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Prof. dr. G.J. (Gerard) Steen

Language and Communication
Faculty of Humanities
Capaciteitsgroep Taalbeheersing, Argumentatietheorie en Retorica
Photographer: Dirk Gillissen
Visiting address
  • Spuistraat 134
Postal address
  • Postbus 1637
    1000 BP Amsterdam
Contact details
  • CV

    I am professor of Language and Communication ('Taalbeheersing') in the Department of Dutch Studies, for which I currently serve as Head of Department. I previously held chairs at VU University Amsterdam in Language and Communication (2013-2014) and in Language Use and Cognition (2007-2013). Prior to that I had positions as lecturer at VU University Amsterdam in English Language and Linguistics (and before then in Poetics) and the University of Tilburg in Discourse Studies (CIW), and as instructor at the University of Utrecht (in English Language and Linguistics).

    For a recent interview about my work on metaphor in contrast with the work by Ray Gibbs, see the biangle interview by Katerina Rasulic published in Metaphor and the Social World 2017 (7:1): http://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/msw.7.1.09ras.

    An update of my views on metaphor can be found in my recent article on Deliberate Metaphor Theory: http://metaphorlab.org/deliberate-metaphor-theory-basic-assumptions-main-tenets-urgent-issues/.

    In January 2017, The Routledge Handbook of Pragmatics, co-edited with Anne Barron and Yueguo Gu, was published with Routledge: https://books.google.nl/books/about/The_Routledge_Handbook_of_Pragmatics.html?id=ntDzDQAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y.

    In June 2016, Genre in Language, Discourse and Cognition, co-edited with Ninke Stukker and Wilbert Spooren, came out with Mouton de Gruyter: https://books.google.nl/books?id=V4UqDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT9&lpg=PT9&dq=stukker+genre+language+cognition&source=bl&ots=0AyheYBwNq&sig=JKNnIoUHCuoWY6OknPkWdAzuIig&hl=nl&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiizfPLmc3NAhXKDxoKHc7BB3wQ6AEINTAD#v=onepage&q&f=false.

    For a complete CV, see the attachment.

    LIfe is life: Changing perspectives in linguistics
  • Research

    My research is about metaphor, genre, and language in discourse. I recently co-published The Routledge Handbook of Pragmatics, with Anne Barron and Yueguo Gu (Routledge, 2017) and Genre in Language, Discourse and Cognition, with Ninke Stukker and Wilbert Spooren (Mouton, 2016). Many of my publications can be downloaded from https://amsterdam.academia.edu/GerardSteen.

    I am Principal Applicant of the NWO Vrije Competitie program 'Resistance to metaphor', with 3 PhD and 2 postdoc positions (2016-2021).

    I serve as advisor to Christian Burgers' NWO Veni project ‘Figurative framing: How metaphor, hyperbole and irony shape public discourse’, 2014-2017.

    I am principal advisor of the following PhD theses:

    • Jie Fu, 'Metaphor in aphasia', ACLC, UvA, 2016-2020.
    • Andreas Finsen, 'Resistance to metaphor in science', ACLC, UvA, with Jean Wagemans, 2016-202.
    • Kiki Renardel de Lavalette, 'Resistance to metaphor in politics', ACLC, UvA, with Corina Andone, 2016-2020.
    • Dunja Wackers, 'Resistance to metaphor in the media', ACLC, UvA, with José Plug, 2016-2020.
    • Britta Brugman, 'How metaphorical frames influence voters'decision in political decision making', with Barbara Vis and Christian Burgers, 2016-2020.
    • Romy van den Heerik, ‘Metaphor in health communication’, ACLC, UvA, with Christian Burgers, and Charlotte van Hooijdonk, 2016-2020.
    • Amber Boeynaems, ‘Dynamics of figurative frames in Dutch public discourse,’ with Elly Konijn and Christian Burgers, 2014-2018.
    • Gudrun Reijnierse, ‘The value of deliberate metaphor’, with Christian Burgers and Tina Krennmayr, NWO P-GW, 2011-2016.

    I am co-advisor of the following PhD theses:

    • Pia Sommerauer, 'Resolving distortions in semantic spaces defined by words by analysing relations between word, sense and reference', with Piek Vossen, NWO P-GW, 2017-2021
    • Anke Beger, ‘Metaphor in college lectures,’ with University of Flensburg, Flensburg Germany, 2011 – 2016, with Olaf Jaekel.

