelligence involving developing tools for semi-automatic metaphor detection and semi-automatic extraction of linguistic metaphors; psychological experiments to further explain the nature of the links between concept meaning and perception as manifested through primary metaphors. The applied goal of the project is to create a metaphorical language database ‒ the Croatian Metaphor Repository. The database will be available on the Internet. It will include the following levels: conceptual metaphors, linguistic metaphors, image schemas, cogs and frames. Metaphors will be divided by type (primary, complex and entailed metaphors), by level (general, specific), and by family (Event Structure Metaphors, Mind Metaphors, Morality Metaphors, Scalar Metaphors, Time Metaphors, Emotion Metaphors, Economics Metaphors, Governance Metaphors, Cascade Metaphors, Wellbeing Metaphors etc.). The theoretical background for the linguistic analysis of conceptual metaphors is the Neural Theory of Language and Thought and the Neural Theory of Metaphor. Formal annotation tools are taken from embodied construction grammar. Both theoretical research and the creation of the repository will significantly advance Croatian cognitive and computational linguistics, artificial intelligence studies and the research of language and learning processes. The database will allow for generalizations and will become a very useful tool for cross-linguistic and cross-cultural research of metaphor and thought leading to further development of the theory and the field and to understanding how people learn, understand, and use language. The project has significant potential for further international development.