The classification of literal and figurative use involves several distinct questions.
AspectQuestion to resolve
AssignmentWhat meaning is established for the expression?
ConventionWhich speech community or technical domain governs?
Current useWhat meaning is intended here?
ClueWhat shows that an alternative sense is intended?
Conflating these stages leads to confident but ambiguous claims about an expression being “literal” or “metaphorical.”
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Definitions of Literal and Figurative Use and the Technical Divisions of Metaphor
The classification of literal and figurative use involves several distinct questions.
AspectQuestion to resolve
AssignmentWhat meaning is established for the expression?
ConventionWhich speech community or technical domain governs?
Current useWhat meaning is intended here?
ClueWhat shows that an alternative sense is intended?
Conflating these stages leads to confident but ambiguous claims about an expression being “literal” or “metaphorical.”