Abstract

This book offers a comprehensive theory of metaphor, constructed out of various components selected from recent psychology and theories of language. It is a well-organized book--at times perhaps too repetitious--dealing with the semantics of metaphor, metaphor and knowledge, metaphor as a cognitive process, metaphor and memory, metaphor and cultural evolution, metaphor as a speech act, metaphor and meaning, and metaphor and truth. The author limits himself to linguistic metaphors, but notes that he has become very interested in the role which visual metaphors play in the development of linguistic metaphors. In his conclusion he suggests the need to extend the investigation by studying the metaphysical aspects of metaphor.