How linguistic structure influences and helps to predict metaphoric meaning

Type of content
Journal Article
Thesis discipline
Degree name
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
Date
2013
Authors
Dunn J
Abstract

This paper argues that two properties of the linguistic structure of an utterance influence and partially determine whether the utterance has a metaphoric meaning that results in a stable interpretation: (i) degree of metaphoricity and (ii) degree of metaphoric saturation. A majority of metaphoric utterances in a corpus study (66%) were unsaturated, low metaphoricity utterances that behave as expected by Max Black and the cognitive linguistics paradigm. However, a significant minority (34%) of the metaphoric utterances were saturated or high metaphoricity utterances that behave partially as expected by Donald Davidson and others working in his tradition. This suggests that the direct and indirect interpretation views of metaphor are not incompatible but apply to different sub-groups of metaphoric utterances. The paper then constructs a model of metaphoric meaning that makes falsifiable predictions about the interpretations of metaphoric utterances in order to provide further evidence that unsaturated, low metaphoricity utterances have stable interpretations. This research provides both converging evidence for the cognitive linguistic view of metaphor and also a framework for limiting its scope to most, but not all, metaphoric utterances.

Description
Citation
Dunn J (2013). How linguistic structure influences and helps to predict metaphoric meaning. Cognitive Linguistics. 24(1). 33-66.
Keywords
existence of metaphoric meaning, linguistic properties of metaphoric utterances, predicting interpretations of metaphoric utterances, behavior of lexicalized meaning during forced metaphorization
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Fields of Research::47 - Language, communication and culture::4704 - Linguistics::470409 - Linguistic structures (incl. phonology, morphology and syntax)
Field of Research::20 - Language, Communication and Culture::2004 - Linguistics::200402 - Computational Linguistics
Fields of Research::47 - Language, communication and culture::4703 - Language studies::470304 - Comparative language studies
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