    I am advisor of the following postdoc projects:

    • Roosmaryn Pilgram, 'Testing resistance to metaphor', with Jean Wagemans, 2017-2018
    • Lotte van Poppel, 'Modeling Resistance to metaphor', with Jean Wagemans, 2017-2018

    My next invited talks about parts of this research are:

    • 'Deliberate Metaphor Theory and Style', Third International Communication Styles Conference, Krosno, Poland, 22-24 October 2017
    • 'Deliberateness and creativity in metaphorical language, cognition and communication', Metaphor: links between knowledge and semantical-conceptual innovation, Reggia Emilia, Italy, 9-10 November 2017
  • Teaching

    My teaching in 2017-2018 includes part of the 100 course on Leading Question in Cognition, Language and Communication in the BA CLC program, individual Tutorials in the RMA programs for Linguistics and for CIW (Communication, Rhetoric and Argumentation), and Research Internships in the RMA Cognitive Science.

  • Service

    In 2017-2018 I serve as chair of the Department of Dutch Studies, chair of the TAR group, director of the Metaphor Lab Amsterdam (http://metaphorlab.org), director of the research program on Metaphor in Discourse in the ACLC (http://aclc.uva.nl/research/groups/groups/groups/content/folder/metaphor-lab-amsterdam/methaphor_lab_amsterdam.html), and member of the advisory board of the ACLC (http://aclc.uva.nl/). I am also a member of the advisory board of Neuro Humanities Studies, University of Catania (http://www.neurohumanitiestudies.eu/), and of the Scientific Advisory Board Nederlab (www.nederlab.nl).

    I am chair of the Metaphor Festival 2017, an international conference in figuration, from 31 August through 3 September 2017 .

    I am Associate Editor of the journal of Metaphor and Symbol, and member of the editorial board of Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing, metaphorik.de, Scientific Study of Literature, Metaphor and the Social World, Functions of Language, Journal of Pragmatics, Language and Literature, and Review of Cognitive Linguistics.

    I am series editor of the book series Metaphor in Language, Cognition and Communication (Amsterdam: John Benjamins) and a member of the scientific committee for the Neuro Humanities Studies book series YouRS—Young Researchers Studies in Neurohumanities (University of Catania, Italy), of Valencia Press at Universitat Politècnica de València, of the book series Figurative Thought and Language (Amsterdam: John Benjamins), and of the book series Cognitive Linguistic Studies in Cultural Contexts (Amsterdam: John Benjamins).

  • Publications

    2022

    • Boeynaems, A., Burgers, C. F., Konijn, E. A., & Steen, G. J. (Accepted/In press). Attractive or Repellent? How Right-Wing Populist Voters Respond to Figuratively Framed Anti-Immigration Rhetoric. Communications : The European Journal of Communication Research.
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. Y., Andone, C., & Steen, G. J. (2022). The use of clarificatory metaphors in argumentative discourse in British Public Bill Committee debates. Text & Talk. https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2020-0101, https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2020-0101

    2021

    • Finsen, A. B., Steen, G. J., & Wagemans, J. H. M. (2021). How do scientists criticize the computer metaphor of the brain? Using an argumentative pattern for reconstructing resistance to metaphor. Journal of Argumentation in Context, 10(2), 171-201. https://doi.org/10.1075/jaic.19018.bil [details]
    • Wackers, D. Y. M., Plug, H. J., & Steen, G. J. (2021). “For crying out loud, don't call me a warrior”: Standpoints of resistance against violence metaphors for cancer. Journal of Pragmatics, 174, 68-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.12.021 [details]

    2020

    • Droog, E., Burgers, C., & Steen, G. J. (2020). How Satirists Alternate Between Discursive Modes: An Introduction of the Humoristic Metaphors in Satirical News (HMSN) Typology. International Journal of Communication : IJoC, 14, 3964-3985. [details]
    • Reijnierse, W. G., Burgers, C., Krennmayr, T., & Steen, G. J. (2020). The role of co-text in the analysis of potentially deliberate metaphor. In C. Di Biase-Dyson, & M. Egg (Eds.), Drawing Attention to Metaphor: Case studies across time periods, cultures and modalities (pp. 15-38). (Figurative thought and language; Vol. 5). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/ftl.5.02rei [details]
    • Wackers, D. Y. M., Plug, H. J., & Steen, G. J. (2020). Violence metaphors for cancer: Pragmatic and symptomatic arguments against. Metaphor and the Social World, 10(1), 121-140. https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.19005.wac [details]

