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Plant metaphors for the expression of emotions 13

relationship is regarded as Iow at the beginning of such a relationship. It is considered high when such a relationship is well-developed, which is why the ripe fruit image is used.

In (21), fear is considered to be caused by the Iow degree or lack of certainty and, when that level increases, fear disappears. Again, these two States, fear and certainty, are regarded as different points on the same developmental continuum. Fear represents the beginning of that continuum and certainty is situated at the opposite end.

Furthermore, our positive associations with ripe fruits can be explained by the well-known fact that fruits were an important source of food in human evolution.

Some fruits have a sweet taste whereas other fruits taste bitter. Thus, some metaphorical expressions make use of a bitter fruit image. For example, (22) bitter fruit of love, (23) bitter fruit of anger etc. It can be concluded that bad conseąuences of an emotion are likely to be associated with bitter fruits. Moreover, the ripe fruit image as discussed above is linked to positive emotions. As we know, ripe fruits are sweet; thus sweet fruits are associated with positive emotions.

Furthermore, in our evolutionary past, people had a strong need to distinguish between poisonous and edible fruits and vegetables. According to evolutionary biologists, dislike of bitter things developed to enable humans to escape poisoning. (Basic Taste, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami).

Generally speaking, we have a tendency to associate good emotions with sweet food and bad emotions with bitter food. For example, the expressions, sweet happiness, sweet joy, or utterances of endearment like sugar, sweetheart, honey, sweetie-pie, cheesecake have positive connotations, whereas bitter sorrow, bitterness, bitter disappointment and bitter row have negative connotations. Therefore, the bitter fruit image is a variation of this generał conceptualisation.

The last stage in a plant’s life cycle is withering. In some emotion expressions, a withering plant represents a fading emotion. Withering metaphors have been known from ancient times. For example, they can be found in the text of the Bibie: