Why Do People Use Figurative Language?
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23345151 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard M Roberts (University of Maryland), Roger J Kreuz (0000-0002-6378-1110, Memphis State University) |
| Year | 1994 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 159-163 |
| Publication date | 1994-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0956-7976 • E-ISSN: 1467-9280 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9280.1994.tb00653.x |
| OpenAlex | W2142447366 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 113 |
| References cited | 26 |
In this article, we examine the discourse goals that are accomplished by the use of eight forms of figurative language: hyperbole, idiom, indirect request, irony, understatement, metaphor, rhetorical question, and simile. Subjects were asked to provide reasons why they would use a particular figure of speech. Based on their responses, a discourse goal taxonomy that includes each of the eight figures was developed. The goal taxonomy indicates that each figure of speech is used to accomplish a unique constellation of communicative goals. The degree of goal overlap between the eight forms was also calculated, and the results provide support for theoretical claims about the relatedness of certain figures. Taken together, the goal taxonomy and overlap scores broaden our understanding of functional and theoretical differences between the various kinds of figurative language.
Cognitive psychology · Figure of speech · Hyperbole · Irony · Linguistics · Literal and figurative language · Metaphor · Rhetorical question · Simile · Taxonomy (biology) · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Psychology
Analysis of Figurative Language in “Easy On Me” Song Lyric
Comprehending Speaker Meaning
The Use of Metaphors and Similes in Political Discourse in Ghana
Theory of Mind and Context Processing in Schizophrenia
Irony as a Means of Perception Through Communication Channels. Emotions, Attitude and IQ Related to Irony Across Gender
Irony in Talk Among Friends
The Production and Processing of Verbal Irony
Literal Bases for Metaphor and Simile
Are There Necessary Conditions for Inducing a Sense of Sarcastic Irony
Figures of Rhetoric in Advertising Language
Literalidad, ironía y ambigüedad calculada
The quest for "similar instances" and "simultaneous possibilities
Metaphor in Early Monolingual and Bilingual Development
Examining the emotional impact of sarcasm using a virtual environment
The Career of Metaphor.
Public Discourse Surrounding Suicide during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Preschoolers Represent Abstract Relations Predicated on Kind Membership
Preschoolers’ Comprehension of Functional Metaphors
Fear or humor? The effects of negatively framed visual hyperbole in advertising
Punishment is Organized around Principles of Communicative Inference
Theoretically on Mock Politeness in English and Italian
The role of verbal irony in conflict talk among relatives and friends in an Argentinian community
Cupcake vegans,” “cult vegans,” and “animal abusers”
Levels and types of breaking the maxims
An Investigation into the Discourse of Political Marketing Communications in Turkey
Relational Analysis
Sarcasm in Written Communication
Humor style predicts sarcasm use – evidence from Turkish speakers
Training studies provide new insights about mechanisms of irony development
Argumentation Mining in User-Generated Web Discourse
The ironical Chinese bei-construction and its accessibility to English speakers
Irony in context
On the relation of irony, understatement, and litotes
Two layers of overt untruthfulness
A metaphor is not like a simile
The Production and Processing of Verbal Irony
The Production of Metaphoric Expressions in Spontaneous Speech
Are Hybrid Pictorial Metaphors Perceived More Strongly Than Pictorial Similes
Irony in Talk Among Friends
Reversibility, Aptness, and the Conventionality of Metaphors and Similes
Interpretive Diversity Explains Metaphor–Simile Distinction
Finding Irony
Individual Differences in Verbal Irony Use
Literal Bases for Metaphor and Simile
Character Intimacy Influences the Processing of Metaphoric Utterances During Narrative Comprehension
The Differential Role of Ridicule in Sarcasm and Irony
"I've Never Seen Anything Like It"
Exploring Perceptions of Novelty and Mirth in Elicited Figurative Language Production
Gender Differences in Verbal Irony Use
On Acknowledging Thanks for Performing a Favor
Analogy and Irony
Learning Irony in School
Metaphor processing in middle childhood and at the transition to early adolescence
Hyperbole as a Persuasion Tool in Political Discourse (The Case of British Politicians’ Speech)
Uncovering anti-politics by counting hyperbole
Contextual Factors That Trigger Sarcasm
Introduction
Muting the Meaning A Social Function of Irony
Two Cues for Verbal Irony
Comprehension of metaphors and Similes
Commentary on the special issue
Wii Will Rock You!” The Use and Effect of Figurative Language in Consumer Reviews of Hedonic and Utilitarian Consumption
Similes as poetic comparisons
Sarcasm Across Time and Space
Ironic Expression Can Simultaneously Enhance and Dilute Perception of Criticism
Contrast of Kind Versus Contrast of Magnitude
How Do Children Respond to Verbal Irony in Face-to-Face Communication? The Development of Mode Adoption Across Middle Childhood
Wolves, Confederates, and the Happy Few
Memory for metaphors and similes in discourse
Salting a wound or sugaring a pill
The Roles of Politeness and Humor in the Asymmetry of Affect in Verbal Irony
An Acquired Taste
Parents’ use of nonliteral language with preschool children
Understanding Verbal Irony
Distinguishing Sarcasm From Literal Language
Selective View of the Last 50 Years of the Experimental Psycholinguistics of Idiom, Metaphor, and Irony
Children's Perceptions of the Social Functions of Verbal Irony
Discourse Goals Affect the Process and Product of Nominal Metaphor Production
Sarcasm Use in Polish and Turkish
Voice Modulations in German Ironic Speech
Comprehending Speaker Intent in Rebuttal Analogy Use
Regional Variation in the Use of Sarcasm
The role of hyperbole in conveying emotionality
Can irony regulate negative emotion? Evidence from behaviour and ERPs
They Go Along Singing
Addressing the Challenge of Verbal Irony
Complaints in Travel Reality Shows
Are Metaphors Elliptical Similes
Definitions of Idioms in Preadolescents, Adolescents, and Adults
On the uses of sarcastic irony
Aptness is more important than comprehensibility in preference for metaphors and similes
The act of complaining in Brunei-Then and now
Is Verbal Irony Special
Humor in Interaction
Contrast and pragmatics in figurative language
There's millions of them
Oh God, that's an ugly looking fish - negotiating sociocultural distance in transnational families through culinary othering
Contrast and assimilation in verbal irony
Issues in conversational joking
Attribution of discourse goals for using concrete- and abstract-tenor metaphors and similes with or without discourse context
Linguistic communication and speech acts
Prose Comprehension Beyond the Word
Metaphors We Live By
A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms
Basic objects in natural categories
Logic and Conversation
How To Do Things With Words
Verbal Materials in Research on Figurative Language
Beyond the Lexicon
Metaphors in Conversation
What Could Reaction-Time Studies Be Telling Us About Metaphor Comprehension
On Being Ironic
Wit and humor in discourse processing
Speech act theory in quantitative research on interpersonal behavior∗
Literal Meaning and Psychological Theory
Expression and Meaning
Understanding metaphorical comparisons
The empirical study of figurative language in literature
Readings in natural language processing
Speech Acts
| Unique citing works | 113 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,65 |
| Citation span | 1995 - 2026 (32) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 100 |