    2019

    • Bolognesi, M., & Steen, G. J. (2019). Introduction. In M. Bolognesi, & G. J. Steen (Eds.), Perspectives on Abstract Concepts: Cognition, language and communication (pp. 1-13). (Human cognitive processing (HCP); Vol. 65). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.65.01bol [details]
    • Bolognesi, M., & Steen, G. J. (Eds.) (2019). Perspectives on Abstract Concepts: Cognition, language and communication. (Human cognitive processing (HCP); Vol. 65). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.65 [details]
    • Cuccio, V., & Steen, G. (2019). Deliberate metaphors and embodied simulation. In I. Navarro i Ferrando (Ed.), Current approaches to metaphor analysis in discourse (pp. 185-203). (Applications of Cognitive Linguistics [ACL]; Vol. 39). De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/9783110629460-009 [details]
    • Finsen, A. B., Steen, G. J., & Wagemans, J. H. M. (2019). An argumentative reconstruction of the computer metaphor of the brain. Journal of Argumentation in Context, 8(3), 317-335. https://doi.org/10.1075/jaic.18019.fin [details]
    • Nacey, S., Dorst, A. G., Krennmayr, T., Reijnierse, W. G., & Steen, G. J. (2019). MIPVU in multiple languages. In S. Nacey , A. G. Dorst, T. Krennmayr, & W. G. Reijnierse (Eds.), Metaphor Identification in Multiple Languages: MIPVU across the world (pp. 2-21). (Converging evidence in language and communication research; Vol. 22). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/celcr.22.01nac [details]
    • Reijnierse, W. G., Burgers, C., Krennmayr, T., & Steen, G. J. (2019). Metaphor in communication: The distribution of potentially deliberate metaphor across register and word class. Corpora, 14(3), 301-326. https://doi.org/10.3366/cor.2019.0176 [details]
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. Y., Andone, C., & Steen, G. J. (2019). Figurative analogies and how they are resisted in British Public Bill Committee debates. Metaphor and the Social World, 9(1), 107-130. https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.17027.lav [details]
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. Y., Andone, C., & Steen, G. J. (2019). I did not say that the Government should be plundering anybody's savings: Resistance to metaphors expressing starting points in parliamentary debates. Journal of Language and Politics, 18(5), 718-738. https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.18066.ren [details]
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. Y., Steen, G., & Burgers, C. (2019). How to Identify Moral Language in Presidential Speeches: A comparison between a social-psychological and a cognitive-linguistic approach to corpus analysis. Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory, 15(2), 239-265. https://doi.org/10.1515/cllt-2016-0007 [details]
    • Steen, G. J., Dorst, A. G., Herrmann, J. B., Kaal, A. A., Krennmayr, T., & Pasma, T. (2019). MIPVU: A manual for identifying metaphor-related words. In S. Nacey, A. G. Dorst, T. Krennmayr, & W. G. Reijnierse (Eds.), Metaphor Identification in Multiple Languages: MIPVU across the world (pp. 24-40). (Converging evidence in language and communication research; Vol. 22). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/celcr.22.02ste [details]

    2018

    2017

    2016

    2015

    2017

    2016

    • Stukker, N., Spooren, W., & Steen, G. (Eds.) (2016). Genre in language, discourse and cognition. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. [details]

    2018

    • Steen, G. J. (2018). Een onontkoombaar verval of een plastisch en dus kneedbaar brein: Metaforisch denken en spreken over dementie. Neerlandia, 122(3).

