Maria Mendonça - Metaphors in the terminology of marketing in Portuguese

Communication entails the substitution of the objects you have in mind by words, these words, in the realm of science or technology are the terms. Terms are between knowledge and language. Despite being words, these terms denote concepts of scientific or technical knowledge, some of them framed by experience and culture are also metaphors.
   Only recently has terminology science recognised the role of cognitive metaphors not just to name material and immaterial objects, but to frame the concepts of scientific or technical knowledge.
   In our perspective, the metaphors in the terminology of marketing in Portuguese are not just decorative devices to embellish special subject languages; they are language devices that mirror thought and generate theory and therefore they are a means not only to deliver knowledge but also contribute to shape and build it.
   To identify the metaphors in the terminology of marketing we built a spectrum. At either end of the spectrum there is a term, both are borrowings from general language representing two distinct categories metaphors. The former, without losing any characteristics has acquired the necessary specifications to be considered a term and the latter, a term that has lost all its characteristics but got the necessary specifications to be considered a metaphoric term. Within the spectrum, there are still two other categories.
   Some metaphors identified in the terminology of marketing are related to the nature of human beings, the perception and knowledge they have of themselves, of their body and of their affective environment and the way they represent them. Other metaphors are related to the other living creatures of a universe whose centre is also occupied by Man. The representation of such creatures underlies the knowledge and perception Man has of them, the role they play in their universe and how they contribute to satisfy Man’s needs (real or symbolic). Still, other metaphors are based on the knowledge and perception Man has of their physical environment. However, there is another type of metaphors in the terminology of marketing, these terms are closely related to warfare and in praesentia or in absentia they shape marketing itself.
   Although these metaphors were grouped into categories according to a set of common characteristics and some others which split them up, all these metaphors belong to a major category which is framed by a social and cultural background which often leads to different categorisations. Moreover, all these terms name the concepts of a new realm of specialisation.