Premium
Metaphor, Relevance and the ‘Emergent Property’ Issue
Author(s) -
WILSON DEIRDRE,
CARSTON ROBYN
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
mind and language
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.905
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1468-0017
pISSN - 0268-1064
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0017.2006.00284.x
Subject(s) - literal (mathematical logic) , interpretation (philosophy) , metaphor , relevance (law) , property (philosophy) , relevance theory , epistemology , attribution , psychology , cognitive science , cognition , linguistics , philosophy , social psychology , political science , law , neuroscience
Abstract: The interpretation of metaphorical utterances often results in the attribution of emergent properties, which are neither standardly associated with the individual constituents in isolation nor derivable by standard rules of semantic composition. An adequate pragmatic account of metaphor interpretation must explain how these properties are derived. Using the framework of relevance theory, we propose a wholly inferential account, and argue that the derivation of emergent properties involves no special interpretive mechanisms not required for the interpretation of ordinary, literal utterances.