Metaphorical emergence through propositional and imagistic modes of metaphor processing

Building on Carston's (2010) distinction between propositional and imagistic modes of metaphor processing and Indurkya's (2007) dichotomy between similarity-based and similarity-creating metaphors, this paper discusses how propositional and imagistic modes are involved in the processing of similarity-based and similarity-creating metaphors. Based on these distinctions, four sets of conditions are discussed separately. Then, it is suggested that the representation constructed for the target domain of a metaphor can be a combination of propositional and imagistic elements, although one of them may be dominant. The propositional component is the product of propositional emergence, while the imagistic component is the product of imagistic emergence. The combination of these two components constitutes the target representation emerging through the metaphor. • A metaphorical representation can be a combination of propositional and imagistic elements • The propositional component of a metaphorical representation is the product of propositional emergence. • The imagistic component is the product of imagistic emergence.