Chapter 9:Challenges to Metaphorical Coherence

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My Summary of Chapter 9
1. Metaphors and metonymy help us understand experiences in a structured way.
2. Metaphors and metonymy are not random but form coherent systems. However, some everyday metaphors seem to contradict each other.
These contradictions often disappear upon closer study.
3. What looks like metaphorical conflict is actually coherent in use. People may mix some expressions which seem like a metaphorical contradiction with no confusion. One example is how English speakers talk about time. For example ‘We’re looking ahead to the following weeks.’ uses both "ahead" and "following" for the future but still makes perfect sense to native speakers.
My Reflection
Metaphors, which are not random, help us understand the world in a clear way. Some metaphors sound confusing or even wrong may still be used and well understood by people,which is very interesting and reminds me of how we use internet slang in our online communication with peers. Sometimes we say things sound strange, like "yyds" or "emo" , but everyone understands them well. Language can be flexible and creative. Even when words seem to fight each other, they can still make sense. That’s really interesting, isn’t it?