Metaphor Interpretation as Selective Inferencing: Cognitive Processes in Understanding Metaphor (Part 1)

Abstract

The importance of spatial and other metaphors is demonstrated. An approach to interpreting metaphor in a computational framework is described, based on the idea of selective inferencing, in which a processor draws or refrains from drawing certain inferences in a controlled fashion. Two examples of metaphors are examined in detail in this light—a simple metaphor and a spatial metaphor schema. In Part 2 a novel metaphor will be examined and there will be a discussion, from this perspective, of some classic issues concerning metaphor, including the analogical processes that underlie metaphor, the stages in the life of a metaphor, and the definition of metaphor.