Since sign language uses a visual and gestural mode it has more restrictions in designating concepts compared to spoken language, which uses an auditory-vocal mode. Therefore, sign language is prone to using more metaphorical and metonymical expressions. Since Lakoff and Johnson (1980), many researchers have paid great attention to the observation of the metaphorical and metonymical expressions in various spoken languages. However, the same phenomena have not been thoroughly explored in sign languages, in spite of the fact that sign language frequently employs metaphor and metonymy even in basic words. This paper observes the types of metaphor and metonymy that are used in the adjectives of Korean Sign Language. Because of the arbitrary relation of form and meaning in spoken language, metaphor and metonymy cannot be found in morphologically simple words in spoken language. However, in sign language, metaphor and metonymy are widespread phenomena even in morphologically simple words.

Since the birth of the theories of conceptual metaphor and conceptual metonymy in cognitive linguistics, there have been massive advancements in the study thereof, leading to a focus of attention on the interactions between them. However, the studies of their interplay have mostly covered verbal expressions. The purpose of this study is not only to examine the systemic and elaborate patterns in which metaphor interacts with metonymy in a combination of verbal and visual languages using tools such as sequencing and cueing, but also to demonstrate the systemic process of realization of the two cognitive mechanisms. Moreover, I present the elements of Idealized Cognitive Models in metonymic mappings, including the relationship between domain and category. The data of the prototypical Great Chain of Being metaphor is ideal to achieve optimal accuracy and specificity in the study results.