A Historical Inquiry Into The Linguistic Analogy In Architecture

Linguistic Analogy In Architecture

Abstract

This article scrutinizes the analogies between architecture and language from a historical perspective. It traces linguistic analogies in architecture from their early formations to the contemporary modes. The author suggests that linguistic analogies have  stimulated architectural design thinking, and they have performed as cognitive tools for the production and interpretation of architectural knowledge. Analogies are often employed to understand and explain the unexplored nature of complex and less known entities by likening them to something familiar and approachable. Through analogical reasoning, the knowledge that exists for one substance transfers to another substance, about which there may not exist a clear cognition. Within the architectural context, the less known architectural substance has become observable through the more recognizable insights of other domains. It is evident, though, that not all analogies are rewarding; but, linguistic analogies in architecture sustained a centuries-long tradition due to their contribution to the expansion of the theoretical frontiers of architecture. A
historical inquiry into the linguistic analogies in architecture thus unveils both the predicaments and ideals in architecture.