    2016

    • Renardel de Lavalette, K., Burgers, C., & Steen, G. (2016). Verzorgende ouder of strenge vader: Morele metaforen in Amerikaanse politiek. Tekst[blad], 22(2), 12-15. [details]
    • Steen, G. (2016). “Life is life”: Changing perspectives in linguistics. (Oratiereeks; No. 560). Universiteit van Amsterdam. [details]

    Journal editor

    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2018). Lingua (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2015). John Benjamins (Publisher).
    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2015). Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (editor) (2011). Scientific Study of Literature (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2011). metaphorik.de (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (editor) (2010). John Benjamins (Publisher).
    • Steen, G. (editor) (2010-2019). John Benjamins (Publisher).
    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2010). Metaphor and the Social World (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2003). Journal of Pragmatics (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2003). Functions of Language (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2003). Language and Literature (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (member of editorial board) (2002). Review of Cognitive Linguistics (Journal).
    • Steen, G. (editor) (2002). Metaphor and Symbol (Journal).

    Talk / presentation

    • Andone, C. (speaker), Renardel de Lavalette, K. (speaker) & Steen, G. (speaker) (18-6-2020). Uses and functions of figurative analogy arguments in British parliamentary debates, Researching and Applying Metaphor Conference.
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. (speaker), Andone, C. (speaker) & Steen, G. (speaker) (24-6-2019). Figurative analogy argumentation in British Public Bill Committee debates, European Conference in Argumentation, Groningen.
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. (speaker), Andone, C. (speaker) & Steen, G. (speaker) (16-5-2019). Figurative analogy argumentation in British Public Bill Committee debates, The 7th Researching and Applying Metaphor seminar, Liege.
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. Y. (speaker), Andone, C. (speaker) & Steen, G. (speaker) (7-2018). Countering metaphors expressing starting points in political debates, The 9th Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation, Amsterdam.
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. (speaker), Andone, C. (speaker) & Steen, G. (speaker) (7-2-2018). Countering figurative analogies in British Public Bill Committee debates, ARGAGE 2018 Conference, Lugano.
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. Y. (speaker), Andone, C. (speaker) & Steen, G. (speaker) (2018). Countering metaphors expressing starting points in political debates, The 12th International conference on researching and applying metaphor, Hong Kong.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (9-11-2017). Deliberateness and creativity in metaphorical language, cognition and communication, Metaphor, Reggio Emila.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (23-10-2017). Deliberate Metaphor Theory (DMT and style, Third international communication styles conference, Krosno.
    • Renardel de Lavalette, K. Y. (speaker), Andone, C. (speaker) & Steen, G. J. (speaker) (31-8-2017). Resistance to metaphor in British Public Bill Committee Debates, Metaphor Festival, Amsterdam.
    • Steen, G. (invited speaker) (31-7-2017). Analogy, utterance comprehension, and metaphor, Symposium abstract relational thinking: metaphor, spatial representation, and creativity, Paris.
    • Steen, G. (invited speaker) (25-5-2017). Metaphor and argumentation in discourse, Metaphor and argumentation, Cagliari.
    • Steen, G. (invited speaker) (22-5-2017). Metaphor and cognition, Metaphors of the mind, Roma.
    • Steen, G. (invited speaker) (23-2-2017). Metaphor as a model of scientific knowledge, Sapienza University Rome.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (10-10-2016). A model for metaphor in scientific knowledge and science communication, Metaphor as a means of knowledge communication, Perm.
    • Steen, G. (invited speaker) (30-9-2016). Stijl tussen taal en communicatie, Neerlandistiek met stijl, Leiden.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (7-7-2016). Core conepts of DMT, The premeditated path, Berlin.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (19-5-2016). Food as metaphor, Second international conference on food and culture in translation, Catania.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (14-4-2016). Language and discourse via genre, 10th international IDEA conference, Istanbul.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (2-12-2015). Life is life, Metaphor and discourse IV, Castellon de la Plana.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (23-10-2015). Life, metaphor and beer, ELLSTAT 5, Belgrade.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (7-10-2015). Metaphor in The Cancer Poetry Project, Vth international conference on metaphor in language and thought, Belo Horizonte.
    • Steen, G. (invited speaker) (3-7-2015). MIP, VIP, and HIP, 2nd reliability workshop, Amsterdam.
    • Steen, G. (invited speaker) (8-6-2015). Why Deliberate Metaphor Theory does have a future, University of Palermo.
    • Steen, G. (keynote speaker) (6-6-2015). Discourse conditions for creative metaphor use, 2nd international neuro humanities studies dialogue, Catania.
    • Steen, G. (invited speaker) (19-3-2015). A 3D model for metaphor, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou.

    2021

    2017

    2021

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