On the margins of figurative thought and language

Abstract

Figurative mechanisms, both mainstream and marginal, are pervasive in thought and language. While mainstream figures have been studied extensively and remain the focus of extensive ongoing research, marginal figurative mechanisms have either been overlooked or treated along with more commonly occurring figurative mechanisms. The present study reflects on the emphasis assigned to central figures of speech, and allocates equal importance to peripheral figures that have so far received minimum attention. It is suggested, in this Introduction, as well as in all papers of the Special Issue, that marginal figures are not simply rhetorical devices that occupy the margins of figurativity, as has long been thought, but rather comprise necessary reasoning processes that serve special cognitive and communicative needs. It remains to be investigated whether marginal figures are subordinate to the general class of mainstream figures, or whether they, too, occupy a central position in thought and language. The exploration and in-depth analysis of marginal figures is likely to have a significant impact on the overall study of figurative language.