Chapter 1 General Introduction

1.0 Brief introduction to metaphor studies

1.1 Rationale of this research

1.2 Purposes of this research

1.3 Novel metaphor：target of research

1.3.1 Linguistic analysis oftarget data

1.3.2 Definition of target data

1.4 Methodology for this research

1.5 Overview of the thesis

Chapter 2 Literature Review of Related Studies

2.0 Introduction

2.1 Cognitive approaches to metaphor

2.1.1 Black's cognitive approach to metaphor

2.1.2 Lakoff et al.'s cognitive-semantic approach to metaphor

2.1.3 Conceptual blending/integration-based approach metaphor

2.1.4 Brief summary

2.2 Pragmatic-cognitive approaches to metaphor understanding

2.2.1 Grice'sconception of metaphor as an implicature

2.2.2 Searle's approach to metaphor as an indirect speech act

2.2.3 Brief summary

2.2.4 S＆W's pragma-cognitive approach to metaphor

2.3 Process-oriented studies of metaphor understanding

2.3.1 Salience-imbalance model of metaphor understanding

2.3.2 Structure-mapping model of metaphor understanding

2.3.3 Domains-interaction model of metaphor understanding

2.3.4 Class-inclusion model of metaphor understanding

2.3.5 Brief summary

2.4 Evaluation and comments of reviewed theories/models

2.4.1 Respecting the long cognitive tradition of metaphor research

2.4.2 Weakening the strong claims about metaphoric thought and language

2.4.3 The danger of scientific reductionism in theories of metaphor

2.4.4 Reasons for adopting a pragrna-cognitive approach to metaphor study

Chapter 3 A Relevance-Theoretic Framework to Metaphor Understanding

3.0 Introduction

3.1 Metaphor as representation by resemblance

3.1.1 Descriptive and interpretive dimensions of language use

3.1.2 Metaphor as a descriptive use of language

3.1.3 Metaphor as effort-imposing loose talk

3.2 Basic notions concerning metaphorical understanding

3.2.1 Mutual manifest-ness：the prerequisite for metaphor understanding

3.2.2 Optimal relevance：the ultimate goal of metaphor understanding

3.3 Metaphor interpretation

3.3.1 Explicatures of metaphorical utterances

3.3.2 Metaphor as a weak implicature

3.4 Characterization of the conceptual framework to metaphor understanding

3.4.1 Metaphor understanding involves three sub-processes

3.4.2 Metaphor understanding is effort-imposing

3.5 Summary

Chapter 4 Metaphoricity and Metaphorization

4.0 Introduction

4.1 The notion of metaphoricity

4.2 Metaphor as a re-conceptualization of entities

4.2.1 Metaphorization：theory-based rather than similari-ty-based

4.2.2 Ad hoc construction of'theories'governed by the principle of relevance

4.3 Metaphorization and de-metaphorization

4.3.1 Meaning construction：the issue of creativity of metaphor

4.3.2 Dynamics of metaphorization

4.4 Proposed criteria for metaphoricity identification

4.4.1 Two referential criteria of metaphoricity identifica-tion

4.4.2 Proposed criteria of metaphoricity identification

4.5 Metaphoricty judgments：an empirical study

4.6 Summary

Chapter 5 A Cognitive Process of Novel Metaphor Understanding

5.0 Introduction

5.1 Representational assumptions about Topic and Vehicle domains

5.1.1 Topic and Vehicle as schemas

5.1.2 Topic and Vehicle asimages

5.2 Metaphor understanding：identification of explica-tures

5.3 Metaphor understanding：construction of contextual assumptions

5.3.1 Constraints on context construction in metaphor understanding

5.3.2 Accessibility of contextual assumptions

5.4 Metaphor understanding：constructing implicatures

5.4.1 Implicature recovery involving non-demonstrative bridging inferences

5.4.2 Mutual adjustment and emergent structures

5.5 Heuristics for the choice of possible interpretations

5.6 Atentativerelevance-oriented model of metaphor understanding

5.7 Summary

Chapter 6 Novel Metaphor and Processing Effort

6.0 Introduction

6.1 Controversies on the issue of'metaphor and effort'

6.2 Novelmetaphor understanding as an effort-demanding task

6.2.1 'Suppression'in metaphor understanding involving more efforts

6.2.2 Emergents generation in metaphor understanding involving more effort

6.3 Rationale of the hypothesis about'metaphor and efforts'

6.3.1 Extra processing effort implies extra cognitive effect

6.3.2 Weak relevance presupposes extra processing effort

6.3.3 Brief summary

6.4 The experiment

6.4.1 Hypothesis of the experiment

6.4.2 Experiment on metaphor interpretation difficulty

6.5 ummary

Chapter 7 Conclusions and Implications

7.0 Introduction

7.1 Brief summary of major findings

7.2 Implications

7.2.1 Metaphor understanding involves both social and cognitive factors

7.2.2 Inevitability of misunderstandings in verbal communication

7.2.3 Theimportance of individual differences in utterance understanding

7.2.4 Challenge to contemporary metaphor theory's major claims

7.2.5 Some other implications

7.3 Suggestions for further studies

7.3.1 A more elaborated on-line experimental design might be worked out

7.3.2 Individual differences in metaphor processing should be considered

7.3.3 Speaker-related factors should be considered

7.3.4 The relationships between metaphor and'affect'merit further exploration

Appendix

Bibliography