Discerning similarities: concept and word at the intersection of analogy and metaphor

English:The uniquely human abilities to analyse (in the sense of “distinguish” as well as “identify”) and to signify make possible the complex phenomena known to us as concepts and words. In debate with the theory of “conceptual metaphor” as developed by Lakoff and Johnson and with the earlier ideas of Cassirer, Rickert and Reichling, this article sets out to clarify the connections between the logical-analytical and the sign modes of reality. This approach proceeds from the ontological distinction between modes of being and concrete entities and actions. Although any concrete act of thinking or speaking functions in principle at once within the logical-analytical and the lingual aspects, this does not resolve the problem of the order relation between these two aspects, and more refined arguments are required.