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Relevance and Simulation in Metaphor

Recent writings have done much to develop and extend relevance theory as an account of metaphors and other “loose” language use. However, it is argued in this essay that relevance theory still leaves important gaps in its explanation and does not adequately address the “circularity” issue that has been raised. It is proposed that perceptual simulation theory usefully extends relevance theory by providing a detailed cognitive mechanism for the “broadening” and “narrowing” specified by relevance theory. Extending relevance theory to include the cognitive mechanisms posited by perceptual simulation theory also extends the reach of relevance theory and enhances its ability to explain previously unattended examples of metaphor, including metaphorical stories, strings of interacting metaphors, and humorous and playful distortions of metaphors.