11 - Metaphor

Summary

Chapter 11 begins with a discussion of the constraints of language and how metaphor helps to overcome these constraints and expand the expressive power of language.It briefly summarizes traditional theories of metaphor comprehension, followed by conceptual metaphor theory and perceptual simulations.Extensions of conceptual metaphor theory that imply a code model are discussed and critiqued.Then I introduce and illustrate an approach to metaphor analysis that begins with the speaker’s experience as expressed in the text.The chapter discusses grammatical metaphors, metaphorical stories, playful metaphors, and multimodal metaphors.It discusses the processing and comprehension of metaphors, and closes with a discussion of the contribution of metaphor to social structure and personal identity.