Connectivity and Metaphor Comprehension

It is commonly held that metaphors can be represented as mappings of properties between two conceptual domains. In the mapping, not all properties of the source domain are mapped to the target domain. The role of "mappability preferences" (determinants of which properties are mappable) in the interpretation of metaphors is examined. Four main factors involved in metaphoric mapping are examined - diagnosticality, intensity, prototypicality, & familiarity. It is argued that all four play a role in determining the "hierarchy" of mappability, but that an additional account is needed to explain all the features of mappability. This is outlined in terms of connectivity. 26 References. B. Annesser Murray