I analyze the differences between two contemporary approaches to metaphor: the cognitive approach and the contextualist approach. The cognitive view sees metaphor as a conceptual entity unique to itself, whereas the contextualist view sees metaphor as a communicative device used to trigger the intended meaning, within the bounds of the context. I synthesize the two views by drawing a distinction (or identifying a continuum) between “dead” and “alive” metaphors and drawing a distinction (or identifying a continuum) between the “automatic” and “non-automatic” processing of speech.

Mentor: David Hargreaves