Concreteness in Metaphor
An Interactionist Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19469807 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Phillip Wadley (Bangor University, corresponding author), Alan M Wallington (Bangor University), Alan Wallington (Bangor University), Thora Tenbrink (0000-0002-7986-1254, Bangor University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 119-148 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Metaphor and Symbol (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1092-6488 • E-ISSN: 1532-7868 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10926488.2025.2560322 |
| OpenAlex | W7147305452 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
Metaphor research is currently undergoing renewed interest in the concrete-abstract continuum. Lexical processing research shows that concrete words like “cat,” “vase,” and “book” are processed more quickly and with clearer mental imagery than abstract words such as “government,” “accident,” and “dream.” This poses some interesting questions about metaphor processing, as metaphors often show a conceptual asymmetry where Topic terms are abstract, and Vehicles are concrete. While this pattern suggests that disparity in this dimension may be an enabling or constraining feature of metaphor interpretation, we contend that concreteness should be viewed instead as a fluid and adaptable dimension of lexical concept interaction. According to Interaction Theory, metaphors have a powerful ability to reshape our perception of concepts, and we seek to investigate how this relates to the concreteness of both the Topic and the Vehicle. Through a qualitative analysis of metaphor appreciation, we examine the cognitive processes that facilitate navigation between abstraction and concretion. We propose that the characteristic adaptability of concepts’ concreteness necessitates an ad hoc model of mental representation in metaphor, moving beyond the traditional fixed models that have long underpinned theories of metaphor
Concreteness · Consciousness · Focus (optics) · Meaning (existential) · Perspective (graphical) · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Social Representations and Identity
Metaphors We Live By
Conceptual Integration Networks
Concreteness ratings for 40 thousand generally known English word lemmas
Metaphor Interpretation as Embodied Simulation
The Career of Metaphor.
Models and Metaphors
How We Resist Metaphors
Valence and concreteness in item recognition
Zooming in on the notion of metaphoricity
Interpretive Diversity Explains Metaphor–Simile Distinction
When Dogs Can Fly
Figurative Language, Mental Imagery, and Pragmatics
Literal Bases for Metaphor and Simile
Modeling Abstractness and Metaphoricity
The linguistic dimensions of concrete and abstract concepts
Understanding figurative and literal language
The Paradox of Abstraction
| Highly cited | No |
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