Metaphor-based meaning excavation

Excavating the meaning of a target term is a challenge facing information sciences and various applications of Web 3.0. In this paper, we present a novel method for excavating the meaning of a target term by analyzing metaphors in which the term is embedded. More specifically, we (1) review some of the basic theoretical difficulties associated with the dominant cognitive theories of metaphor; (2) outline a mathematical model of metaphor that addresses some of these difficulties; (3) introduce a novel method for excavating metaphor-based meaning; and (4) illustrate the relevance of the methodology and the potential applications of the model with a concrete example.