The visibility of speech. An investigation into the relationship between metaphor and visual imagery

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between visual imagery and metaphor, highlighting the historical neglect of this relationship in philosophy and cognitive science and exploring the reasons behind this neglect in theoretical and empirical studies. After outlining influential philosophical theories on the relationship between metaphor and visual imagery, I provide a critical overview of empirical findings on this. Thus, I argue that experimental studies lack sufficient empirical evidence to make meaningful generalizations and fail to determine the true role of visual imagery in metaphor comprehension. Nevertheless, they do not allow us to rule out the involvement of imagery in the comprehension of at least certain metaphors. The present paper proposes that visual imagery might play different roles depending on the semantic features of the vehicle and the kind of meaning conveyed by different types of metaphors. I conclude this discussion by sketching a roadmap for further exploration of this fascinating and challenging relationship.