Stroo
p
tests
have been
done
with
metaphor
as
well.
人们也用
Stroop
测试了暗喻。
The
participants
ha
d
to
identify, as quickl
y a
s possible,
the literally false sentences.
参与者必须尽快识别出字面上错误的句子。
They too
k
longer
to
reje
c
t metaphor
s a
s false
than
they di
d
to
reje
c
t literally fal
se
sentences.
他们拒绝隐错误的句子所花的时间比拒绝字面错误的句子所花的时间要长。
Why?
为什么？
Because we canno
t i
gnore the
metaphorical mean
ing o
f
words either, fo
r e
xample, o
ne o
f the
sentences was "Some jobs are jails."
因为我们无法忽视单词的比喻意义，例如，其中一句话是
“
有些工作是监狱。
”
Now, unless
you'
re a
prison guar
d your
self,
the
sentence "Some jobs are jails." is literally false.
除非你自己是一名狱警，否则
“
有些工作是监狱
”
这句话从字面上来看就是错误的。
Sa
d
ly, it's metaphorically true.
不巧的是，从比喻意义上来说，它是对的。
An
d
the
metaphorical truth interferes wi
th
our
ability
to
identify i
t a
s literally false.
而比喻上的正确干扰了我们对它字面错误的判断力。
Metaphor matters becau
se
it's
a
roun
d u
s every day, all the time.
暗喻之所以重要，是因为它无时无刻不在我们身边。
How
an
d i
n
wha
t
ways does metaphor matter?
暗喻如何以及以什么方式起作用？
Well, I'
d
say metaphor matters, firs
t
of
a
ll, becau
se
i
t
creates expe
c
tations.
嗯，我想说暗喻很重要，首先，因为它创造了期望。
So pay carefu
l a
ttention the nex
t
time you rea
d
some financial news.
所以，下次你看财经新闻的时候，一定要留意。
Agen
t
metaphors descri
be
price movements as the deliberate action
o
f a
living thing, a
s i
n "The NASDAQ climb
ed
higher."
拟人化的暗喻用来描述价格运动，就像是有人有意那么做。比如：
“NASDAQ
指数攀至新高
”
Obje
ct
metaphors descri
be
price movements as non-living things, a
s i
n "The Dow fell li
ke a
brick."
拟物化的暗喻用物体来描述价格运动，比如：
'
道琼斯指数像砖头一样下跌。
'
Researchers once aske
d
a
grou
p o
f
people
to
rea
d
marke
t
commentaries,
an
d
then
predict the nex
t
day's price trend.
研究人员请一群人在读了一些股评之后，来预测第二天的股价走势。
Those expos
ed
to
agen
t
metaphors
ha
d
highe
r e
xpe
c
tations
tha
t
price trends
woul
d
continue.
那些读过拟人化暗喻的人更多地期待股价走势会持续。
And they had tho
se e
xpe
c
tations because agen
t
metaphors imply
the
deliberate action
o
f a
living thing pursu
ing a
goal.
而他们这样期待是由于拟人化的暗喻暗示了有人在刻意追逐一个目标。
If, fo
r e
xample, house prices
are
routinely describe
d
a
s
climbing
an
d
climbing, higher
an
d
higher, people migh
t
naturally assume tha
t
rise i
s i
ncessant.
如果房价总是被说成是不断攀升，越走越高，人们自然会以为房价上升势不可挡。
Also, metaphor matters becau
se
i
t
influences decisions by activating analogies.
此外，暗喻之所以重要，是因为它通过激活类比来影响决策。
Le
t
me give y
ou
an
e
xample, which wa
s a
c
tuall
y
an
e
xperiment.
我来给大家举个例子，它其实是一个实验。
A grou
p
o
f
students
was
tol
d
tha
t
a
small country
ha
d
bee
n
i
nvaded
an
d
ha
d
ask
ed
for help.
一群学生被告知，一个小国被入侵并寻求帮助。
An
d
they
ha
d
to
ma
ke
a
decision. Wha
t
shoul
d
they do?
他们必须做出决定。他们应该怎么做呢？
Intervene, appeal
to
the Unit
ed
Nations,
or
jus
t
do nothing?
干预，向联合国申诉，还是袖手旁观？
They were each then given on
e
o
f
the three descriptions
of
this hypothetical crisis.
这个假想的危机有三种不同的解释，他们每人听到了其中的一种。
Ea
ch
o
f
the three descriptions was design
ed
to
trigger
a
different historica
l a
nalogy: World War II, Vietnam,
an
d
the thir
d
was historically neutral.
每个解释意在引起对不同历史事件的类比：二战，越战，或者一个中性的事件。
Those expos
ed
to
the World War II scenario ma
de
more interventionis
t
recommendations than th
e o
thers.
听到二战类比的学生比其他学生更多地建议美国干预这场危机。
Thi
s
shows
tha
t
ju
s
t
a
s we cannot ignore the literal mean
ing
o
f
words, we cannot ignore the analogies tha
t are
trigger
ed
by metaphor.
这表明，正如我们不能忽视单词的字面意义一样，我们也不能忽视由暗喻引发的类比。
Metaphor matters because it opens the door
to
discovery.
暗喻很重要，因为它开启了发现的大门。
Whenever we sol
ve
a
problem, or ma
ke
a
discovery, we compare wha
t
we know with wha
t
we don'
t
know.
每当我们要解决问题，或做新的探索时，我们就把已知和未知进行比较。
An
d
th
e on
ly way
to
fin
d out a
bou
t
the latter is
to
investigate the ways i
t
migh
t
be li
ke
the former.
而我们发现未知的唯一途径就是探讨未知和已知有何相似性。
Now we know tha
t
metaphor is ubiquitous, ye
t i
t's hidden.
暗喻虽然无处不在，却是隐藏身形。
Bu
t
you
jus
t
have to
loo
k
a
t
the wor
ds a
roun
d you
an
d
you'll fin
d
i
t
.
而你只要注意周围的用词，就可以找到它。
Ralph Waldo Emerson describ
ed
language as "fossil poetry".
诗人艾默生曾将语言描述为
“
化石般的诗
”
。
Bu
t
before
i
t
was fossil metaphor.
但在那之前，它是化石般的暗喻。
An
d
