Metaphor and Relevance

Abstract

Metaphor is not just a "less-than-literal speech (rough approximation)" or a "loose talk." Metaphor is a highly calculated and sophisticatedly devised mechanism that enriches our communicative life in a pervasive way. What makes us see metaphor as loose and rough is not the nature of metaphor itself but the concepts we try to express by means of' metaphor. In terms of Relevance Theory, what is the most relevant is to attribute the minimal properties that allow us to interpret. Metaphor is based on a minimal set of "noteworthy" properties and thus it is one of the most economical and relevant reflections of our mind. In fad, what basically triggers metaphor is our desire to communicate as clearly and concretely as possible. In addition, I claim that most of conventional metaphors are metaconceptual echoic uses addressing a corroborating attitude to what is implicitly attributed.