Dating "A Figure of Thought"

G. Lakoff's analysis of the metaphor "Love is a journey" ("A Figure of Thought," Metaphor and Symbolic Activity, 1986, 1, 215-225) is examined. It is argued that Lakoff failed to take into account the history of communication theory with regard to figures of thought. It is argued that although Lakoff may have shed new light on the issues, the distinction between figures of thought & figures of speech was made two millenia ago. 4 References. B. Annesser Murray