Journal of Literary Semantics 

About: Journal of Literary Semantics is an academic journal published by De Gruyter Mouton. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Narrative & Semantics. It has an ISSN identifier of 0341-7638. Over the lifetime, 442 publications have been published receiving 2744 citations. The journal is also known as: JLS (Internet) & Journal of literary semantics (Print).

Synesthetic metaphor: A cognitive perspective

Abstract: The theory of conceptual metaphor claims that poetic metaphor basically uses the same cognitive mechanisms as everyday metaphor; and what makes poetic metaphor look different, however is its extension, elaboration, and combination of those mechanisms in ways that go beyond the ordinary. In light of this claim, the present study focuses on a particular kind of metaphor, synesthetic metaphor, with data extracted from the novels and short stories by Mo Yan, a preeminent contemporary Chinese novelist highly acclaimed for his innovation with language. An analysis shows that his use of synesthetic metaphors (as well as other metaphors and figures), although very novel and unusual, largely conforms to some general tendencies found in both ordinary and poetic language by previous empirical studies. The finding supports the claim that human meaning and understanding are embodied, constrained by the kind of body we have and how it functions.

A Theory For Metaphor

Abstract: A T o t of i n t e r e s t i n g work has been done r ecen t ly on the concept of a m e t a p h o r , and any adequa te theory of m e t a p h o r w i l l have to take a c c o u n t of m u c h of t h i s w o r k , a c c o m m o d a t i n g what is t rue and exp l a i n i n g where th i s recent work goes w r o n g . ( T y p i c a l l y , th is work errs e i ther by o v e r g e n e r a l i z i n g or by m i s t a k i n g an essential but subord ina t e fea tu re of metaphor for the w h o l e or the most central fea tu re . ) However , äs in te res t ing äs much of th i s work is, i t l acks something essent ial to an adequate theory of metaphor , n a m e l y , a p lace w i t h i n a more genera l theory of l a n g u a g e or l a n g u a g e use . The reason me taphor needs to be p laced w i t h i n a more general theory is that me taphor i t se l f is a l o g i c a l l y d e r i v a t i v e phenomenon a n d , d e r i v a t i v e , in p a r t i c u l a r , f r o m some aspect of l a n g u a g e use. In th i s pape r , I w i l l p l ace me tapho r w i t h i n such a theory. S p e c i f i c a l ly , I w i l l e x p l a i n m e t a p h o r in terms of H . P . G r i c e ' s theory of conve r sa t i on . By e x t e n d i n g G r i c e ' s theory to accoun t for me taphor , I am h o l d i n g in effect that metaphor is p r a g m a t i c a l l y and not semant i ca l ly based. A l t h o u g h there is a sense in w h i c h the sentence used m e t a p h o r i c a l l y has a me taphor i ca l m e a n i n g , th is m e a n i n g is i tself a consequence of the m e c h a n i s m s that g i v e r ise to the metaphor and are not w h a t makes the metaphor p o s s i b l e . In G r i c e ' s t e rmino logy , the m e t a p h o r i c a l m e a n i n g of an u t te rance is an ins tance of u t te rance occasion m e a n i n g and no t ( a p p l i e d ) t ime le s s u t te rance m e a n i n g .

(Re)thinking modality: A text-world perspective

Abstract: The late Paul Werth's model of human discourse processing, Text World Theory (Werth 1994, 1995a, 1995b, and 1999), has been subject to some dramatic evolutionary changes over the last decade. Here I examine in particularthe text-worlds created by the presence of modalized propositions in literary fiction and suggest a number of modifications to Werth's (1999) handling of this area of discourse. I question Werth's explanation of modality and use Simpson's (1993) modal grammar of narrative fiction to formulate a refined text-world account of the conceptual structure of modalized propositions. As a consequence of this investigation, however, I also suggest that a text-world perspective on modality may have much to offer both to Simpson's modal grammar and to our understanding of modality as a whole.

On regularity in semantic change

Abstract: Le role des facteurs socio-historiques et de la cognition dans la regularite du changement semantique