Hello everybody,
Dan suggested that I inform the list about a recent paper on metaphor that
just came out by myself and colleagues from Grenoble. Here is the
reference and abstract (without italics):
Noveck, I. A., Bianco, M. & Castry, A. (2001). The costs and benefits of
metaphor. Metaphor and Symbol, 16(1&2), 109-121.
Many researchers consider metaphor so fundamental to psychological activity
that they claim that it does not require extra cognitive effort to process.
While not disputing that metaphors are natural to human cognition, we
argue that a metaphor's relative ease-of-use ought not be confounded with
an expectation that it prompts no extra effort. As many studies show
(including those presented here), metaphors often come with costs when
compared to non-figurative controls (e.g. longer processing times).
However, we also argue that the extra costs associated with an apt metaphor
ought to come with benefits. This analysis, based on Relevance Theory,
does a good job of accounting for some overlooked psycholinguistic findings
concerning metaphor processing.
I'll be happy to email a soft copy to anyone who is interested.
Yours,
Ira
Ira Noveck
Institut des Sciences Cognitives
CNRS
67 Blvd. Pinel
69675 Bron FRANCE
Tel. (de la France): 04 37 91 12 68
Tel. (from abroad): + 33 4 37 91 12 68
http://www.isc.cnrs.fr/nov/novmenu.htm
http://www.isc.cnrs.fr/nov/novmenuen.htm
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