Metaphors, Jokes and Counterfactuals

Abstract

According to the classical model metaphors are literal falsehoods, but there exists a special motive for the figurative use of the language. Some theoreticians, notably Donald Davidson, strongly oppose the idea that metaphors have a special figurative meaning corresponding to their cognitive content. It is argued that the classical semantical model as formulated in the interaction theory is still the best starting point in the explanation of metaphors. Interpretative strategies for metaphors, jokes, puzzles and counterfactual conditionals are analyzed and compared. This background reveals that the characteristic of metaphorical interpretation consists in the reversal of meaning, contrary to the proposal of Donald Davidson.