Some Psycholinguistic Aspects of Metaphor

Abstract

In view of the variety of implicit and explicit definitions of metaphor in the philosophical, psychological, and linguistic literature, this chapter reviews the “standard” definition of metaphor. It attempts to furnish an alternative definition of metaphor that seems to accord better with the facts. The chapter discusses various issues related to the processes involved in the comprehension of metaphors. All metaphors give rise to what is usually called metaphorical tension, which is a result of the conceptual incompatibility inherent in a metaphor taken in its context. The comprehension of the metaphor requires the elimination of the tension, that is, the elimination of aspects of the meaning of words, phrases or sentences that when interpreted literally give rise to tension. The general point that needs to be emphasized is that if something is a metaphor then it will be contextually anomalous if interpreted literally. The psychological implications of a Gricean approach to metaphor seem clear enough.

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