Metaphor and Thought reflects the surge of interest in and research into the nature and function of metaphor in language and thought. Philosophers, psychologists, linguists, and educators raise serious questions about the viability of the traditional distinction between the literal and the metaphorical, discussing problems ranging from the definition of metaphor to its role in language acquistion, learning, scientific thinking, and the creation of social policy. In the second edition, the contributors have updated their original essays to reflect changes in their fields. The volume also includes six new chapters that present important and influential new ideas about metaphor that have appeared in such fields as the philosophy of language and the philosophy of science, linguistics, cognitive and clinical psychology, education, and artificial intelligence. The book will serve as an excellent graduate-level textbook in cognitive psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence.

"There are books that deserve a special place for their being long-lasting and valuable contributions to the clarification of a field or a theoretical object. Metaphor and Thought has been one among them since it first appeared in 1979 and is still certainly so, now, in this enriched second edition." Cristina Cacciari, Contemporary Psychology"Ortony and others involved in this project are to be congratulated...this volume is a persuasive demonstration that for the theories of language, communication, and cognition, an adequate account of metaphor is a necessity and no mere nicety." Canadian Journal of Philosophy"This is the most comprehensive and useful introduction to the idea of metaphor available in the field today. This very important subject as an entre to the ways that the human mind creates concepts and fundamentally categorizes and understands the world has been hard to access until Ortony's very useful and very carefully constructed volume. I refer to it often and am glad to have it on my bookshelf." John Gottman, University of Washington

Examines the nature and function of metaphor in language and thought.

Examines the nature and function of metaphor in language and thought.

Philosophers, psychologists, linguists, and educators raise serious questions about the viability of the traditional distinction between the literal and the metaphorical, discussing problems ranging from the definition of metaphor to its role in language acquisition, learning, scientific thinking, and the creation of social policy.