Abstract

ROMERO, Esther  and  SORIA, Belén. AD HOC CONCEPTUAL CONSTRUCTION AND METAPHORIC INTERPRETATION. Forma funcion, Santaf, de Bogot, D.C. [online]. 2012, vol.25, n.2, pp.217-247. ISSN 0120-338X.

The objective of this paper is to point out that metaphoric ad hoc concepts are derived by means of analogy. Interaction theory can account for this peculiar feature by appealing to a partial mapping from one conceptual domain onto another (Romero & Soria, 2005a; 2007) and is more explanatory than relevance theory, with its view of concept adjustment to achieve a wider denotation (Carston, 2002; 2010a; Wilson & Carston, 2006). Furthermore, interaction theory can provide a homogeneous explanation of the type of ad hoc conceptual construction that characterizes all cases of metaphoric interpretation. The most creative cases, that is, examples whose metaphoric vehicles stand for ad hoc concepts, may be explained without resorting to a different interpretation route as argued for in the most recent relevance theory account (Carston, 2010b).

Keywords : ad hoc concept; metaphor; mechanism; analogy; pragmatic derivation.

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