Metaphorical structures of linguistic and visual expressions concerning biotechnology and their communicative effects

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We explored the possibility of application of Conceptual Metaphor Theory to real world issues including biotechnology, especially GM products and their circulation in society. Visual and linguistic samples of metaphorical expressions were collected from various web pages, which were analyzed in terms of their metaphorical structures and the effects they may have on communication. Experiments were also carried out to test the hypothesis that conceptual metaphors can affect our reasoning. We found that frame-based inferences tended to be influenced by the metaphor embedded in a passage,whilepeople’sattitudesandvalueswerelessaffectedbymetaphors.These findings were presented at several conferences. To discuss how to use such findings to help resolve social and economical issues, we held an open symposium inviting linguists and GM technology experts as well as those in administration of agriculture.